This spicy yogurt pan fried cauliflower is a side dish that will give you some pep in your step!
This cauliflower don’t take shit from no one. Nuh-uh.
It’s one spicy and sassy dish.
I blame it for my near throw down with the post office lady yesterday. I get that technically I need to provide my own tape, but when I’m asking for like 2 small pieces and she’s all “well, you can purchase the roll over there” it took everything in my being to not drop the box and punch the (I will not use the word I want to right now) woman in the face. The same lady that stares at the 20 person line going around the door while she sits and eats her sandwich because it’s her “lunch break” on other days. I’d like to know in what business outside of government run ones it’s ok to purposely make your customers pissed off. Oh, that would be none. None of this would bother me anywhere near as much as it does if Miss stingy tape wouldn’t be retiring nicely with a sweet pension in a few years for working half-assedly (a necessary word creation for times like this) all her life. Or, that she’s probably enjoying way better benefits than I have while the general public, who she treats like crap, pays for them through our taxes.
I refused to buy her damn tape after a few heated choice words, paid for the box and left.
Had I not shoveled half a head of cauliflower in my mouth for lunch, perhaps I would’ve been a bit more subdued about the situation but the sass was a flowin’ and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Besides the spice, the other fun part about this dish is the yogurt. Coating your vegetables in yogurt before cooking them in olive oil may seem and sound a bit weird but it does wonders for the flavor and the texture. You see cauliflower with yogurt dips all the time, why not coat it in the yogurt from the get go?
Whether or not I’m going to eat the other half of this before going back to the post office today is still to be decided. I do like a good fight…
More Cauliflower Goodness
Try this bang bang cauliflower. It’s also pan-fried until crispy but battered and served with a sweet and spicy bang bang sauce that’s to die for.
Looking for a main meal? How about these cauliflower cheddar burgers? They put any other veggie burger you’ve tried to shame.
Spicy Yogurt Pan-Fried Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, washed and broken into small florets
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1/2 a small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloved garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a large bowl and toss to fully coat cauliflower in yogurt mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry cauliflower in batches (don’t overcrowd the pan) for about 10 minutes per batch until golden brown and crispy. You may need to add a bit more olive oil with each new batch.
- Garnish with lemon and parsley and serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I have been making this since I found it around 2012-13. it is easy to do, quick and hella delicious! The 1st time I made it, I cooked it in batches and the 1st batch was done by the time I was done cooking…you can make it spicier, or less spicy, it’s fresh and goes well with so many different things!
I have a cauliflower recipe that adds yoghurt after cooking but marinating beforehand – sounds yum!
Bad service can happen anywhere these days but it definitely feels worse when the unionized and/or government worker basically has a job-for-life (JFL) and will suffer no repercussions. On the other hand is the AMAZING service you can sometimes get from minimum-wage service workers.
Here’s an idea: the public makes SPECIFIC complaints about JFL workers in writing AND makes written compliments for low-wage service workers. When the complaints reach a certain level, that employee trades PLACES and PAYCHEQUES with one with sufficient compliments.
Wouldn’t that be an eye-opener!!!
This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing.
I love cooking with yogurt but I’ve never tried to coat my veggies in it before putting them in oil. Sounds fantastic!
I have never an fried my cauliflower I always roast in the oven. Will have to give this a try!
Love the rant. I needed a good story of frustration – misery enjoys company.
I’m not fond of the post office, but the USPS is not supported with tax dollars.
thanks for the correction, probably should’ve done a quick google search on that before ranting. At least it makes me feel better about not contributing towards their retirement! ;)