Inspired by Tim Ferriss' Coconut Cauliflower Curry Mash from the 4-Hour Chef.
Cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables. These days I most often eat it as a 'pizza' base, in hummus or roasted.
It also makes an excellent mash that will satisfy any carb cravings without the guilt.
With the richness of the cashews and coconut milk, it's a deeply satisfying meal in a bowl. My new favourite comfort food!
Enough for: 2 as a main or 4 as a side
Takes: 30 minutes
1 head cauliflower, chopped into florettes
1 can coconut milk (400mL / 14oz)
2 handfuls cashews + extra to serve
1. Place cauli, coconut milk and cashews in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until cauli is no longer crunchy. And most of the liquid has evaporated.
3. Mash with a stick blender or a fork and some muscles. Season.
Variations
nut-free - just skip the cashews.
different veg - feel free to try different root veg such as parsnip, sweet potato, celeriac (celery root), swede (rutabaga), carrot, turnips or a combo. Broccoli mash is nice too.
curry mash - add in a 'large' or '3 finger' pinch of curry powder when seasoning.
carnivore - serve as a side with your favourite grilled sausages.
mexican mash - (stealing Tim's idea here) replace cauliflower with sweet potato. Skip the coconut milk and cashews and simmer chunks in water until soft. Drain and mash with 2 chopped chillies, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve with coriander leaves (cilantro) on top.
greener - serve on a bed of baby spinach or with torn parsley or cilantro (coriander) leaves.
different nuts - the cashews cook down and are lovely and soft but you could use almonds instead. I tried it with walnuts and the colour wasn't very nice and the bitter flavour from the skins came through.
no coconut milk - just simmer cauli and cashews in water. Drain and discard and remaining water then puree with a few exceedingly generous chunks of butter.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
cauli (whole) – will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for weeks. To keep for longer, chop into florettes and pop in the freezer. If you have time, grating the cauli before freezing will make life easier so you can just defrost and serve.
coconut milk / cashews - keep them in the pantry.
Prepare Ahead
Absolutely! Will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and can be frozen.