Moroccan Cauliflower with Mujadara Rice

 

INGREDIENTS

2 TBSP oil

1 TSP salt

4 TBSP harissa paste

1 head cauliflower, trimmed into florets

 

Mujadara Rice

2 TBSP oil

2 TBSP minced garlic

1 TBSP cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

1 TSP salt

1 TSP pepper

1 CUP brown rice

1 CUP brown lentils

4 CUPS water

 

Caramelised onions

2 brown onions, thinly sliced

4 TBSP oil

 

Tahini Chilli Dressing

2 TBSP tahini

2 TBSP honey (or maple syrup)

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP sambal (or chilli sauce)

1 TSP minced garlic

1 TBSP water

1 TSP salt

¼ TSP pepper

 

Parsley

Sliced lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

Moroccan Cauliflower

  1. Preheat your oven to 210C

  2. Place your chopped cauliflower in a large bowl and set aside

  3. In a small bowl, combine oil, salt and harissa then add to the cauliflower and toss to evenly coat the cauliflower.

  4. Spread the cauliflower onto a lined baking tray and bake for 35-40mins (or until charred and tender), tossing half way. Once cooked, set aside.

  5. While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the rice, caramelised onions and dressing.

Mujadara Rice and Caramelised Onions

  1. Rinse the rice and lentils in a colander, removing any debris.

  2. Heat a large pot over a medium-high heat, and add oil, garlic, cumin seeds, salt and bay leaves.

  3. Cook for 1-2mins stirring frequently until garlic is fragrant, then add water and bay leaves and bring to a boil.

  4. Add in the rice and lentils, and reduce the heat to medium-low so that it’s at a gently simmer.

  5. Cover and cook for 35-40mins, stirring occasionally to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom.

  6. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat then add the sliced onions.

  7. Cook for 30mins stirring every 5-10mins to make sure the onion doesn’t burn. If the onion is charring but not cooking, lower the heat.

  8. When the lentils and rice are done cooking and the liquid has been absorbed, remove from the heat and let rest for 5mins with the lid off. Then fluff the with a fork and remove the bay leaves.

  9. When the onions are done, remove from the pan with tongs and spread them out on a plate with paper towel to absorb the oil. Season with a few pinches of salt.

Tahini Chilli Dressing

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all tahini chilli dressing ingredients. If it’s too thick, add 1TBSP of water until the dressing is a nice consistency. Season to taste.

  2. Drizzle the dressing over the cooked cauliflower 1 TBSP at a time - depending on how much sesame-chilli flavour you’d like to add.

 

To serve, add the cauliflower to one side of your plate, then add the rice and lentil mixture to the other and top with caramelised onions. Garnish with parsley.