Cauliflower & Tofu with spiced chilli relish

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

3 tbls neutral oil like grape seed or vegetable oil + a bit more for tossing with cauliflower and tofu

5-6 large shallots, peeled and diced (approximate 300-350g)

5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

3 small red chilies (or 1 long red chilli) de-seeded and minced

1 tbls peeled ginger, minced

1 bu. Coriander, leaves picked and set aside, stalks and stems minced

2 star anise pods

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp. Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp red chili flakes, Korean chili flakes or Aleppo chilis flakes best , use less if all you have are Italian chili flakes as they are spicier

1 tsp salt + more to taste

3 tbls tomato paste

1.5 tbls maple syrup or honey 

100ml water 

300g firm tofu 

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Steamed white rice (optional)

1 handful toasted cashew nuts for garnish (optional)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200C. Cut your head of cauliflower into florets and place in a bowl. Toss cauliflower with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt and place it onto a parchment lined baking tray. Place this tray into the oven and roast the cauliflower for 10 minutes. At about halfway, stir and toss the cauliflower around to evenly cook on all sides.

Dry the tofu on paper towels and cut it into small cubes. Then place the tofu in a small mixing bowl (the same one you used for cauliflower) and toss it with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt and black pepper and set aside. When the cauliflower has roasted for 10 minutes, remove that tray from the oven and push the cauliflower to one side. Drop the dressed tofu on the other side. Place the tray with both cauliflower and tofu, back into the oven and continue roasting for a further 10 minutes.* You want both the cauliflower to be golden brown and the tofu to be slightly golden but mostly just dried out a bit. Roast a further 5 minutes if needed. When finished, remove the tray from the oven and set it aside.

*While the cauliflower and tofu are roasting, you can get started on the relish and just come back to add the tofu.

To make the chilli relish, take a wide sauté pan and place it on the stove over medium/low heat. Add the oil and then add in the diced shallot, 2 star anise pods, minced garlic, minced chili, minced ginger and minced coriander stalk with a pinch of salt and cook for 15-20 minutes until everything is deeply caramelised and is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Give it a stir every couple of minutes while its cooking. Next, add in the turmeric, fennel seeds, 1 tsp. salt, black pepper, tomato paste, maple syrup or honey, chili flakes and water and stir to scrape all the stuff that was stuck on the pan and mix into the relish. Continue to simmer this over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. Give it a taste and adjust with a bit more salt. Toss the roasted tofu into the relish and stir to combine. You can toss the cauliflower back into the oven for 2-3 minutes, just before serving, to heat it through.

Combine the roasted cauliflower with the dressed tofu on your plate or platter and top with a good squeeze of lime juice and the reserved coriander leaves. Garnish with a few toasted cashew nuts if you like them and serve with steamed white rice or on its own.