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Winter is knocking at the doors with a cool breeze that has already started blowing across the nation. With the onset of winter, what looks remarkably attractive is the local vegetable market. The marketplace becomes filled with colourful fruits and vegetables. From carrots to cauliflower to citrus fruits like oranges, the market beams with a variety of foods that contribute to a perfectly balanced meal.
Out of the innumerable vegetables available in the winter market, what rules the kitchen most of the time is cauliflower. Cauliflower, also known as phulkopi in Bengali, holds a special place in the culinary and nutritional landscapes. This cruciferous vegetable is low in calories, making it an excellent choice for those looking to maintain or lose weight.
It is a rich source of vitamin C. Cauliflower also offers dietary fibre, aiding in digestive health and promoting feelings of fullness, which can help with weight management. Additionally, it contains essential nutrients such as vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, and various phytonutrients, including antioxidants, which may contribute to reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
In Bengali households, cauliflower is the dominant vegetable in the winter season. There are a lot of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian recipes centred around cauliflower. In this article, we will mention seven such Bengali delicacies that you can make with cauliflower in the winter season.
Take a look:
- Aloo Phulkopi Dalna
This is a rich gravy made with no onion or garlic, loaded with the aroma of ginger and asafoetida, and made with big chunks of potatoes and cauliflower. This is the signature Bengali dish in the winter season and can be served alongside luchi, or steamed rice.
- Phulkopi Roast
This is not the authentic roast you’re thinking of, but a gravy made of yoghurt and cashews cooked with cauliflower. The cauliflower florets are shallow-fried and cooked with aromatic spices like cumin powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, and red chillies. They are then simmered in a paste made of yoghurt, melon seeds, cashews, and poppy seeds. They are greatly paired with basanti polao, or roti.
- Doi Kopi
This authentic dish is made with cauliflower cooked in a thick yoghurt sauce. Tempered with garam masala and cooked with ghee, this warm curry is all we need in the winter months. This gravy carries a hint of sweetness and spiciness altogether. This is a pure vegetarian curry and can be paired well with steamed rice well.
- Maach Phulkopi
Apart from vegetarian dishes, people love pairing cauliflower with fish. You can either prepare a steaming curry of Rohu fish and cauliflower combination or with Koi fish and phulkopi. The jhol consists of new potatoes, cauliflower, green chillies, cumin powder, garam masala, and crushed paste. You can finish the dish by garnishing with coriander leaves.
- Phulkopi Bhapa
This is one of the all-time favourite dishes of the winter season for Bengalis. It is well known for its extraordinary flavour and irresistible taste. For this preparation, cauliflower florets are fried and then steamed with poppy seeds and mustard paste, with some chillies and a splash of mustard oil. The dish is mostly served with steamed rice.
- Dim Phulkopi
Egg is a versatile food that can be combined with anything, and the result will taste no less than amazing. This winter, you can try making dim phulkopi jhol. This is prepared by making the egg into an omelette and then cooking it in a curry of cauliflower and potatoes. However, this dish does not contain onions or garlic, unlike other egg recipes.
- Phulkopi’r Shingara
In almost every street food snack stall in Bengal, you’ll find phulkopi’r shingara in the winter months. It is the same authentic shingara found during the other months in Bengal, except in winter, when it has balanced flavours of potato and cauliflower. It is completely different from samosa. You can also easily make this at home, and it is a perfect teatime snack.
