Chicken Jalfrezi and Roasted Cauliflower

Tonight, I tried a friend's favorite Indian recipe, Chicken Jalfrezi, and to go with it I found a recipe for Indian influenced cauliflower.
Verdict:
Zoe - ate all the meat, but didn't touch the sauce, rice or the cauliflower. I don't think she liked the strong flavor.
Ben - ate everything on his plate, including the cauliflower, which he usually won't touch. He said he really liked the cauliflower, and the chicken was just ok.
Me - I really liked the chicken, but I think I made it a little too salty ( I decreased it in the recipe below), and I would like to try other recipes to see if I could find a more authentic one to use. I didn't really care for the cauliflower - it tasted like salty ketchup on cauliflower to me.

The recipe calls for ghee, and I didn't have any on hand, so I decided to use Smart Balance instead (our dairy free, non-hydrogenated spread). I will have to try making some ghee sometime. I served this meal with rice.

Chicken Jalfrezi
-adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut bite-size pieces
  
• 3 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken, and season with turmeric, chili powder and salt. Fry gently, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently and turning the chicken.
2. Pour in the tomatoes with their juice, cover the pan, and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Uncover, and simmer for another 10 minutes to let the excess liquid evaporate.
3. Add the ghee, cumin, ground coriander, ginger and cilantro, and simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes. Serve the chicken pieces with sauce spooned over the top.

Roasted Cauliflower with Indian Barbecue Sauce
- adapted from epicurious

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1-pound head of cauliflower, cored, cut into 1-inch florets (about 4-5 cups), or one frozen bag of cauliflower
  
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 3/4 cups ketchup (I used half ketchup, half tomato sauce)
  
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toast cumin in small skillet over medium heat until darker in color and beginning to smoke, about 1 - 1/2 minutes. Set aside.

Toss cauliflower and 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Transfer to medium rimmed baking sheet. Roast until very tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger and garlic; sauté until very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, and toasted cumin. Bring to boil, whisking to blend. Reduce heat to very low; simmer barbecue sauce 1 minute to blend flavors, whisking constantly.

Remove cauliflower from oven; transfer to large bowl. Toss with enough barbecue sauce to coat.