Cauliflower haters are going to fall for this, cauliflower lovers are going to make this over and over…
When I came to know that my hubby dislikes cauliflower, the first thing that came out of my mouth was “Are you kidding me?”. How can someone hate cauliflower? Aren’t they just adorable? They look so pretty and to me they resemble wedding gowns. My hubby dislikes it for no apparent reason, on the other hand I love it. I can enjoy anything that’s made with cauliflower: fritters, gobi manchurian, mashed cauliflower, baked or roasted cauliflower, etc. The other day, when I told him that I am going to make cauliflower for dinner, he had made a few requests for not making it. I was so eager to make something out of the cauliflower that was sitting in my refrigerator.
I did stick to my plan of making cauliflower for dinner. I couldn’t find any other way but trick my man. That’s what we should if someone hates certain veggies for no apparent reason. Who’s with me on this? Honestly, when I started cooking I had no clue about how to hide the cauliflower. I first cooked onions and cauliflower together, many thoughts flashed through my mind: drizzle some sauce over it, combine with chicken, puree it. Puree it? aha that’s exactly what I wanted so that at least the cauliflower is hidden. I added tomato sauce and italian seasoning to the cooked cauliflower and pureed it. Looked perfect to me! Next question was: how am I going to serve this puree? Something was certainly missing in it.
That’s when the idea of putting chicken balls into the cauliflower sauce struck me. I had no doubt that my man was going to love this, enjoy it and lick it 🙂 To make it healthy, I baked the seasoned chicken balls and combined with the cauliflower sauce.
My man couldn’t even believe that this dish actually had cauliflower added to it, he neither tasted it nor sensed it. He was seen gobbling it up. I couldn’t find a better way than this to hide cauliflower. I can only say that I did succeed in feeding a picky eater. Yay, for me 🙂
- Chicken breasts- 2
- Paprika- 1 tsp
- Ground cumin- ½ tsp
- Italian seasoning- 11/2 tsp
- Salt- to taste
- Oil- 2 tbsp
- Onion, chopped- 1, large
- Cauliflower, chopped- 1, small
- Tomato sauce, low-sodium- 1½ cups
- Italian seasoning- 1½ tsp
- Soy sauce- 1 tbsp + ½ tbsp
- Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful
- Mint, chopped- 8 leaves
- Salt- to taste
- Preheat oven to 375 or 190 C.
- Add the thawed and diced chicken breasts to afood processor, grind to a smooth paste.
- Add the ground chicken to a large bowl.
- Add paprika, Italian seasoning, ground cumin and salt to the chicken, combine well and make small balls out of it.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, grease with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the chicken balls on it and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes of baking, remove the chicken balls from the oven. I pan fried the balls in little oil over stove top till the chicken turns golden brown. This step is just optional.
- Keep aside the baked chicken balls.
- Place a large pan over medium heat, add oil.
- Add onion, a few pinches of salt and saute for a few minutes.
- Add cauliflower florets, ¼ cup water and cook covered till the veggies have turned tender.
- Add tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and soy sauce to the cooked cauliflower, combine well and cook for a few minutes.
- Pour the mixture to a blender and puree it to a smooth paste.
- Return the pureed mixture to the pan, add some water to thin it down.
- Add ½ tbsp more soy sauce, cook for a minute.
- Have a taste and add more salt if needed.
- Add the baked chicken balls to the cauliflower sauce, combine well.
- Add the chopped cilantro and mint, combine well and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and keep it covered.
- This can be served over pasta, with rice or with rotis.
- Watch how the cauliflower haters are going to fall for this dish, enjoy 🙂
If you prefer you can just pan fry the chicken balls instead of baking it.
For making vegetarian version: Cook veggies along with potato, add seasonings and flour, make into balls and bake it or pan fry it.
Step by Step Pictures
