Saliha’s vegetarian iftar recipes – Baharat spiced cauliflower

This Ramadan, Islamic Relief has teamed up with Masterchef winner, Saliha Mahmood Ahmed, to bring you three mouth-watering vegetarian recipes from her award-winning book, Khazana and her upcoming project, Foodology.

Why go vegetarian during Ramadan you may ask?

For millions of Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a time of self-reflection. We try and restore our connection with Allah (SWT) and put a stop to our harmful habits.

But we mustn’t forget that pertains to our relationship with the Earth, too.

During Ramadan, we see an increase in carbon emissions and meat consumption. According to a report by AHDB Beef & Lamb, British Muslims consume more than 20% of all the lamb and mutton produced in the UK.

Eating meat is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. And so, maintaining our current habits is unsustainable.

That’s why, throughout the last three weeks of Ramadan, Saliha will provide Islamic Relief with alternative vegetarian recipes, inspired by our relationship with the earth:

This Ramadan, I have decided to share three earth-inspired recipes with Islamic Relief to remind us all of the beauty of cooking vegetarian.

The recipes, whether from Khazana or Foodology are not genre specific; rather, they are an amalgamation of the very best of south-east Asia and ancient Persia.

Enjoy!

Baharat spiced cauliflower  

Baharat spice mix is a Middle Eastern seasoning which includes allspice, chili peppers, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, and peppercorns.

The mixture is finely ground and goes well with vegetables, and in soups and tajines. It’s a lovely, all-purpose blend that has a little heat behind it- pairs well with robust cauliflower.

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower

3 generous tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1 flattened teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoon red chilli paste

½ teaspoon Nigella seeds

1 teaspoon Baharat spice mix

3 tablespoons yoghurt

Juice ½ lemon

Handful chopped flat leaf parsley

Handful pomegranate seeds

Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Remove most of the stalks from the cauliflower and cut the cauliflower into chunky florets. Place the cauliflower florets along with a few of the cauliflower stalks onto a large roasting dish.
2. Combine the olive oil, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli paste, Nigella seeds and Baharat spice powder in a bowl and mix well. Rub this marinade liberally all over the cauliflower and season with salt to taste.
3. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes until the cauliflower is charred on the edges and just cook through.
4. To complete the dish drizzle the cauliflower with some yoghurt and squeeze of lemon juice. Top with crunchy pomegranate seeds and finely chopped parsley.

Serve immediately as a main dish with some flatbreads and salad – or a side.

We hope you enjoy this delicious recipe. Tweet us your photos and thoughts as @IslamicReliefUK!

Don’t forget to also see what else you can do for the planet this Ramadan by visiting our Eco-Ramadan hub.

Find out more via the Saliha cooks website.