Recipe: Coronation Cauliflower Salad

Not keen on the Coronation Quiche? Me neither. However I do have a special place in my heart for Coronation Chicken, the dish that Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume 'invented' for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Coronation chicken has plenty of detractors, but it's stood the test of time far better than other dishes served at Her Majesty's banquet (you don't see mock turtle soup turning up on many menus these days).

Spry and Hume's original recipe - full of extravagant ingredients in post-war Britain - featured cooked chicken and apricots in a curry-spiced blend of mayonnaise and whipped cream.

The recipe below is a homage to that recipe - using cauliflower for a plant-based update. If you can get hold of a well-priced cauliflower (I bought a whopper for $5 recently), then this is a reasonably economical dish that requires much less work than the royally-approved quiche.

Coronation Cauliflower Salad

If you don’t have the spices below, feel free to substitute a tablespoon of curry powder. To make it a more substantial dish, add 4-5 quartered hard-boiled eggs.

Serves four as a main course or six as a side salad.

For the cauliflower:

1 large cauliflower, washed and dried
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds 
2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
a good pinch or two of chilli flakes  
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
4 -5 Tablespoons olive oil

For the salad:
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 cup dates, finely chopped
3 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves (or use other greens, such as shredded silverbeet)

For the dressing:
1 Tablespoon hot curry powder
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 220 deg C. 

Sit the cauliflower on a chopping board, stem end down. Cut into 1cm-ish slices to break it into florets (it's ok if some break into little bits). Chop the stem and any leaves into small pieces. Transfer the cauliflower into a large shallow oven tray. Put all the spices and olive oil in a small bowl and stir to mix. Drizzle this mixture all over the cauliflower, then use your hands to make sure it is well-coated in the spice-laden oil. Spread the cauliflower out into a single layer.

Bake for 25 minutes, then flip the cauliflower bits over. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the cauliflower is well-browned and crisp at the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While you're waiting for the cauliflower to cook, put the spring onions, spinach leaves and dates in a salad bowl. Toss to combine.

To make the dressing, put the curry powder and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix well. Beat in the yoghurt and mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and pepper - add a squeeze more lemon juice if you think it's necessary.

To assemble the salad, arrange the roasted cauliflower on the spinach and toss gently. Drizzle over half the dressing and serve. Take the rest of the dressing to the table and let diners add more as required (it's addictive!).