“But I am so lazy, don’t want to wander, I stay at home at night”
Theme song by The Kinks “Waterloo Sunset” from Picture Book
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The standard BGC HQ response to the age-old question “Beatles or Rolling Stones?” is “The Kinks.” Technically it’s really The Who, but to be brutally honest, The Kinks are a better band musically. I’ve always loved the storylines for Kinks songs. Acting like mini-novels or movies, Ray Davies and crew are able to craft beautiful 4-minute narratives while other famous Brit Rockers just wanted to exert Rock God Swagger. The theme song here is a perfect example of The Kinks’ narrative genius. The story of three people finding comfort in a simple sunset plays out effortlessly with beautiful harmonies and a stellar example of ’60s Brit Pop. It’s ’60s cinematic cool in a 3:14 musical package.
I rarely cook Indian food at home, but this recipe will likely change that. Fans of this site know I have a bit of a cauliflower obsession. It’s the tofu of vegetables and infinitely versatile. As I was looking for a plant-based vindaloo, I initially tried chickwheat to less than stellar results. Turns out cauliflower is perfect for this. It ends up with a great texture, the leftovers reheat well, and it’s budget-friendly. The perfect comfort food to eat while gazing out on any sunset much less one in Waterloo.
VINDALOO SUNSET
Cauliflower, mushrooms, and potato in a spicy vindaloo sauce with rice
Makes 6-8 portions
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small head cauliflower (separated into medium-sized florets)
8-ounces crimini mushrooms, halved or quartered if very large
3 medium red potatoes, medium dice
1 red pepper, medium dice
1 poblano, medium dice
2 carrots, sliced on the bias
2 medium red onions. cut in a large dice
2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the vindaloo paste
1/3 cup rice vinegar
6 cloves garlic minced
6-8 dried Kashmiri chiles or chiles de Arbol, stemmed deseeded & crushed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Cooked rice for serving
Mix the paste together in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower, mushrooms, potato, red pepper, poblano, and carrots to the bowl and toss to thoroughly coat. Place in the fridge for at least an hour though all day works great.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until they are golden about 15-20 minutes. Take your time. You want to get a lot of caramelized flavor into the onions.
Add the marinated vegetables and saute for 5-6 minutes until slightly tender and the mushrooms are releasing some of their juices. Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, tomato paste, and sweet paprika. Stir to combine and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the cauliflower is not mushy. Stir in the garam masala, salt, and pepper to finish. Serve as is or over rice with naan bread.