This is my version of what is probably a north Indian dish. I had it in a restaurant in Pushkar, which is in north India, but pizza was also on the menu. Pushkar is a holy place and therefore, completely vegetarian, which in Hindu terms means milk products allowed but no eggs. The village is built around a beautiful, almost circular lake on which, disguised as a goose, Brahma once alighted. Almost all the way round the lake are temples, separated from each other only by narrow alley-ways and with steps running down to the shoreline There are said to be over a hundred temples, including the only one in India devoted to Brahma. The village is full of life, with human travellers - tourists from all over the world and pilgrims from all over India - dozens of monkeys on the roofs and balconies, cows in the streets, huge turtles in the lake, ducks and geese on it and flocks of pigeons, terns and swallows above it. Add to this the pastel colours and picturesque architecture, the desert sunsets, the music and the food, and it's not surprising that visitors usually stay a lot longer than they planned.
There's not much to do in Pushkar except absorb the atmosphere and eat and most eating places combine both excellently. You can eat on the street from vendors selling fast food from carts, in hole-in-the-wall chai shops or on rooftops overlooking the lake. This recipe is just one of several inspired by visits to Pushkar.
1 medium cauliflower
2 large potatoes
1 tomato
1/2 tsp. each of whole cumin seeds and whole black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
A small piece of fresh root ginger
A small bunch of green coriander
salt to taste
Oil for frying
Cut the cauliflower into smallish florets and the potatoes into 2 cm. cubes. Dice the tomato finely. Peel the ginger and chop it finely. Heat a little oil in a deep frying pan and when it is very hot (beginning to smoke) add the seeds. A few seconds later, add the cauliflower, potato, tomato, ginger, turmeric and salt. Stir to coat everything with oil and spread the turmeric evenly. Turn the heat down to medium and cover the pan tightly. Stir again after 10 minutes and check things aren't sticking too much. Add a little water if necessary to stop burning and re-cover the pan. Cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are soft but not falling apart. It should take about 20 minutes altogether.
When its ready, turn off the heat and stir in some chopped coriander.