Cauliflower Chaat for One

These are but one example of each: chaat masala 1/4 cup cumin seeds 1 tbsp black peppercorns 1/4 cup dried mango powder 2 tbsp black salt 1 1/2 tbsp salt 1/2 tsp asafoetida garam masala 1/2 cup cumin seeds 1/2 cup cardamoms 1/4 cup black peppercorns 1/4 cup coriander seeds 3 tbsp fennel seeds 2 tbsp cloves 10 cinnamon sticks , 50 mm. (2”) each 1/4 cup bayleaves 2 tbsp caraway seeds 1 tbsp nutmeg powder , optional 1/2 tbsp dried ginger powder

You can replace the chaat masala with curry powder and double the lemon added to the cauliflower. Slightly different taste but works very well. You should be able to find regular or hot or madras curry powder in most Safeways these days.

if local markets don't have it, you can make chaat masala. there are lots of recipes online w/ lots of variations, & there are decent substitutions for the more exotic ingredients. e.g. dried thyme is a quite decent substitute for ajwain, a common chaat masala ingredient. Instead of tamarind powder you could use some lime juice and brown sugar to get a similar sour/sweet flavor. Most dishes using chaat masala, are more like home-cooking than not, and invite improvisation.

There are millions of recipes on this site with every day ingredients. You shouldn’t begrudge the few that are more exotic. Some of us want to try the “more unusual” so just make do with easy substitutes.

Amazon? Google "Asian groceries near me"? If those don't work for you, perhaps one of the other 15,000 recipes on this site? Sifton's daily letter contains suggestions, not commands.

I added about 1/4 cubed firm tofu for added protein to create a more balanced vegetarian dinner

They quietly move on to one of the thousands of alternative recipes.

Unlike the other commentor, I am very glad Amazon exists! I live in a rural area with few options. Amazon, Penzey’s, Zabars are lifelines if you want to eat interesting food.

Chaat masala is slightly and spicy - the main ingredient being amchoor(dried mango) and sometimes black salt.As one who lives in rural PA, I improvise using lemon(or sumac at times) along with chili powder and little cumin/coriander powder. Not the same but works.

And what do (most of) the rest of us in the country do who have few other options than to rely on Safeway or some other national/regional supermarket where neither commercially prepared nor ingredients for mixing chaat masala are available?

Looking at this in the middle of everything shut down. I love all the suggestions for seasoning when you don't have access to what appears to be critical (chaat masala), including how to make your own or an approximation of it. That is the value, for me, of the comments, which I always read before trying a recipe.

Oops! I put the almonds in the sauce because it looked like they were included in the sauce ingredients. It's delicious anyway, just not quite as smooth. To the editor: it might be worth having a separate "sauce" and "serving" section of the recipe to avoid this problem!

Do as I do. Rely on small sizes of Penzeys Spices ordered online. Their newest = Pico Fruta might be a worthy substitute.

Great recipe. I made it as a side to tilapia. Cut back on the jalapeño as some of the reviewers said it was really spicy; increased the lemon juice. Didn't have white onion, so used a shallot. I made extra sauce, as we used it on the fish as well. Instead of water, I used vegetable broth. I microwaved the cauliflower florets briefly so I could control the time to sync with the cooking of the fish. When my husband says: "Really tasty" I know it's good.

I made this the other night, upsized it to feed four as a side dish, and it was delicious. By luck I happened to buy a small box of chaat masala at an Indian grocer a few weeks back. It was very inexpensive and I expect to get at least a dozen recipes out of it.