Tandoori-Inspired Roast Cauliflower Bowls with Tahini

Traditionally, tandoori chicken is cooked inside a clay oven called a tandoor. (Oh, yeah, and it’s also made with chicken.) But if you don’t have access to a tandoor, how can you recreate the spiced, smoky flavor at home? For starters, you can try our recipe for tandoori-inspired roast cauliflower bowls. It’s a vegetarian version, but the spiced yogurt marinade lends a similar flavor and helps with caramelization in the oven. As a bonus, you only need to dirty one sheet pan in the process—win, win.

Roasted Indian-Spiced Vegetables with Lime-Cilantro Butter

1½ cups coconut milk yogurt

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large heads cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets

¼ cup tahini

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steamed basmati rice, for serving

3 avocados, sliced into wedges

Sliced scallions, for serving

Sesame seeds, for serving

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, cumin, salt, ginger, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper and garlic. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Add the cauliflower florets, shake, and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or up to a day).

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a slotted spoon, shake the excess marinade off the cauliflower and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast until the cauliflower begins to brown and turn crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. While the cauliflower is roasting, whisk the tahini with salt and pepper to taste, adding water 1 teaspoon at a time to thin it out, if desired. (You want it to be thick but drizzle-able.)

4. Top the rice with the warm cauliflower, avocado, scallions and sesame seeds. Drizzle with the tahini.