North Indian barbecue ‘adraki’ cauliflower

Method

Day one

1. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and put the head in a large container or saucepan. Pour in enough water to cover the cauliflower, keeping an eye on how many litres of water you need (it should be around 2-3 litres, depending on the size of  the container). Work out 5% of the total weight of water, then add this amount of salt (so for instance, 2 litres of water would require 100g salt). Leave the cauliflower submerged in the brine overnight in the fridge.

Day two

1. Drain the cauliflower and leave to drip dry. While you wait, mix all the other ingredients for the cauliflower together (except the lemon juice and ghee) to make a marinade. Season to taste with salt and the lemon juice.
2. Once the cauliflower is dry, put it in a large steamer or pan of boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes. It should be cooked but still firm. Leave until cool enough to handle, then break into large florets. Once cooled to room temperature, coat them in the marinade and set aside for at least an hour in the fridge.
3. Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the seasoning mixture in a small bowl.
4. To cook the cauliflower, skewer the florets through the thickest part. Cook over glowing coals, turning regularly and basting with ghee throughout. You want to crisp up and char the marinade, which can take up to 10 minutes (the cauliflower is already cooked so you only need to focus on how it looks on the outside).
5. To serve, remove the skewers and pile up the florets in the centre of a bowl (as if you’re trying to put the cauliflower back together again). Drizzle with the cream and melted ghee, then sprinkle over the coriander and a generous pinch of the seasoning mix.