Moungra (Battered- Pickled Cauliflower)

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~ Ingredients: ~ 4 kilo cauliflower ~ 1200gr unbaked loaf of bread or sour dough ~ 1/2 a cup of mustard seeds whole ~ Salt

 

~ Cover the unbaked loaf of bread (which you can purchases from a baker shop) with a kitchen towel for about 4-5 days until it turns sour. ~ Remove the hard stem from the cauliflower and cut it into florets. ~ Wash the cauliflower florets thoroughly under plenty of running water. ~ A few florets at a time boil them in hot water making sure they are covered by the water for about 2-3 minutes. ~ Continue until all the cauliflower florets are boiled. ~ Remove from the hot water and place into a strainer to strain the excess water. ~ Place the boiled cauliflower in a large shallow wicker hamper or a baking pan and sprinkle generously with salt while they are still wet and set aside until thoroughly dry. ~ Dissolve the sour by now dough with warm water until a medium thick batter is formed. ~ Grind the mustard seeds and mix well with the medium thick batter you just made. ~ Dip the cauliflower one floret at a time into the batter mixture and place into clean and dry glass jars. ~ Pour the remaining batter mixture into the jars making sure that it covers the cauliflower completely. ~ Store away for approximately 5-6 days shaking the jars every day as the batter settles to the bottom of the jar. ~ After 5-6 days the Moungra is ready to eat. ~ Take some florets out of the jar (shaking it first), place in a plate, cut in smaller pieces, pour some olive oil over it and serve. ~ Moungra is usually made and served during fasting days but it can also be used as an appetizer or as a side dish. ~ Moungra is a very popular Cypriot dish served in restaurants and sold in stores by the jars ready to be consumed. ~ Good luck and enjoy.