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    Home » Recipes » Healthy Salad Recipes

    Pomegranate Cauliflower Salad with Chestnuts

    Published: Sep 6, 2019 · Modified: May 17, 2021 by The Devil Wears Salad

    Jump to Recipe
     

    Imagine little roasted florets sprinkled with red seeds against a backdrop of bright green tendrils. This Pomegranate Roasted Cauliflower Salad is a recipe bursting with contrasting flavours and textures.

    Pomegranate Cauliflower Salad with Chestnuts this recipe

    Why I Love Pomegranate Cauliflower Salad with Chestnuts

    These 3 ingredients make up some of my favourite things to eat and is a healthy cauliflower recipe. I couldn’t wait to jump at the opportunity of creating a salad that would incorporate all of them.

    The crunchy seeds of the pomegranate against the powdery texture of the chestnuts are so contrasting. Whilst the bitterness of the snow pea sprouts is offset by the sweetness of the honey in the dressing.

    It is also a visually pretty salad. Pomegranate just makes everything look so good!

    Why I Love Chestnuts

    Chestnuts were a snack we had all the time when we were growing up. We always bought our chestnuts from the same local street vendor in the market in our neighbourhood.

    The heat in Malaysia is stifling throughout the year with very little respite. Chestnuts are roasted in a mammoth wok and stirred through very hot coal.

    Every time I approached the vendor, I was completely engulfed in a bubble of heat and I always wondered how they could stand in front of that wok for hours on end.

    The roasted chestnuts were ordered by weight. The vendor would scoop out the chestnuts and place it in a colander to separate the coal from the chestnuts. He would then weigh the chestnuts on an old school scale.

    Like most things in Southeast Asia back then, everything was wrapped up in newspaper.

    The vendor would make a cone shape out of the newspaper and put the chestnuts in it. It was always too hot and too fiddly to eat whilst walking so we had to wait till we got home. Total torture with the smells wafting throughout the car!

    Roasted chestnuts and roasted cauliflower salad

    How to Peel Chestnuts?

    Peeling chestnuts back then was hard work so my sister and I never bothered.

    Well, truth be told, mum spoilt us, and we took full advantage of it. She would sit on the couch and very patiently, peeled the hard-outer shell, which she pinched between her fingers. Then she would painstaking peel off the inner husk.

    One of my fondest memories was when she would literally toss the chestnuts into the air and between my father, my sister and I, we would bulldoze each other out of the way in an attempt to catch it!

    The best time to peel chestnuts is when they are still hot as the inner husk separates from flesh. Chestnuts can be either roasted or boiled but before you do so, cut a small X on the tip.

    With the heat, the X on the outer shell will open up slightly giving you a small window to get your fingers in there to pry it open.

    How to Cut Cauliflower Florets?

    Cutting the cauliflower into small florets make for pretty salad ingredients.

    Snap off the green leaves at the base of the cauliflower. Then cut off the big stem as close as you can get to the florets.

    Then with a smaller knife, I dig in and cut the cauliflower off from the smaller stem in its natural cluster. Sometimes the florets are too big. Place them upside down and cut smaller florets off from the stem again.

    In floret form, they become really versatile and you can present them in so many different ways to create completely different looking salads.

    These Tofu Skin Salad with Cucumber and Cauliflower and Purple Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Mustard Tahini are the prefect example of how a little imagination can go a long way.

    Roasted Cauliflower Florets Salad with Snow Pea Sprouts

    How to Deseed A Pomegranate?

    I use the whacking method! It is definitely messier, but I find it is faster and de-seeds with minimal wastage without bruising them.

    Cut the pomegranate in half. Stretch the fruit a little to help loosen the seeds from the shell then place it flat on the palm of your hands over a bowl. I prefer to do this in the sink to reduce the mess.

    With a wooden spoon, whack the back of the pomegranate. The seeds will start to fall through your fingers into the bowl. The white parts of the pomegranate will inevitably fall in too so be sure to remove them when you’re done.

    Pomegranate feature sin quite a few of our salads, including our dessert fruit salads if you were looking for something different to serve at the end of your meal: Red and Green Fruit Salad with Vanilla Persian Fairy Floss and Pomegranate and Red Dragon Fruit Salad.

    Pomegranate Arils

    How to Make Pomegranate Cauliflower Salad with Chestnuts

    How to Roast Chestnuts

    Let’s start this process with the ingredient that takes the longest to prepare. The chestnuts. Cut an X on the top of the chestnuts to create a small opening. Place in the oven at 200°C or 400°F for 25 minutes.

    Once they are done, remove the baking tray and allow it to cool but don’t let it go cold. The outer shell and inner husk are easier to peel off when they are warm. Chop them into small pieces when they are peeled.

    Prepare the Pomegranates and Onions

    Whilst the chestnuts are roasting, deseed the pomegranate as above.

    Slice the onion and caramelise in a pan. The onion will add to the sweetness of the salad and help to offset the bitterness of the snow pea sprouts.

    Roasted Cauliflower Pomegranate Arils Snow Pea Sprouts

    How to Roast Cauliflower

    Prepare the cauliflower florets as above, place them in a mixing bowl and add some olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

    After the chestnuts are done, place them in the oven for 10 minutes at 180°C or 350°F. After 10 minutes, remove the sheet pan and turn the cauliflower florets so they are evenly roasted. We are looking for those nice brown tips.

    Allow all cauliflower, onions and chestnuts to cool down and then mix all these ingredients together. Be gentle as you don’t want the cauliflower to disintegrate.

    How to Make the Honey Yoghurt Dressing

    Using a mortar and pestle, pound the cumin seeds as much as you can. You don’t want the whole seeds in the dressing. Pounding the seeds releases the pungent flavours better than just adding cumin powder.

    Add the seeds to the yoghurt and honey and mix well.

    How to Assemble the Salad

    This roasted cauliflower salad requires layering rather than placing everything in a bowl and mixing everything into one large clumpy, creamy salad.

    Select a shallow platter rather than a bowl.

    Place half the snow pea sprouts at the base of the platter.

    Put half the mixed salad ingredients on the top.

    Pour half the yoghurt on the top or spoon them out in dollops.

    Then place the rest of the snow pea sprouts on the top.

    Then add the remaining salad ingredients and then the dressing.

    Do not mix it all and serve as is.

    If you prefer you can always serve the dressing on the side and guests can help themselves. I would make extra dressing though as guests seem to always scoop out much more than they need.

    This salad is a mouthful of contrasting textures and flavours. Sweet vs bitter and powdery vs crunchy. Eaten together with that creamy honey yoghurt dressing is simply yum!

    That’s all!

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    Salad dressings are incredibly easy to make in the comfort of your own home. This way you can control the ingredients to suit your palate and you can make the exact portion you need for that one meal. Check out our collection!

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    Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Chestnuts and Pomegranate on a black slate

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    Recipe

    Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Chestnuts and Pomegranate
    Print Recipe
    5 from 30 votes

    Pomegranate Cauliflower Salad with Chestnuts

    Imagine little roasted florets sprinkled with red seeds against a backdrop of bright green tendrils. This Pomegranate Roasted Cauliflower Salad is a recipe bursting with contrasting flavours and textures.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time35 minutes mins
    Total Time50 minutes mins
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: International
    Dietary: Egg Free, Gluten Free, Vegetarian
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 185kcal
    Author: Amy Chung

    Ingredients

    Salad

    • 8 chestnuts
    • 1 pomegranate
    • 1 brown onion
    • 3½ tbsp olive oil, divided
    • 1 cauliflower
    • 20 g snow pea tendrils
    • salt, to taste
    • pepper, to taste

    Salad Dressing

    • ¾ tsp cumin seeds
    • 6 tbsp Greek yoghurt
    • 1 tbsp honey

    Click on the toggle below for conversion to US Cooking Units.

    Instructions

    Salad

    • Using a knife, make an X on the top of each chestnut to create a small opening. Place in the oven on a sheet pan and roast at 200°C or 400°F for 25 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the chestnuts cool down. Peel the chestnuts while they are still warm. Chop the chestnuts into small pieces.
    • De-seed the pomegranate and set aside.
    • Slice the onion. Add ½ tbsp of olive oil and caramelise on a fry pan.
    • Remove the green leaves from the cauliflower. Cut off the big stem. Using a smaller knife, cut the cauliflower at the smaller stems to get the florets. If the florets are too big, cut them further at the stem.
    • In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the florets with 3 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the cauliflower on a sheet pan lined with baking paper in the oven at 180°C or 350°F for 10 mins. Remove and turn the cauliflower to get an even distribution and bake for another 10 minutes.

    Salad Dressing

    • Using a mortar and pestle, pound the cumin seeds and break it up as much as possible.
    • In a small mixing bowl, add the Greek yoghurt, cumin seeds and honey. Mix well.

    Assembly

    • Before assembling, allow the cauliflower, onions and chestnuts to cool down.
    • In a large mixing bowl, add the roasted cauliflower, pomegranates, caramelised onions, and chestnuts. Mix gently so the cauliflower doesn’t break into smaller pieces.
    • In your serving platter, place half the snow pea sprouts. Scoop half the cumin and honey dressing and place on top of the salad.
    • Add the rest of the snow pea sprouts on top of the salad. Put the remaining salad ingredients on top and pour the rest of the yoghurt dressing on top.
    • Alternatively, you leave the dressing aside for your guests to help themselves. If you wish to do this, make an additional half or full serve of dressing as guests tend to take more than they need.

    Notes

    • You can substitute the snow pea sprouts with watercress if they are easier to find.
    • You can definitely use cumin powder for the dressing if it’s easier for you or if you don’t have a mortar and pestle.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 731mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 87mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg

    *Disclaimer: Nutritional information provided is an estimate only and generated by an online calculator.

    Tried this recipe? We’d Love To See It!Mention @thedevilwearssalad or tag #thedevilwearssalad!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. estelle | soulandstreusel

      September 10, 2019 at 5:53 am

      this looks fabulous and I love that it looks more like a full dish than a salad! toppings are everything and it’s such a plus when you can eat greens and also get filled up! looking forward to checking out more on the blog….

      Reply
      • The Devil Wears Salad

        September 10, 2019 at 6:05 pm

        Yes! We have quite a few salad recipes which can be eaten as a meal on its own as opposed to just a side dish. This really is a hearty recipe.

        Reply
    2. Emese

      September 09, 2019 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      Wow. I love your creative salads. This one looks just divine. Will save it for later.

      Reply
      • The Devil Wears Salad

        September 10, 2019 at 6:03 pm

        Thank you so much! We do try and create different recipes. With all the wonderful produce we can get nowadays, we are truly spoilt for choice.

        Reply
    3. Jacqueline

      September 09, 2019 at 7:47 pm

      5 stars
      Love the flavours in this salad! We eat a lot of roasted chestnuts in autumn here in Italy but have never used them in a salad. Def want to give this salad recipe a try!

      Reply
      • The Devil Wears Salad

        September 10, 2019 at 6:02 pm

        I grew up eating roasted chestnuts in Malaysia and it continues to be one of my favourite things to eat. I guess because it brings back so many memories! And yes, do try the chestnuts in the salad. We use all sorts of nuts so why not the chestnut too? Hope you’ll like it.

        I (Amy) will be in Italy in 2 weeks! I’m going to load up on fresh chestnuts! YUM!

        Reply
    4. Natalie

      September 09, 2019 at 6:51 pm

      5 stars
      I love roasted cauliflower! Looks so delicious and perfect as a healthy side dish ♥

      Reply
      • The Devil Wears Salad

        September 10, 2019 at 6:00 pm

        We love roasted cauliflower too! It’s like the perfect side for us and yes, really healthy too, which is a bonus:)

        Reply
    5. Alina | Cooking Journey Blog

      September 09, 2019 at 5:21 pm

      5 stars
      I love cauliflower, it is so versatile! This salad looks so festive, would love to try this flavor combination with chestnuts.

      Reply
      • The Devil Wears Salad

        September 10, 2019 at 5:59 pm

        We love cauliflower too and it does look festive doesn’t it? I think pomegranate just makes everything look so good. Chestnuts and cauliflower work really well together. Give the salad a go!

        Reply
    6. Anna Walshe

      September 09, 2019 at 3:25 pm

      5 stars
      Looks amazing and tastes amazing! I was unable to get pomegranate so quickly messaged the girls and asked if I could substitute with blueberries. They are so generous with their time, it wasn’t just a yes/no answer the reply was thoughtful, thorough and so helpful…a bit like having a chat with a really good friend! Used the blueberries and it was delicious, but when available I will definitely try the original way too. I really appreciate the way they guide you through assembly, felt pretty proud of myself presenting this yummy dish!

      Reply

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