Anarbij, a vegan herb and walnut sauce from north Iran, with grilled cauliflower steak

Put a large amount of onion into a hot pan with no oil. It browns straight away and drives off its liquid; once the liquid is gone it starts to stick, then fry it.

Put the fresh herbs -- cilantro, parsley, scallion -- straight into the pan with no oil and nothing else. They release moisture, and oil would both prevent that release and be absorbed.

When the pan is nearly dry and starting to stick, add the dry herbs and the mint while there is still some moisture.

Cook the onions right down and caramelise them, or the dish tastes of raw onion and will not come together. Work the onion first, then add the garlic, then the turmeric -- build it step by step.

Scrape the bottom and the sides of the pot constantly for a uniform browning on the herbs. Do not add oil to chase translucency: the dish will taste watery.

Pickle the cauliflower in advance in vinegar and turmeric, so it is par-cooked and still has bite.

Cut the cauliflower into steaks and grill on a burning hot grill for the grill marks and the grill flavour.

Baste with pomegranate molasses towards the end, add pomegranate on top before flipping, and finish in the oven about 10 minutes.

Plate the sauce with the cauliflower steak as the centrepiece, and plain basmati rice garnished with saffron alongside.

The vegetables and herbs are ready when they have browned and there is a strong aroma.

Deglaze the pan with lemon juice rather than water, which adds nothing.

Add the walnuts untoasted, then the remaining lemon juice, the pomegranate molasses, salt and ground pepper.

Add water carefully, only enough to get it moving, keeping the sauce very thick. More can always go in.

Taste for sweet against sour, leaning sour, and correct with a little sugar and more salt.

Cook on a very low, gentle heat for about an hour so the flavours develop and blend. Nothing is left to cook -- the onion, the garlic and the sauce are already done -- but low and slow over a long time is what builds the flavour.

Add the red cabbage and cumin pickle, a little chili oil on top for heat and colour, a little pepper, and micro cilantro.