Yes, I certainly would. I often "pan roast" cauliflower and other vegetables. Cut the florets in half so you have a flat surface on each piece. Toss with the oil and spice mixture. Heat the pan with a bit more oil, put the cauliflower in cut side down, sprinkle generously with salt, cover immediately, and cook over medium heat without touching any of it until it seems like you've cooked it too long (you may see brown edges, and it's starting to smell quite fragrant. (If the floret pieces are on the large side, lift the lid after 3 - 4 minutes and throw in a few tablespoons of water.) I like this to be a "fix and forget" task while doing other prep, so I keep the heat on the low side of medium and let it go for 8 - 10 minutes before checking. This could take 12 - 15 minutes. When you've got a nice brown color on the cauliflower, flip it over, turn the heat up, and let the round sides brown for a little while. Then proceed with the recipe as drafted. ;o)
The dish will be a little different, but I think you could pan sear the florets on a couple of sides (just leave them alone till thy start to brown), and then cover them to steam (To Nancy’s point, you might need a splash of liquid here.) till they’re the texture you want. Sprinkle the almonds on just before serving.
Probably yes this recipe can be made stovetop. But that would require ad-hoc changes in ingredients and method (use water and/or broth, blanch or braise the cauliflower part of the time, cook partly covered and partly uncovered) to compensate for the loss of surrounding heated air in the original roasting method. If you like these ingredients and want/need to make it stovetop, it may be easier and more reliable to start with a recipe already built for that cooking method. Search for cauliflower recipes with descriptors like: fried, cumin, Egyptian, North African, Indian, Aloo Gobi (will include potatoes). They will be built to work on stovetop heat and taste good.
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But that would require ad-hoc changes in ingredients and method (use water and/or broth, blanch or braise the cauliflower part of the time, cook partly covered and partly uncovered) to compensate for the loss of surrounding heated air in the original roasting method.
If you like these ingredients and want/need to make it stovetop, it may be easier and more reliable to start with a recipe already built for that cooking method.
Search for cauliflower recipes with descriptors like: fried, cumin, Egyptian, North African, Indian, Aloo Gobi (will include potatoes).
They will be built to work on stovetop heat and taste good.