More Cauliflower you say. Well Cauliflower is the new Kale right now. So as well use the popularity right 🙂 And on top of that this is too delicious to not share!
The whole head of the cauliflower is blanched, then roasted drenched in a creamy Mughlai gravy, and served whole with some gravy on the side. It seems like a long recipe but it is fairly simple:). You can serve it as is sliced, or with the usual Indian food fix-ins of flat bread or rice, or over other cooked grains and greens. We ate it with Chapatis, Naan, filled up some sandwiches with the leftovers, added some to quinoa. It was a load of food to finish between the 2 of us.
The sauce is makhani style. Makhani means butter-y and the makhani/butter sauce you get restaurants usually has butter and cream. This sauce has coconut milk and cashews for the rich creamyness and the same spices and taste. You can add chopped veggies, roasted cauliflower florets, baked Tofu or Tempeh to the sauce. Make your restaurant style Tofu “Paneer” Makhani or Butter Seitan Chickun. Fenugreek Leaves or Kasuri methi can be found in Indian stores or online on amazon.
For a quicker cook time, chop the cauliflower into florets and blanch for 3-4 minutes, then cook in the blended sauce on stove top for 15 minutes. That will be Gobi Makhani.
Sure its not thanksgiving yet. but hey this can be the center piece for any party any-time. Blanch the cauliflower, make the sauce and store for a day or so, then bake and serve on the event day. You can use whatever spices you have on hand. The sauce will still be delicious.
Video!
You can carve this beautiful cauliflower any which way you want! More sauce served on the side. That sauce I tell you. Make it and add anything to it, but make it!
The creamy sauce is very rich and fatty with the full-fat coconut milk and cashews,(it is called Makhani-butter-y for a reason). You can make it lower fat by using a different non dairy milk and reducing the cashew flour. The sauce also stores very well. Make a larger quantity, Blend and store in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze in individual serving containers. thaw and use.
More Indian or Indian inspired main dishes here.
Steps:
Blanch the cauliflower. The cauliflower should be immersed in the water. The picture is for picture purposes:).
Place blanched cauliflower in baking dish.
Prepare the sauce. Cook onions, ginger, garlic till golden brown.
Add tomatoes, spices, salt and fenugreek leaves.
Cook until tomatoes are tender.
Blend tomato mixture with coconut milk and pour over cauliflower. keep some sauce to serve on the side later.
Bake until tender. Serve hot.
This week I leave you with this amazing Share your Dabba video.
This is a video about how wasted food is being used to feed the less fortunate. Share My Dabba/Tiffin/Lunchbox is an initiative to get food left uneaten in dabbas/tiffins to hungry street children in India, using just a Share sticker and the dabbawala(people who deliver the Tiffins) network. Please do watch.
This popular recipe is also my cookbook! Now available internationally!
Recipe Card
Gobi Musallam - Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Makhani Sauce. Vegan Glutenfree Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cauliflower head leaves and tough stem removed and washed
- Water to blanch
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) chili powder optional
Sauce/gravy:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 (0.5) medium red onion chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 5-6 cloves (5 cloves) of garlic chopped
- 1 dry red chili or chili flakes to taste
- 3 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) turmeric powder
- 1 Tablespoon dried Fenugreek Leaves kasuri methi
- 3/4 cup (169.5 ml) coconut milk from can
- 1/4 cup (59.15 g) ground cashew or 1/3 cup soaked cashews
- 3/4 teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) raw sugar or 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Use enough water so all of the cauliflower can be immersed in it.
- Add salt, turmeric and chili and blanch/cook the whole cauliflower.
- Cover and cook for 4 minutes on each side(top and bottom. Flip after 4 minutes)
Sauce:
- In a pan, add oil and heat over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute until golden, 6-7 minutes
- Add ginger, garlic chili and saute for another 2 minutes.Add the spices and mix.
- Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, fenugreek leaves, mix and cook covered until tender. Mash the larger pieces. 8-10 minutes.
- Cool slightly, then blend with coconut milk and cashews into a smooth thick puree.Taste and adjust salt, spice.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F / 200ºc. Oil the baking dish if desired. Place the blanched cauliflower in a baking dish. Slowly drop the puree on top to cover the entire head of the cauliflower. Some sauce will fall on the side.
- Keep about a 1/3 of the sauce to serve on the side later.
- Bake in pre-heated 400 degrees F / 200ºc for 40-45 minutes till the cauliflower is dry to touch and sauce thickens a bit. Turn the dish around after 30 minutes.
- Heat the remaining sauce to just about a boil so it thickens and serve on the side.Serve hot with flat breads(Naan/Roti), or salads or quinoa.Chop and fill up wraps or a hoagie roll(to make gobi meatball sub).
Video
Notes
You can also stuff/pour some of the sauce into the florets by separating them and bake. Variations:
Gobi Makhani:
Cut up the cauliflower into florets and blanch in boiling water or roast in oven until half cooked.
Add blended sauce puree, 1/4 cup water and cauliflower florets into a pan and cook covered on low-medium heat, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce thickens to desired consistency.
Serve hot drizzled with cashew cream/coconut cream and a slice of earth balance on top.
You can also add baked Tofu or braised Tempeh or Seitan to the sauce. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Shanna
Is there a substitute for Fenugreek leaves? I can’t seem to get them where I live in rural Australia!
Richa
Omit them. There’s enough overall flavor!
Dero
One of my favorite recipes from Vegan Richa! 🤤 Incredibly delicious. That’s the preparation cauliflower deserves. If you’re like I was once and think “cauliflower is bland & boring” you should give it a second chance and try this. Or one of Vegan Richa’s other Cauliflower Recipes like Aloo Gobi. (I’m from Germany and unfortunately the “traditional german way” to cook cauliflower ruined it for me – until I found Vegan Richa.) I still have to try it with naan. I think it will be even better.
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you!
Ga
This is one of the best vegan recipes I’ve ever tasted. I made it countless number of times and its always the star of the meal. I think it’s about time I’s say thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
🙂 thank you for commenting!
Sally
Fab delish recipe idea low cal and cauliflower is always filling it can also be cut into steaks with sauce on top
Vegan Richa Support
Yay!
Janet
What exactly do you mean by red pepper
There are so many different red peppers in the stores and they vary from hot to sweet, big to little, etc.
Vegan Richa Support
are you referring to these: 1 dry red chili or chili flakes to taste?
Sarah
Can you use tinned tomatoes? Tomatoes are out of season here so expensive!
Richa
Yes
Lynne stanleigh
Yummy! Thank you
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for your star \🌟 rating!
Kelly
This was fantastic! I didn’t have fenugreek but otherwise followed the directions. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you Kelly
Sarah
Hi, I’m going to make this this evening and didn’t see that I should have gotten dried fenugreek leaves. I bought fresh. Can I still use them? Perhaps instead of 1T, maybe half a cup chopped fresh? TIA
Richa
Yes 1/2 cup loosely packed leaves. Don’t use the hard stems. Chop up the leaves and very tender stems
Cynthia
I made this to have at our Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a big hit!! The sauce is phenomenal!!
Vegan Richa Support
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Rajeev Mathur
Made this twice. Followed the recipe fully. Amazing taste.
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you!
KS
My curry has this ‘milky’ fragrance. How can I get rid of that fragrance?
Ks
Any substitute for canned coconut milk? Can I use non-canned coconut milk? Or some other non dairy milk?
Richa
Yes or use cashew milk
Stephanie
This recipe and others on your site call for fenugreek leaves. I have fenugreek seeds. Can I substitute? Thanks!
Richa
Yes, powder them and use 1/4 the amount of leaves listed. Seeds are more bitter and you need much less
Tina Stokes
This has to be one of your very best recipes! That’s saying a lot because your recipes are so delicious. I doubled the curry sauce. AMAZING! Looking forward to using this curry sauce with other vegetables and tofu as well.
R. Stephen Gracey
I make this recipe A LOT. Completely reliable and rich. Depending on the size of the cauliflower, you can end up with quite a bit of “gravy” left over, but is that really a bad thing?? 😉
Katharina Dulckeit
Wow!!!!! I can taste this before trying. My one heartache, I cannot do coconut milk. Would soy milk and coconut flavor ruin the whole thing? I just might cheat once. Yikes.
Vegan Richa Support
you could try – just simmer after boiling until its get thick as you like
Laura
Absolutely delicious! So much flavour. Will definitely make this again.
Vegan Richa Support
Hooray! thank you
shapeless journeys
Delicious! I chopped up the cauliflower in big chunks and cooked it on the stovetop for about 30minutes. Added some spinach and doubled the spices, delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
perfect !! ooooo doubled the spices – adventurous – I love it
Jaime
Can you sub walnuts for the cashews?
Richa
Yes