Cauliflower Curry (Malai Gobi)

A creamy cauliflower curry that's mildly spiced and incredibly tasty!

This Indian restaurant style cauliflower curry, called Malai Gobi in Hindi, has tender cauliflower florets swimming in a creamy white sauce that's mildly spiced but absolutely delicious. It is wonderful served with naan or paratha, or even rice, and it comes together in under 30 minutes. It's also a vegan, gluten-free and soy-free recipe and it can be made nut-free.

I have for you today a creamy, luxurious, delicious Cauliflower Curry that's going to make you lick your fingers, then the plate, and then the serving bowl. Because it's that good.

This restaurant style curry is usually made by cooking cauliflower in a cream sauce. In this vegan version we will use a fully dairy-free, coconut milk sauce that's as tasty as it is healthy.

If you have kids who hate cauliflower, you might want to try this dish on them. The creamy cashew-coconut sauce is subtly spiced and at the same time utterly flavorful, making it perfect for picky little eaters. But it's an adult-pleaser too. I hope you try it and if you do, be sure to leave a comment and recipe rating below!

Cauliflower in Indian food

In India, cauliflower is cooked in a million different ways, although outside India its identity is usually narrowed down to a few restaurant dishes like Aloo Gobi, an Indian cauliflower curry recipe with potatoes, or Gobi Masala, a spicy curry of cauliflower florets, or the Indo-Chinese classic, Gobi Manchurian. But the fact that cauliflower, like potato, is a pretty blank slate flavor-wise makes it a perfect vehicle for all of those amazing spices so integral to Indian cooking. You can enjoy it in a sumptuous Vegan Malai Kofta Curry, grate it into a pav bhaji, add it to a cauliflower dal, stuff it into a Gobi Paratha, or use it to top off a pilaf.

This Malai Gobi cauliflower curry I am sharing here is one of my favorite Indian recipes to make with cauliflower. For one, it's very simple and quite easy: you need no more than half an hour to put it together, cooking and all. You can even use a bag of frozen cauliflower florets and no one would be the wiser.

Best of all, this curry is so tasty that if you serve it up to company, you will have them eating out of your hand. 😉

Why you'll love this cauliflower curry recipe

• It's so flavorful. Try this recipe once and you'll be glad you did. It is so rich and full of flavor although you need just a few ingredients to make it. And anybody you serve it to will love it.
• It needs just a few ingredients. You don't need garam masala, curry powder, red curry paste, green curry paste, yellow curry paste or indeed any spice mix or paste or even curry leaves or cilantro to make this curry. Some chaat masala is amazing in this, but you can easily replace it with lemon if you don't have it. The only special ingredient I would recommend using is kasoori methi or dry fenugreek leaves and if you love Indian food you likely have it already in your pantry.
• It is everyone friendly. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free and soy-free. You need a few cashews but you can replace them with pumpkin seeds or more coconut milk.

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower (separated into small florets)
• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chili peppers (like serrano)
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice (about ½ lemon or lime).
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
• Salt to taste

How to make cauliflower curry

• Blend the cashews and coconut milk into a very smooth paste. Set aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute until the onions turn transparent but not brown. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the ginger-garlic paste starts to stick to the pan.
• Transfer the onions to a blender, add ¼ cup water and the chili peppers and blend into a smooth paste.
• In the same saucepan, heat the remaining teaspoon of coconut oil. Add the blended paste back to the pan and bring it to a simmer.
• Add the cauliflower florets and ½ cup of water along with the cardamom powder, pepper, chat masala, and kasoori methi.
• Stir well to mix, bring to a boil, and cover with a lid. Cook on a medium-low flame, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender but still has a bite. If you like the cauliflower softer, continue to cook a little longer.
• Add the cashew-coconut cream and stir well to mix. Add water if the mixture is too thick, and thin it out to your liking. I like this curry rather thick and creamy.
• Once the curry comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Add salt to taste.

What to serve with the cauliflower curry

• Serve the curry hot with roti, naan or over rice.
• It can also be enjoyed with a simple pilaf like jeera rice.
• Serve a vegan raita or a little bit of lime pickle on the side.

Storage instructions

• Refrigerate: This curry tastes great the next day. You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days.
• Freeze: The coconut milk in the curry can separate or become a bit grainy when frozen. However, there will be no loss in taste. Freeze the curry in an airtight container.
• Reheating: Reheat the frozen curry in a microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring once or twice in between. You can also heat the curry in a saucepan.

Frequently asked questions

More tasty cauliflower recipes you might like

• Easy Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas and Coconut Milk
• Navratan Korma
• Aloo Gobi, spicy cauliflower and potatoes
• Gobi Paratha (Cauliflower Stuffed Indian Flatbread)
• Instant Vegan Methi Malai Paneer (with basic tomato onion sauce)
• Cauliflower Sabzi
• Gobi Achari | Cauliflower With Five Spices

Cauliflower Curry (Malai Gobi)

A delicious cauliflower curry with a creamy white sauce, this Indian restaurant style Malai Gobi will make you feel like a star cook. Vegan, gluten-free and soy-free recipe.

5 from 10 votes

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Course: Main Course/Curry, Side

Cuisine: Indian, Soy-free, Vegan

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Cauliflower Curry

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 177kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

Equipment

• Blender
• Saute pan or sauce pan

Ingredients 

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 1 medium head cauliflower (separated into small florets)
• ▢ ½ cup raw cashews
• ▢ 1 cup coconut milk
• ▢ 2 teaspoon coconut oil
• ▢ 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• ▢ 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• ▢ 2 green chili peppers (like serrano)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chaat masala
• ▢ Juice of ½ lemon
• ▢ 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
• ▢ Salt to taste

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Instructions

• Blend the cashews and coconut milk into a very smooth paste. Set aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute until the onions turn transparent but not brown. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the ginger-garlic paste starts to stick.
• Transfer the onions to a blender, add ¼ cup of water and the chili peppers and blend into a smooth paste.
• In the same saucepan, heat the remaining teaspoon of coconut oil. Add the blended paste and bring it to a simmer.
• Add the cauliflower florets and ½ cup water along with the cardamom powder, pepper, chat masala, and kasoori methi.
• Stir well to mix, bring to a boil, and cover with a lid. Cook on a medium-low flame, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender but still has a bite. If you like your cauliflower softer, continue to cook a little longer.
• Add the cashew-coconut cream and stir well to mix. Add water if the mixture is too thick, and thin it out to your liking. I like this curry rather thick and creamy.
• Once the curry comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Add salt to taste.

Recipe notes

• Serve the curry hot with roti, naan or over rice.
• It can also be enjoyed with a simple pilaf like jeera rice.
• Serve a vegan raita or a little bit of lime pickle on the side.
• This curry tastes great the next day. You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days.
• The coconut milk in the curry can separate or become a bit grainy when frozen. However, there will be no loss in taste. Freeze the curry in an airtight container.
• Reheat the frozen curry in a microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring once or twice in between. You can also heat the curry in a saucepan.

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Potassium: 459mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg

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