A decadent curry of cauliflower simmered in a creamy white sauce, this Malai Gobi will make you feel like a star cook. Vegan, gluten-free and soy-free recipe.
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.
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 or Gobi Matar or the Indo-Chinese classic, Gobi Manchurian. But the fact that the cauliflower, like the 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 turn it into a sumptuous Vegan Malai Kofta Curry, add it to a dal, stuff it into a Cauliflower Paratha, or use it to top off a pilaf. With cauliflower, it seems, you just can’t go wrong.
But this recipe for Malai Gobi is one of my favorite ways to eat this versatile vegetable. For one, it’s much simpler than it sounds: in fact, 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, it is so tasty that if you serve it up to company, you will have them eating out of your hand. Figuratively, I think.
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, and then some more.
Here’s the recipe, and I’m off now to enjoy the rest of my day. Here’s wishing you all a perfect weekend.
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Looking for more vegan curry recipes?
Cauliflower Curry with Potatoes
Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Lima Bean Stew
Gobi Masala
Easy Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas and Coconut Milk
Vegan Malai Kofta
Navratan Korma
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Creamy Cauliflower Curry (Malai Gobi) Recipe:
Creamy Cauliflower Curry (Malai Gobi)
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, (separated into small florets)
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chili peppers (like serrano)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp green cardamom powder
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Blend the cashews and coconut milk into a very smooth paste. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tsp 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 1/4 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 onion-ginger-garlic paste and bring it to a simmer.
- Add the cauliflower florets and 1/2 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 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.
- Serve hot with rotis or naan.
Nutrition
hi. is it important to use cashew nuts? or optional? (in case of nut allergy) can i use soya milk for protein content? din’t try it yet, but sounds amazing
This turned out delicious. I have never had this preparation before. I added two Indian chillies and it turned out too spicy. Probably next time I’ll add one chilli or skip it altogether.
Hi Kavita, I meant the coconut milk from a carton that’s much thinner than canned. You can use any other nondairy milk like almond milk or just make thin coconut milk of your own. If you have canned coconut milk, use 1/4 cup coconut milk and 3/4 cup water. Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi Vaishali,
Love your blog! This recipe looks so delicious, any particular reason for not using canned coconut milk? Was hoping to make this for a dinner party and I cannot make fresh coconut milk in large quantity. Thanks.
do u have a book of recipes by any chance…and if I do make these could I post them on social media with due credit to your blog (and with your permission)
It was amazing! So creamy but not fatty.
So glad you liked it!
I made this just a couple days after you posted it. I added some mushrooms that I needed to use up, along with the cauliflower. It was really yummy! Actually it reminded me of an Indian version of stroganoff. I am making it again tomorrow for my inlaws! (They are Indian)
This was sooo good! Creamy goodness that makes you want to roll over with your paws in the air!
Did not have chat masala – used garam masala instead. Looking forward to trying it again with the Chat.
Thanks for sharing your deliciouness!
Guru Karam, so happy you tried it. I can imagine it’d be good with garam masala. Thanks for the feedback!
Visited your blog after forever, didnt have cauliflower, used one and a half capsicums, half a tomato and an onion instead, sautéed with a little sugar. It turned out beautifully, thank you very much !
Ksheeraja, so glad you tried it. Thanks for letting me know!
I was trying to think of something new to do with cauliflower, so this will be perfect. Thank you. I like the texture and consistency too!
this looks delicious! But I didn’t notice in the recipe where you add the chiles. Did you leave them out? Thanks so much!
Hi Kirsten, they get blended up with the onions and ginger-garlic. Cheers.
It has been years since I signed into blogger or visited your blog. I’m happy I did. I have a cauliflower in the fridge that I didn’t know what I was going to do with. I will try this recipe. It looks yummy!
Glad you’re back. Hope you try it!