CAULIFLOWER MAKHANI MASALA

Hi all, it's been a while but I made this dish today and it came out so well that I had to share it. My son wanted to make something using Cauliflower, but at the last minute, he lost his mood and didn't want to. So I came up with a dish using cauliflower, the gravy is very similar to many other curry dishes, nevertheless, the variations in the process, makes it different. My family loved it, they said the cauliflower tasted like Paneer so let's get started

CAULIFLOWER MAKHANI MASALA

INGREDIENTS

FOR SAUTEED CAULIFLOWER

Cinnamon stick: 1 small

Cloves: 3-4

Jeera: 1 Tsp

Cauliflower Florets: 1-2 cup

Ginger-Garlic: 1/2 Tbsp each chopped

Turmeric and Red Chilli Powder: 1/2 Tsp each

Jeera-Dhania powder: 1 Tsp

Garam Masala: 1 Tsp

Oil and Butter/Ghee: 1 Tbsp each

Salt: 1/2 Tsp

TO MAKE MAKHANI GRAVY

Onions: 2 medium chopped

Tomatoes: 1 and 1/2 large or 2 medium chopped

Ginger-Garlic: 1/2 Tbsp each chopped

Turmeric and Red Chilli Powder: 1 Tsp each

Jeera-Dhania powder: 2 Tsp

Garam Masala: 1 Tsp

Jeera ( Cumin): 1 Tsp

Dhania seeds: 4-5

CashewNuts: 10-12 soaked in water for 10 minutes

Kasoori Methi: 1/2 tsp crushed

Oil and Butter/Ghee: 1 Tbsp each

Salt as required

Freshly Chopped Cilantro ( Coriander): 1/4th cup

Cauliflower Makhani Masala

                                    

                                                        

MAKING

Wash the cauliflower florets and keep aside. Take a pan, pour butter and oil, once heated, add in cumin, cinnamon stick, cloves. Once it turns aromatic, add in Ginger-Garlic chopped. Saute, and then add the cauliflower florets. Mix it well, add the Red Chilli and Turmeric powder, Jeera-Dhania powder, Garam Masala and a little salt. Keep in the gas in low flame, saute and close the lid until the cauliflower has become soft. Switch off the gas and keep aside. 

In another shallow pan, pour in 1 Tsp oil and butter, once hot add cumin, dhania seeds, chopped Ginger-Garlic, once aromatic, add chopped onions. Saute until onions turn translucent. Add in the chopped tomatoes, saute for a minute or two before adding the spices. Add the Turmeric and Red chilli powder, Dhania- Jeera powder, Garam Masala powder. Saute for a few minutes until the masala is well blended into the mixture. Switch off the gas, allow the mixture to cool, and then grind it into a nice paste, with the soaked cashews and required water. The gravy should be semi-thick with a rich texture. Do not add too much water

Finally, use the same pan, add the rest of the butter/ghee, pour in the gravy, saute for a few seconds before adding in the sauteed cauliflower, add required salt and mix well with the gravy. Allow it to cook for a minute or two, then add the crushed Kasoori Methi and mix it well.

Switch off the gas and the Cauliflower Makhani Masala is ready to eat. Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves and a dollop of butter on top. Believe me, it's absolutely delicious.

TIPS/VARIATIONS

You could also add cardamom pods 1-2 for a sweetened flavour, I did not add it as I wanted it to be more on the spicy side. You could avoid dhania seeds.

You could sprinkle some water during the cauliflower cooking process to prevent it from getting burnt.

I used unsalted butter, you could use ghee. I feel butter added more to the dish than ghee.