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.

GOBI MASALA

Hi All,

This was a recipe that I made inspired by my mother who said she made a gravy for Roti's and it came out well. I liked the combination of different / interesting spices she used to make the Sabji. I tried doing the same here so, here it goes

GOBI MASALA / CAULIFLOWER MASALA

INGREDIENTS

CAULIFLOWER / GOBI : 2 cups chopped
ONION: 1 medium
TOMATO : 2 Medium
GARLIC and GINGER : 1 TSP each
JEERA - DHANIA POWDER : 1 TSP
KASOORI METHI : 1 Tsp crushed in your hand
SAMBHAR POWDER : 1 TSP
CASHEW NUTS: about 10 soaked in water for 10 minutes
RED CHILLI : 1 long or 2 Medium
DHANIA SEEDS : 1 Tsp
SALT as required
BUTTER and OIL as required : 1 TBSP each
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP
CORIANDER LEAVES chopped for garnish

Gobi Masala

MAKING

Boil the chopped Cauliflower with enough water, salt and a pinch of turmeric and keep aside once boiled and cooked. In a pan, add a Tbsp of butter and in it , saute the onions, Ginger-Garlic for a couple of minutes before adding the chopped Tomatoes. Saute it for about 2-3 minutes and keep aside. In a blender, grind the above sauteed mixture with the soaked Cashew nuts, Dhania ( Coriander) seeds, Red Chilli. Grind them into a nice paste and pour in back in the pan with a 1 Tbsp of oil and saute it again (medium flame) until the raw smell of it is gone and bubbles start coming up . After about 5 minutes, add a pinch of Turmeric, Jeera-Dhania powder, Sambhar powder, Crushed Kasoori Methi and cook for another 3-4 minutes , add water if needed. Finally add the boiled Cauliflower to the gravy, add the required salt and cook for another 5 minutes in low flame until the gravy is well mixed and salt has been fully absorbed. Garnish with some chopped coriander and delicious Gobi Masala is ready to eat. Serve it hot with Roti's. Enjoy !

TIPS / VARIATIONS

You could add a Tsp of Sugar to mellow down on the spice level.

You can also add 1/2 Tsp of Garam Masala for added flavor.

Sambhar Powder gives it a little diff taste than the usual gravy. It was an interesting add on.