This Indian Cauliflower Curry is a side dish that satisfies the entire family. Cook a clean, cozy weeknight dinner that brightens taste buds with cauliflower cooked in onion-tomato gravy.
Do you love curries and have never tried them at home? Do you think they're too complicated?
Try this foolproof recipe(like this Madras lentils recipe and mung bean curry). I've shared some essential troubleshooting tips if you go wrong somewhere in this process.
Bring home this Indian style curry with simple steps and tips, you can easily make the curry effortlessly.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
⭐️Perfect for those who are new to cooking Indian food.
⭐️A simple vegan curry bundled up with warm Indian spices!
⭐️With authentic curry flavors!
Ingredients
- Cauliflower: It is roasted to retain its natural crunchy texture.
- Onion: Indian curry is always made with onion and tomato gravy. I have used red onion, but yellow onion works great, too.
- Crushed Tomato: I have used canned crushed tomatoes in this recipe, so feel free to substitute them with fresh tomatoes.
- Red chili powder: You can substitute with smoked paprika for the mild heat and cayenne pepper for more heat.
- Ground coriander: If you do not have it at home, you may skip using it.
- Ground turmeric: You can get it from any grocery store.
- Cumin seeds: I allow them to sizzle in the oil at medium heat to release their essential oils.
- Garlic: Use finely minced garlic.
- Green bell pepper: Gives this curry a pleasant look and robust flavors.
- Butter: Optional. It neutralizes the acidity and combines all the ingredients.
How To Make Cauliflower Curry
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Dry roast cauliflower florets until half-cooked. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat oil, add cumin seeds, and let them splutter. Sauté onions until soft.
- Then, add crushed tomatoes and cook until thickened. Add red chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and salt. Saute for 30 seconds until flavorful
- Then add water, and cook to desired consistency. Add cauliflower and bell pepper, simmer for 3 minutes. Finish with butter and serve hot.
♨️How To Adjust The Heat Level
This cauliflower curry is with moderate heat.
The heat of this curry mainly depends on how much red chili powder(this is the Indian version of red chili powder) we add, so adjust it according to your preference.
The other ingredients like ground turmeric and coriander add a warmth.
The Leftovers
- It stays good for a week in the refrigerator and for two months when frozen.
- Leave the frozen cauliflower curry in the refrigerator for a day to thaw the frozen cauliflower.
- Then, you may reheat it in the pan. Otherwise, you may microwave it for quick servings.
Pro Tips For Best Results
- Always ensure the curry does not get burnt during the cooking process.
- Sprinkle salt while cooking the onion and tomato is the most effective tip in any curry recipe. This helps the onion cook faster and maintain the correct consistency. However, adjust the salt when adding the dish.
- Roasting the cauliflowers removes their moisture content. If you add it without roasting, the natural water content prevents the florets from absorbing the curry's taste.
- On the other hand, you may also roast the cauliflower in the oven.
FAQ
You can substitute it with paprika or cayenne powder. Generally, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and ¾ teaspoon of paprika would be the ideal choice. Adjust it to match your heat tolerance.
Curry may taste bitter if the spice powders are burnt or poorly cooked. If you find the curry tastes bitter after completing the cooking process, squeeze a lemon. This citrus can remove any bitterness in this cauliflower Indian curry.
When the curry is as hot as the spice level, increase the butter quantity or add fresh cream to reduce the heat.
More Curry Recipes To Try
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know your thoughts in the 📝 comments section below the recipe.
📖 Recipe
Indian Cauliflower Curry
Ingredients
For puree
For dry roasting
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
For making the base
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¾ cup onion finely chopped
- 1 cup crushed tomato
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 11/2 cup water
- 1 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon butter optional
Instructions
For dry roasting
- Heat half a teaspoon of vegetable oil to a pan over medium heat.
- Add cauliflower florets and dry roast until it is half cooked. And set aside.
For making the base
- In the same pan over medium heat, add vegetable oil and cumin seeds. And cook until it splutters.
- Then add onion and cook till it turns soft and pink.
- Now add crushed tomato, and cook until the gravy thickens.
- Add red chili powder, ground coriander, and ground turmeric. And in low heat, saute for a minute without burning the spice powders.
- Add water. Turn to medium heat and allow it to cook over medium heat until the curry reaches desired flowing consistency.
- Now add roasted cauliflower florets and diced green bell pepper.
- Turn to low heat and cook for 3 minutes in low heat(to allow the veggie to infuse with all the flavors).
- Top with a teaspoon of butter and serve hot.
Notes
- Add a dash of salt while cooking onion and tomato for speedy and even cooking.
- Add unsweetened coconut milk instead of butter to make South Indian cauliflower curry.
- You can substitute vegan butter with butter.
R says
Looks really yummy.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh this curry ticks all the boxes and I've been looking for recipes so I would use cauliflower more. Sharing this one.
Sujatha Muralidhar says
Thank you for your words, Jaqueline.
Angela says
What a delicious and flavorful cauliflower recipe! This is my new favorite way to cook cauliflower. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Sujatha Muralidhar says
Glad this recipe turns into your favorite.
Tayler Ross says
We had this curry for dinner last night and it was amazing! My whole family loved it and we will definitely be making it again soon!
Emily says
This was so simple to make and flavorful! We enjoyed it with naan; next time, I'll try it with rice! It's much better than going out to a restaurant!
Andrea says
I made it and it's amazing! Had to come back to share. Thanks.