Cauliflower Curry (North Indian style)

One of the best parts about the winter season in India is the fact that it brings along a bountiful of fresh seasonal produce with it. Vegetables and fruits that are available during this season have their own charm. Out of that gamut, red carrots (gajar), green peas (matar) and cauliflower (phool gobi) happen to be my top picks. I have shared a healthy and delicious North Indian style Cauliflower Curry in this post, which is best made with the winter gobi. But you can even make it with the off-season cauliflower, that may be available all year round in your place of stay.

About Cauliflower Curry

Cauliflower, known as ‘phool gobi’ or just ‘gobi’ in the Hindi language is one of the vegetables that I use pretty often. And when in season, then all the more. This Cauliflower Curry is one of those curry-based dishes I make at times. Sometimes, I also add green peas or potatoes in it.

Some other regular gobi preparations at my home are this Indo-Chinese style Gobi Manchurian, the rich, vegan and gluten free Cauliflower Kurma and the creamy and lightly-spiced Gobi Masala. Even this basic, yet super tasty Gobi Paratha is a great option for a hearty weekend breakfast or brunch.

Also, if you are a lover of gobi like I am, this Cauliflower Recipes collection is going to be ‘gold’ for you.

This North Indian style Cauliflower Curry is a simple preparation and does not take much time to cook. In addition to the cauliflower or gobi, rest of the ingredients that go in this recipe are also really common in almost all Indian home kitchens. So, the recipe is quite easy too.

So, you would also need onion, tomato, green chili, ginger-garlic paste, cumin seeds and a bunch of common Indian spice powders for this gobi curry. The list of spice powders includes turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. A sprinkle of the crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) in the end, add a restaurant like feel to it.

This Cauliflower Curry recipe is pretty straightforward and does not take a lot of time, as I also mentioned earlier. It is also vegan and gluten free. To cut down the cooking time, you can also cook the curry in a pressure cooker. Just pressure cook for 1 whistle.

You can serve this Cauliflower Curry with chapatis, parathas or naans. You can also relish the flavors of this gobi curry as a side dish with a combination of dal-rice.

Here are some more flavorful North Indian vegetable dishes to try: the comforting Paneer Sabzi, richly spiced Bhindi Masala, smoky Baingan Bharta, and the earthy, umami-rich Matar Mushroom.

How to make Cauliflower Curry

Making onion-tomato masala

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan or kadai. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter on low heat.

2. Then, add ⅓ cup of chopped onions.

3. Sauté the onions on medium-low heat till they become translucent and are softened. Keep stirring them often.

4. Next, add 1.5 teaspoons of ginger-garlic paste or crushed ginger-garlic.

5. Mix and sauté the ginger-garlic for a few seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away on low heat.

6. Then add the following ground spices:

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder

7. Mix the spices very well on low heat. You can even switch off the heat.

8. Next, add 1 cup of chopped tomatoes and 1 chopped green chili.

9. Mix the tomatoes very well and begin to sauté on a low to medium-low heat.

10. Sauté till the tomatoes soften, become mushy and you see oil releasing from the sides of the pan.

Making Cauliflower Curry

11. Then, add 2.5 to 3 cups of chopped cauliflower florets. If you want, you can even blanch the cauliflower in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.

12. Mix the cauliflower very well with the masala.

13. Season with salt as per taste. Mix very well.

14. Then, add ¾ to 1 cup water or as required.

15. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the Cauliflower Curry on low to medium-low heat till the cauliflower is tender.

16. Check in between and if the water dries up, add more water.

17. Once the cauliflower is tender, add ¼ teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and ½ teaspoon garam masala powder.

18. Mix again and switch off the heat. There will be some gravy in the dish. If you want more gravy, then you can add more water.

19. Lastly, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves. Stir and mix well.

20. Serve Cauliflower Curry hot or warm with chapatis, plain paratha, pudina paratha or naan. You can also serve it as a side dish with a combo of dal-rice.

Expert Tips

1. If you wish, you can also add green peas and potatoes to this gobi curry.
2. While adding the cauliflower, you can even blanch it in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes and then add.
3. If you want a spicier curry, then adjust the quantity of green chilies and red chili powder accordingly. You can use a spicy variety of the red chili powder as well. For a less spicy curry, decrease the number of green chilies and use a less-spicy variety of red chili powder.
4. If you want a dish with more gravy or curry, then you can always add more water to get the desired consistency.
5. In case you don’t have the kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), then skip adding it.
6. Use a fresh and tender cauliflower. Note that the cooking time of the cauliflower will vary with its quality.
7. For a richer flavor you can make this cauliflower curry in ghee or butter and add some cream towards the end.

This Cauliflower Curry post from the blog archives first published in May 2017 has been republished and updated on December 2022.