Gobi Matar (Cauliflower With Peas)

Gobi Matar is a classic North Indian dish made with cauliflower (gobi) and green peas (matar) cooked in a lightly spiced onion-tomato masala with ginger, garlic and aromatic spices. It is a wholesome everyday dish that pairs well with roti, paratha or rice and dal.

About Gobi Matar

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables to cook with, so Gobi Matar is a regular in my kitchen. I make it often during the winter months when fresh cauliflower and green peas are in season, though the recipe turns out just as well with frozen peas and year-round cauliflower.

Along with this recipe, I also make Aloo Gobi, Gobi 65, Cauliflower Curry and Gobi Manchurian. If you enjoy cabbage too, do try my Bandh Gobi Matar.

Unlike Aloo Gobi Matar, this recipe skips the potatoes and lets the flavors of the cauliflower and green peas shine. The vegetables are cooked in a lightly spiced onion-tomato masala with ginger, garlic, green chilies and a few spices.

One thing that makes this family recipe a little different is the use of whole spices. I sauté them with the onions and tomatoes instead of relying only on Garam Masala Powder or Sabji Masala. This gives the curry a deeper aroma and a more rounded flavor.

I also like adding shahi jeera (caraway seeds), which lends a delicate fragrance. If you do not have it, regular cumin seeds work just as well.

If your green peas take longer to cook, boil them until almost tender before adding them to the curry. Tender fresh peas can be added directly and will cook along with the cauliflower.

Serve Gobi Matar with roti, phulka or paratha. It also pairs well with dal-rice and packs nicely for a lunch box.

How To Make Gobi Matar (Stepwise)

Preparation

1. This first step is optional and only if you get cauliflower which has insects. In India, we get insects in cauliflowers and to get rid of them I follow this method.

If you live outside India and get clean cauliflower, then there is no need to follow this method. Just add the cauliflower directly.

Chop or break 1 medium (450 to 500 grams) cauliflower (gobi) into small florets. Rinse and then blanch in hot salted water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

2. Cook ¾ to 1 cup green peas in water till they are almost done. Drain and keep aside.

Make Onion Tomato Masala

3. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a kadai or frying pan. Then, crackle the following whole spices:

• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 to 3 cloves
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
• ½ of a star anise (chakra phool/optional)
• 4 to 5 black peppercorns
• 1 small to medium bay leaf (tej patta)

4. Then, add 2 medium finely chopped onions, 2 to 3 finely chopped green chilies, 1 inch finely chopped ginger and 1 to 1.25 teaspoon finely chopped or minced garlic.

Sauté the onions till light brown. Stir often.

5. Next, add 3 small finely chopped tomatoes and mix well.

6. Then, add the following spices:

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, optional
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder

Stir and sauté till the tomatoes soften and you see oil releasing from the sides.

Make Gobi Matar

7. Add the blanched cauliflower florets.

8. Stir well so that the onion-tomato mixture mixes uniformly with the cauliflower florets.

9. Cover with a rimmed lid or plate in which water is added. Cooking with this technique does not burn the cauliflower.

Also, you don’t need to add any water in the cauliflower. A lot of steam is formed inside the pan which helps in cooking the cauliflower.

Check the vegetable after some minutes and stir. If the water dries up in the lid/plate, then add more water.

10. When the cauliflower is almost cooked, add the cooked green peas and ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder.

11. Stir and cover with the rimmed lid with water in it. Cook for another 7 to 10 minutes on low heat or till the cauliflower and peas have become tender and cooked well.

Once done, if there is any moisture in the pan, cook without the lid and let the moisture dry up.

12. Garnish with mint leaves or chopped coriander leaves. Serve Gobi Matar hot or warm with chapattis, rotis, jeera paratha or plain paratha or Ajwain Paratha.

You can also pack it in tiffin box or serve as a side dish with dal-rice, rasam-rice or with any Indian meal. You can also use it as a stuffing for making sandwiches. Sometimes we have it with bread slices.

For more delicious matar recipes, you can check this collection of Matar Recipes.

Helpful Tips

1. If adding tender or frozen peas which cook faster, then add them when you add the cauliflower florets.
2. If you live in a place where you get clean cauliflower without any insects or worms, then skip the first step. If not, then you will have to blanch the florets in hot salted water for about 15 to 20 minutes to get rid of the worms and insects.
3. Decrease or increase the quantity of green chilies and the spice powders to adjust the level of heat in the dish, as per your liking.
4. While cooking the cauliflower, you don’t have to add any water to it as a lot of steam is formed inside the pan. This helps to cook the vegetable.
5. Once the Gobi Matar is cooked, check. If the pan still has any moisture in it, then cook without the lid till the moisture dries up.

Step by Step Photo Guide Above

Gobi Matar | Gobhi Matar ki Sabji

Author: Dassana Amit

4.93 from 14 votes

Gobi Matar (also called Gobhi Matar ki Sabji) is a homestyle North Indian sabzi made with cauliflower and green peas cooked in a lightly spiced onion-tomato masala with ginger, garlic and aromatic spices. It is flavorful, comforting and pairs well with roti, paratha or a simple dal-rice meal.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings4

CourseSide Dish

DietVegan, Vegetarian

CuisineNorth Indian

Ingredients

• ▢ 450 to 500 or 1 medium-sized cauliflower
• ▢ ¾ to 1 cup peas – fresh or frozen (check notes on when to add tender or frozen peas)
• ▢ 1 cup/120 grams or 2 medium-sized onion – finely chopped
• ▢ ¾ cup or 1 large tomato – finely chopped
• ▢ ½ to ¾ teaspoon or 2 to 3 green chillies – finely chopped, reduce the amount if making for kids
• ▢ 1 to 1¼ teaspoon or 1 inch ginger – finely chopped or minced/grated
• ▢ 1 to 1¼ teaspoon or 6 to 7 medium-sized garlic – finely chopped or minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
• ▢ 1 inch cinnamon
• ▢ 2 green cardamoms
• ▢ ½ of a star anise (chakra phool) – optional
• ▢ 4 to 5 black pepper
• ▢ 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder (optional)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ 2 to 3 cloves
• ▢ 2 to 3 tablespoon oil
• ▢ salt as required
• ▢ 1 to 2 tablespoon mint leaves or coriander leaves, chopped for garnish

Instructions

Preparation

• Chop or break the cauliflower/gobi into small florets.
• This step is optional and only if you get cauliflower which has insects. In india we get insects in cauliflowers and to get rid of them I follow this method. If you live outside india and get clean cauliflower then there is no need to follow this method. Just add the cauliflower directly.
• Rinse them and then blanch in hot salted water for 15 to 20 mins. Drain and keep aside.
• First cook the peas in water till they are almost cooked. Then drain and keep aside.

Making Gobi Matar

• Heat oil in a kadai or a frying pan and crackle the whole spices viz – cinnamon, cloves, caraway seeds, star anise, black pepper and indian bay leaf (tejpatta).
• Add the finely chopped onions, green chilies, ginger and garlic. Stirring often saute the onions till they become light brown.
• Then add the finely chopped tomatoes.
• Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften and you see the oil releasing from the sides.
• Add the blanched gobi/cauliflower florets.
• Stir well so that the onion tomato and spices mix uniformly with the cauliflower florets.
• Cover with a rimmed lid in which water is added. Cooking with this technique does not burn the cauliflower.
• Also you don’t need to add any water in the cauliflower. A lot of steam is formed inside the pan which helps in cooking the cauliflower.
• Do check the veggie after a some minutes and stir. If the water dries up in the lid, then add more water.
• When the gobhi is almost cooked, add the peas/matar and garam masala powder.
• Stir and cover with the rimmed lid with water in it. Cook for a further 7 to 10 minutes on a low flame, till the cauliflower and peas have become tender and cooked well.

  Once done, if there is any moisture in the pan, then cook without the lid and let the moisture evaporate.
• Garnish with chopped mint leaves or coriander leaves. Serve gobi matar hot or warm with chapatis or phulkas or plain paratha or jeera paratha or bread.
• This gobhi matar ki sabji can also be packed in tiffin box or serve as a side dish with dal rice or rasam rice or with any Indian meal.

Dassana’s Notes

• If adding tender or frozen peas which cook faster, then add them when you add the cauliflower florets.
• The amount of spices can be altered as per your taste preferences.

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 407mg | Potassium: 558mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 561IU | Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 1mg | Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 1mg | Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 1mg | Vitamin B6: 1mg | Vitamin C: 75mg | Vitamin E: 3mg | Vitamin K: 28µg | Calcium: 57mg | Vitamin B9 (Folate): 94µg | Iron: 1mg | Magnesium: 38mg | Phosphorus: 102mg | Zinc: 1mg

Gobi Matar recipe from the archives was first published on February 2014.