Cauliflower Kurma is a South Indian gravy-based dish made with nuts, seeds, and coconut. Absolutely delicious, gluten free, and vegan, this full-flavored cauliflower korma recipe is the perfect comforting dish to savor on any day.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Chettinad, South Indian

Ingredients

  • 250 grams cauliflower (or 2.5 to 3 cups cauliflower florets)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (- optional)
  • hot water (as required)
  • ½ cup fresh grated coconut
  • 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies (or serrano peppers or 2 green chillies)
  • 1 teaspoon chopped ginger (or 1 inch ginger)
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic (or 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon roasted chana dal ((husked, split roasted bengal gram))
  • 10 to 12 cashews
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds (- optional)
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 inch cinnamon ((true cinnamon) or ½ inch cassia cinnamon)
  • 1 tiny piece stone flower (- optional)
  • ⅓ to ½ cup water (- for blending or grinding)
  • 2 tablespoons oil (- any neutral tasting oil or coconut oil)
  • 1 inch cinnamon ((true cinnamon) or ½ inch cassia cinnamon)
  • 2 cloves
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 8 to 10 curry leaves (or 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf))
  • ⅓ cup chopped onions (or 1 medium onion)
  • ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes (or 1 medium tomato)
  • 1 to 2 pinches turmeric powder
  • 1.5 to 1.75 cups water (or add as required)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves ((cilantro))

Method

Blanching cauliflower

  1. Take 2.5 to 3 cups of rinsed medium sized cauliflower florets (250 grams) in a bowl or pan. Optionally you can add ½ teaspoon salt.
  2. Pour hot water as required and let the cauliflower florets immerse and get blanched for 5 to 10 minutes. This blanching step can be skipped if there are no insects or worms in the cauliflower.
  3. Later drain all the water and set the cauliflower aside.

Making coconut paste

  1. In a grinder jar take the fresh grated coconut. You can add ½ cup of frozen coconut or ⅓ cup of desiccated coconut (unsweetened), if fresh coconut is not available.
  2. Also add chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic.
  3. Then add roasted chana dal, cashews, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon and stone flower
  4. Add ⅓ to ½ cup water and grind to a smooth consistency. Set aside the ground paste.

Sautéing ingredients

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a thick bottomed pan. Keep the heat to a low and then add cinnamon, cloves and fennel seeds.
  2. Fry until the spices become aromatic and splutter.
  3. Then add chopped onions and curry leaves.
  4. Sauté the onions until they turn translucent and soften.
  5. Then add chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder.
  6. Mix well and begin to sauté tomatoes on a low to medium heat until the tomatoes soften and become pulpy.
  7. You should also see oil releasing from the sides of the onion-tomato mixture.
  8. Now add the ground coconut paste and mix very well.
  9. Keep the heat to a low or medium-low and stirring often sauté the coconut paste till you see oil specks at the sides.
  10. The coconut masala paste will also become glossy and clump together.
  11. Then add the blanched cauliflower. Mix well and sauté for a minute.

Cooking cauliflower kurma

  1. Add 1.5 to 1.75 cups water. Season with salt as required. Mix again.
  2. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on low to medium-low heat until the cauliflower is cooked and tender.
  3. In between do check the cauliflower korma and stir the gravy.
  4. Simmer till the cauliflower is cooked well. Do not overcook the cauliflower and make them mushy.
  5. Then add 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix again.
  6. Serve the creamy cauliflower kurma hot or warm.

Serving suggestions

  1. The delicious gravy is creamy, lightly spiced and goes perfectly with Poori (Indian fried bread), parotta, chapati, idiyappam, neer dosa, set dosa, peas pulao, or steamed rice.

Storage and leftovers

  1. Store any leftovers you have in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 day only. Reheat in a pan and add some water if the gravy looks thick.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.