Gobi Masala (Cauliflower Masala) is a creamy, delicious and lightly spiced North Indian curry made with cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, cashews, yogurt, cream and aromatic spices. It pairs well with naan, roti or paratha.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head cauliflower (or gobi)
  • 3 tablespoons oil (– for sautéing the cauliflower)
  • 1 medium-sized onion (– chopped finely)
  • 3 to 4 small to medium-sized cloves of garlic
  • 3 to 4 tablespoon curd ((yogurt), full fat & fresh – whisked till smooth (optional) * check notes)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 small tej patta ((Indian bay leaf))
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds ((shahi jeera))
  • ½ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi ((dry fenugreek leaves))
  • 1 to 1½ cups water (– add ½ cup more if required)
  • 2 tablespoon low fat cream (or light cream, 25% to 35% low fat. Or can add 1 tablespoon heavy cream)
  • 2 tablespoon oil (– for the curry)
  • salt (– add according to taste)
  • 2 medium-sized tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon whole cashews

Method

Preparation

  1. Chop the cauliflower into medium florets. Rinse well and keep aside.
  2. Heat 3 cups water with salt till its starts boiling.
  3. Switch off and add the florets in the hot water. Cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
  4. In the meantime, chop the onion and crush the ginger-garlic in a mortar-pestle.
  5. Also grind or blend the tomato-cashews to a smooth paste on a high speed in a blender with very little water. If there is too much water, then the mixture starts spluttering when sauting it.
  6. Keep the tomato-cashew paste aside.

Sautéing Cauliflower

  1. Drain the cauliflower florets and keep aside and gently wipe them dry..
  2. Heat oil in a kadai or wok till it starts shimmering. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
  3. Add the blanched cauliflower florets to the oil and saute on a low to medium heat till they start getting light brown spots on them.
  4. This takes approx 8 to 10 minutes.
  5. Then remove the sauted cauliflower and keep aside.

Making Gobi Masala

  1. In the same pan, add 2 tbsp oil. Add the bay leaf and caraway seeds.
  2. Fry for a few seconds or till the oil become aromatic.
  3. Add the chopped onions and saute till the onions get golden and caramelized.
  4. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a few seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
  5. Add the tomato-cashew paste and stir.
  6. Add the spice powders – coriander, cumin, red chili, garam masala and turmeric.
  7. Saute stirring often till the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala.
  8. The whole masala paste will clump together and you will see oil clearly leaving the sides.
  9. This is an important step as if not done properly, the flavors don't come through in the dish.
  10. Switch off the stove and then add the whisked yogurt.
  11. Stir very well and then add 1 to 1½ cups water. Do add water as here. I get cauliflower which takes more time to cook. Hence I add more water. If the cauliflower takes less time to cook, then add less water.
  12. If you have fried the cauliflower more than what is mentioned in the recipe, then also you will have to add less water as the cauliflower will be already cooked. So just add enough water to get a medium consistency gravy. Let it come to a boil. Then add the cauliflower and simmer for a minute.
  13. Stir again and keep the kadai or pan on the fire again.
  14. Now add the sauteed cauliflower florets plus salt.
  15. Stir and cover the kadai or pan with a tight lid.
  16. Cook the cauliflower masala on low to medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or till they are cooked completely.
  17. Keep on checking at intervals.
  18. Lastly add the crushed kasuri methi, cream and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir the curry and switch off the heat.
  19. Serve gobi masala hot with roti, naan or rice.

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.