This Gobi Musallam Recipe has whole head of cauliflower served along with a white sauce made with onions, yogurt and lightly flavored with whole spices. Makes a great vegetarian centerpieces for special occasions.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 45 minutes
  • Total time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1 large cauliflower (whole head, [adjustable] 850 grams [/adjustable] measure after removing leaves and thick stem)
  • ½ cup plain yogurt (I used thick whole milk yogurt)
  • 1 & ½ tablespoons ginger garlic paste
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Sauce

  • 2 cups water
  • 4 whole cashews (raw and unsalted)
  • 1 large white onion ([adjustable] 360 grams [/adjustable], sliced)
  • 1 inch ginger (roughly chopped)
  • 1-2 green chilies (sliced)
  • ¼ cup plain yogurt (I used whole milk yogurt)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 black cardamom
  • ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons kasuri methi
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • ¼-⅓ cup heavy cream
  • pomegranate arils (to garnish)

Method

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, pot should be big and deep enough to accommodate a whole head of a large cauliflower inside it. Add little salt to the water. Once the water comes to a boil, add 1 large cauliflower head (850 grams) into it (remove the leaves and stem before) and let it boil for around 8 to 10 minutes. Then remove the cauliflower head using a pair of tongs and se it aside. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. To a large bowl or pan, add ½ cup plain yogurt (yogurt should be thick), add 1 & ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper to it and mix everything using a wire whisk.
  3. Coat the cauliflower head with the prepared marinade, making sure that the marinade gets into every nook and cranny. Place the cauliflower on to the prepared baking sheet and bake at 400 F degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until cauliflower is nicely tender. The time will vary depending on the size of the cauliflower.
  4. Meanwhile make the sauce. To a pot, add 2 cups water along with 4 raw cashews, 1 large white onion (sliced), 1-inch ginger (roughly chopped), and 1-2 green chilies (sliced). Cover and let it boil for around 15 minutes.
  5. Then remove everything from the pot and transfer to a blender along with ¼ cup plain yogurt. Blend to a fine paste.
  6. To the same pot, now add 1 & ½ tablespoons oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the whole spices: 1-inch cinnamon stick, 1 whole black cardamom, and ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds. Let the spices sizzle and then add the prepared onion paste to it.
  7. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the dry spices: 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 2 teaspoons kasuri methi and ½ teaspoon salt (to taste). Mix everything and cook for 1 minute.
  8. Add ¼-⅓ cup heavy cream and cook for 1 more minute. Place the baked head of cauliflower carefully into the pot. Using a spoon, pour the sauce over the cauliflower getting into every nook and cranny. Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and let the cauliflower cook with the sauce for 2 more minutes.
  9. Place the cauliflower head on the center of your serving place using a pair of tongs. Pour the sauce all around it, also pour some on top of the cauliflower. Sprinkle some more crushed kasuri methi on top of the cauliflower and garnish with pomegranate arils. Serve!

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.