Over the last couple of months, we have had short and long visits from several family members and the kitchen has been bustling. Planning everyday meals for an ever changing cast of people of different ages and tastes is a bit of a challenge- a balancing act between making something new and different and "interesting" but making it with familiar and well-liked ingredients.
Cauliflower is a staple of my vegetable bin and I hunted around in my Pinterest folder for a new way to cook it. I found just what I was looking for- an easy to make but luxurious curry, and dinner that evening was a hit. The credit for this recipe goes straight to Vaishali of Holy Cow. Check out her blog for often Indian, always vegan, always fresh and accessible recipes.
I tweaked Vaishali's recipe for malai gobi a little bit. I don't have a picture but I do want to record my version of the recipe so here it is. This is one of those restaurant style recipes that you can pull off quite effortlessly. The rich, sweet, nutty sauce is finger-licking good.
Malai Gobi- a creamy cauliflower curry
1. Soak 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces for 30 minutes or so.
2. Saute 2 diced medium onions in oil.
3. Blend together to a thick smooth paste:
Sauteed onions from step 2
Soaked cashews from step 1 (with soaking water)
1 heaped tbsp. white poppy seeds (khus khus)
1-2 green chilies
1/2 cup milk (any unsweetened milk will do- dairy/ coconut/ almond)
4. Heat oil in a large saucepan and saute cauliflower florets from 1 medium head of cauliflower. Add salt to taste.
5. When florets are half cooked, add the onion-nut paste and 1 tbsp. kasuri methi. Simmer until the cauliflower is tender, stirring occasionally.
6. Turn off the heat and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of garam masala*.
*The masala I often use for such curries is what my mother calls "Punjabi masala", a very simple yet flavorful blend of just 3 spices: cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
What new and interesting recipes have you been cooking lately? :)
Cauliflower is a staple of my vegetable bin and I hunted around in my Pinterest folder for a new way to cook it. I found just what I was looking for- an easy to make but luxurious curry, and dinner that evening was a hit. The credit for this recipe goes straight to Vaishali of Holy Cow. Check out her blog for often Indian, always vegan, always fresh and accessible recipes.
I tweaked Vaishali's recipe for malai gobi a little bit. I don't have a picture but I do want to record my version of the recipe so here it is. This is one of those restaurant style recipes that you can pull off quite effortlessly. The rich, sweet, nutty sauce is finger-licking good.
Malai Gobi- a creamy cauliflower curry
1. Soak 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces for 30 minutes or so.
2. Saute 2 diced medium onions in oil.
3. Blend together to a thick smooth paste:
Sauteed onions from step 2
Soaked cashews from step 1 (with soaking water)
1 heaped tbsp. white poppy seeds (khus khus)
1-2 green chilies
1/2 cup milk (any unsweetened milk will do- dairy/ coconut/ almond)
4. Heat oil in a large saucepan and saute cauliflower florets from 1 medium head of cauliflower. Add salt to taste.
5. When florets are half cooked, add the onion-nut paste and 1 tbsp. kasuri methi. Simmer until the cauliflower is tender, stirring occasionally.
6. Turn off the heat and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of garam masala*.
*The masala I often use for such curries is what my mother calls "Punjabi masala", a very simple yet flavorful blend of just 3 spices: cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
What new and interesting recipes have you been cooking lately? :)
Hi Nupur! My husband LOVES cashew. He's going to love this curry. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love cashew too- my favorite nut. Cashew paste is such a versatile ingredient too.
DeleteWhen I married my husband I had no idea how much his family (and community - He is Konkani) love cashew. There was cashew in curries, bhajis, sweets!
DeleteVery nice Nupur. And every time I think of our Alaska holiday in 2014, I cannot do so without gratitude to you for sending and your mother for writing Anokha Alaska. Please convey my best to your parents.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shubha :)
DeleteHi Nurpur, thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe! Would you please share the proportions of the spices you use in your "Punjabi masala"?
ReplyDeleteEqual parts of each spice- easy peasy :)
Deletewhat an easy peasy and yet elegant and worthy of party menu recipe. I must try it. I always have cashew nuts at home, brought all the way back from home in Goa. GSBs cannot do without adding them to anything that counts as festive or pooja recipes:-)
ReplyDeleteI finally mastered the perfect quiche recipe this summer and my son an I then proceeded to make both savory and sweet tarts with our bounty from the farmers markets. I;m debating though whether to purchase a food processor or not cuz I watched Goddess Garten(Ina) make it look so easy using one. Do you own a food processor and if so what do you use it for?
I love, love, love your posts and am always checking for new posts. I hope the kiddos esp. the lil' one is keeping cool in the summer.
Deepa
Hi Deepa- thanks for the lovely note! I hope to post more regularly as we get back into the school routine after a chaotic summer.
DeleteKudos on mastering the quiche :) Truly a versatile dish.
I do own a food processor (bought it 10 years ago and still going strong), and do use it from time to time. I will say I use it less since buying my vitamix blender. Whatever appliance sits on the countertop will get used the most :)
What I use my food processor for: Shredding large amounts of cheese in minutes, shredding carrots for salads and carrot halwa, making dips (eg. pimento cheese and hummus), blending stuff (eg. filling for spinach lasagna). Check out this post for more ideas:
http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2012/08/processors-pesto-and-pins.html
Looks great! Will try it for next week's potluck lunch. I'm wondering why it's called malai gobi though because it has no cream, no paneer, no half and half. Is it because of the white gravy?
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd say the names comes from the creamy white gravy :)
DeleteHi Nupur -- this sounds awesome -- I am always looking for something new to do with cauliflower (one of my favs). I've also found a shortcut for grinding cashews -- cashew butter from the local natural foods store. I buy a small container and store it in the fridge -- as long as you use a dry spoon it stays fresh a long time! Hope all's well with you :)
ReplyDeleteHellooo Linda :) How nice to see you here! Cashew butter is a great idea. I use cashew and almond flour for a similar short cut. I quickly checked your blog and I see your garden is flourishing!! Love it.
DeleteThis recipe turned out very quick and tasty as well. The color was very beautiful too. Thank you Nupur :)
ReplyDeleteRamya- So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback :)
ReplyDeleteHi Nupur, I love your blog although I think I commented only once. Cauliflower is a regular vegetable at our home and this new recipe seems very tasty. I will definitely try it soon. Nowadays I stopped frying cauliflower for any curry, instead I broil them in the oven with little oil and salt. Yields very good result. I find it very interesting that your masala is named punjabi masala by your mother. Because this is purely Bengali garam masala. That is why I can't use store bought garam masala for any Bengali recipe. They are totally different from Bengali garam masala. Some people may include bayleaf too in it.
ReplyDeleteSorry for late comment. Chaotic summer and then durgapuja etc made me irregular to read your post.
Thank you for posting innovative recipes and sharing everything that is happening in your life.