Achari Gobhi is a delicious curry made with cauliflower / Gobhi simmered in freshly ground spice mixture. Serve it with roti or Dal Chawal (Dal and rice) to make it a comforting meal.

Cauliflower curry in a blue bowl garnished with cilantro and roti in the background

Cauliflower is a vegetable liked by all in my house and I cook with it frequently. This specific curry - Achari Gobhi is something that I have never heard of until I made it this time.

When discussing various recipes to cook with cauliflower in one of the online forums, someone had mentioned Achari Gobi. Since this was something that I have never heard before, I researched online and found that this a tangy spicy masala in which the cauliflower is cooked in.

It is sort of a dry subzi/masala and goes really well with roti or Dal Chawal (rice and lentils). The star of the dish is the pickling masala in which the cauliflower is cooked.

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Achari gobhi curry in a bowl with phulka

Cooking the Gobhi / Cauliflower

In any recipe with cauliflower, shallow frying the vegetable makes it less mushy. The same goes for this cauliflower in pickling spice recipe. Lately I have been doing this in my Air Fryer.

Precooking / frying the cauliflower in the air fryer saves so much of hands on time and the gobi maintain its shape very well in the curry. This is going to be my to go method for precooking the gobi.

Ingredients to make Achari Gobhi

Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipe.

Cauliflower - Choose a nice firm head of cauliflower and separate them into florets. I used a large head of cauliflower and kept the florets soaked in water until ready to use.

Pickling spice - We make our own blend of pickling spice from red chilies fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, nigella seeds / Kalonji, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds

Lemon juice - to mix with the pickling spice powder

Onion - Use red, yellow or sweet onion and chop it finely.

Tomato puree - I pureed my own tomatoes and used them.

Ginger and Garlic - Use fresh or paste.

Yogurt - Use plain yogurt. I use homemade yogurt, whisked slightly. If you want to make this vegan, use any non dairy yogurt instead.

Spice powder - We will use turmeric powder and Red chili powder in the recipe.

Whole spices - We need mustard seeds, nigella seeds and cinnamon stick.

Oil, Salt and Sugar

Cilantro - to garnish

Step by step Process

To make the pickling spice powder

In a pan, dry roast all the spices mentioned for the masala until aromatic. Let it cool down and then grind it to a powder. I used my spice powder to grind the masala.

roasting the ingredients for spice powder and ground spice powder

Transfer the masala into a bowl and then add the lemon juice to it. Mix well and keep it aside.

To make the Gobi Achari

Separate the florets from the cauliflower and clean them. In a pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil and then sauté the florets with some salt until they are half cooked and slightly starts to change color. Transfer the florets to a bowl.

I did this exact same thing in my Air Fryer. Layer the cauliflower and spray / brush some oil. Fry in 400 F for about 10 to 12 minutes. Shake the basket once in a while and remove when the florets are lightly browned

In the same pan, add the remaining oil. Add the mustard seeds, nigella seeds and cinnamon stick and fry for a minute until aromatic.

Now add chopped onions and salt and sauté until the onions are translucent.

Add the ginger and garlic to the onions.

Add the prepared pickling masala to the onions and mix well. Cook the masala in medium heat until the spices are cooked through and the oil starts to separate. This should take a good 10 minutes, so keep stirring the masala to avoid burning them.

Add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, red chili powder and the sugar. Cook the gravy until everything comes together (for about 5-7 minutes).

Add the cauliflower florets and yogurt and mix well. Continue to cook on low-medium heat and check for seasonings. Make sure that the heat is low, otherwise the yogurt will curdle and separate.

Once everything comes together, turn off the flame and garnish the Achari Gobi with cilantro.

Serve the Achari Gobhi hot with rice or roti!

Expert Tips and FAQ's

Pre cooking the cauliflower helps maintain the shape without becoming mushy in the curry.
Make the pickling spice fresh to have the best taste.
Is the Curry Vegan? I have used yogurt in the recipe. If wanting to make this vegan, please substitute with non dairy yogurt.
Serving suggestions - Serve it as a side with rice and dal. It also works very well with Phulka or Poori.

More Recipes with Cauliflower / Gobi

Caulifower Kurma - A flavorful Vegan Cauliflower Kurma / Curry made with Cauliflower florets and simple Indian spices. The aroma of this curry will make you come back for more. It pairs really well with rice or Indian flatbread.

Oven roasted cauliflower - One of the simplest and most flavorful recipe to make with cauliflower is this oven roasted cauliflower flavored with cumin and cilantro.

Gobi Manchurian - Gobi Manchurian is an all time favorite Indo-Chinese style street food. Using an air fryer to fry the cauliflower is a guilt free way to indulge often.

Gobhi Paratha - A flavorful Indian flatbread stuffed with spicy cauliflower curry. It is the best choice to pack for lunch boxes or picnic lunches.

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