Gobhi Butter Masala – Cauliflowers in Creamy Gravy

We are in our last week of the month and the year. This year just flew by with lot of changes for me and my family. Hope the year ahead brings all of us peace and happiness in whatever we do. For the last week, I am doing one of my favorite themes in the blogging marathon, the bookmarked theme. Being in the blogging field, I am always surrounded by recipes and food photographs. Over the period of time, I have bookmarked several (read uncountable) number of recipes and this is a theme, where I can showcase them.

We eat roti’s quite often in our house and hence a new subzi is always welcome. When I came across this recipe in PJ’s space, I was very intrigued by the name of the recipe. I have always made paneer butter masala, but the same rich gravy with cauliflower was very interesting. We all like cauliflower in our house and hence I had no issues trying out the recipe right away.

The subzi was a great hit and loved by all. One thing I have learned over the period is pan frying or sautéing the cauliflower before adding it to the gravy helps keep its shape intact and not become mushy. Earlier I always used to fear making cauliflower because I always made it mushy and it was not very pleasant. Pan frying the cauliflower brings out the wonderful nutty flavor of the vegetable and also helps retain its shape.

I have followed the recipe almost exactly except I did not use cream and used low fat milk instead. I did not miss the cream in the recipe for the reason it had rich gravy with cashew nuts in it and did not add the poppy seed that was in the original recipe.

Preparation time – 15 minutes
Cooking time – 40 minutes
Difficulty level – easy
Recipe adapted from – Seduce Your Tastebuds

Ingredients to make Gobhi Butter Masala – Serves 4-6

Cauliflower – 1 medium (florets removed)
Green peas – ½ cup (I used frozen green peas)
Red chili powder – 1 ½ tsp ( I used Kashmiri red chili powder)
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek) – 1 tsp
Milk – 1 cup
Butter / oil – 1 tbsp + 1tbsp

For the Masala to make Gobhi Butter Masala –

Onion – 1 (chopped)
Tomatoes – 3 (chopped)
Garlic – 3 cloves
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Kasuri methi – 2 tsp
Cashew nuts – 10
Cloves – 4
Cardamom – 2
Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
Butter / oil – 1 tsp

Procedure to make Gobhi Butter Masala –

Remove the florets from the cauliflower and clean them.
In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter or oil or a mix of both and add the florets. Sauté / pan fry the florets until they are evenly browned on all the sides. Make sure the pan is large enough to fit the florets in one layer. Do not crowd the pan as that might begin to steam the cauliflower and make it soft. If the pan is not large enough fry them in batches. This step ensures that the florets retain its shape when cooked in the gravy and also releases the natural nutty flavor of the vegetable. Remove the florets and keep it aside.

To make the masala –

In the same pan or a smaller one add 1 tsp of butter or oil and heat it. Now add the spices (cloves, cardamom and cinnamon) and fry it for a minute. Then add the ginger, garlic and onion and sauté it until the onions are golden brown. Add the tomato and cook until soft. Now add the cashews and the kasuri methi and cook it for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool down. Transfer the whole thing to a blender jar and grind it until smooth.

In the same large pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of butter/oil and add the ground masala paste. Add the red chili powder, garam masala and salt and mix well. Fry this paste for about 4-5 minutes or until the oil releases.
Add the milk and about 1 cup of water and then cook it in low flame for about 5 minutes. Once the milk is added, do not heat it on high heat as the milk might curdle.
Now add the roasted cauliflower and the green peas and check for the consistency of the gravy. If it is too thick then add more water. Cook it for about 8-10 minutes and then serve hot with roti, paratha or rice.