This vegan gobhi makhani is a vegan recipe that makes for a delicious main course meal. Try it with naan, paratha or roti and enjoy the beautiful flavours of a makhni gravy. The dairy elements in a makhni gravy is cream and butter, both of which have been substituted in this recipe. You can also make it non-vegan if that’s what you’re looking for. The best part about this recipe is that it does not taste any less good no matter which way you prefer it – dairy or no dairy.
This vegan gobhi makhani is luscious, rich and packed with delicious flavours. Making this creamy cauliflower curry requires a bit of steps, but walking that extra mile is really worth it when you taste it. This recipe is also fail-proof as it has been tried and tested in my kitchen several times, and always ends up being a conversation starter.
Steps to Vegan Gobhi Makhani
This creamy cauliflower curry is cooked in three stages.
- The first stage is marinating the cauliflower florets in salt and red chilli powder and roasting them on a skillet till they are brown and crispy on the edges. Doing this ensures that the cauliflower in the gravy do not taste bland and have enough flavour on their own. It also reduces the cook time of the vegetable as we roast it till it is half cooked before we add it to the gravy.
- In the second stage, we make the makhni paste. This requires slow cooking onions, tomatoes, cashews, whole spices and Kashmiri dried red chillies (for the colour) for some time and blending it till it is super smooth. If you do not have Kashmiri red chillies, you can use normal dried chillies too. However, the normal dried chillies will be very spicy so add just two instead of four pieces if you do not want your curry to be too hot. The Kashmiri chillies help give the gravy that wonderful orange colour.
- The final stage is when we combine the makhni sauce with the roasted cauliflower and add some spices and garnishing. For the luscious gravy, we use coconut milk and cashew paste as the base. We also skip the butter and use vegetable oil to make it vegan.
Let’s take a detailed look at this vegan gobhi makhani recipe.
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Cook time – 40 minutes
Serves – 4
Ingredients
- 300 g cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1/2 tsp salt (to marinate the cauliflower)
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder (to marinate the cauliflower)
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 Kashmiri dried red chillies (Add 2 if you want it less spicy)
- 4 cardamoms
- 1 thick cinnamon stick (1 inch)
- 2 cloves
- 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
- 4 medium ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 12 cashews
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
- 1 tbsp oil (for the gravy)
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup coconut milk (200 ml)
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi
Directions
- Cut the cauliflower into florets. Gently absorb any excess water with a paper towel.
- Season the cauliflower with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp red chilii powder. Mix gently.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet. Roast the cauliflower florets till they char a bit and also cook halfway through. Once done, set aside for later.
- In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any neutral oil of your choice). Temper the oil with a bay leaf and four Kashmiri dried red chillies. You can adjust the number of chillies as per your desired level of heat.
- Temper with the whole spices – cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Lightly roast it till they release their aroma.
- Add in the roughly chopped onions, roughly chopped tomatoes and cashews. Mix well. The idea is to cook this till the tomatoes and onions release their juices and soften. Cover and cook on low flame for ten minutes.
- Remove cover, give one last stir and let the mixture cool completely.
- Once cool, transfer the mixture to a blender. Blend for as long as you need to get a super smooth and glossy paste. This is the makhni sauce. Set aside.
- In the same skillet or kadhai, add one tablespoon vegetable oil. Lower the heat to minimum and add the fresh ginger garlic paste and let it release its aroma. Saute for about a minute on low heat until the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic completely disappears.
- Add the blended makhni sauce to the pan. Add half a cup of water (add it to the remains in the blender). Stir and let the sauce come to a boil.
- Let the sauce simmer for another five minutes under a lid and on low flame.
- Once the oil starts to release from the sides and the makhani sauce looks cooked, add the cauliflower florets. Mix well.
- Season with salt, cumin powder, coriander powder. Stir well and cover and cook on low flame till the cauliflower is cooked.
- Remove lid and pour the coconut milk onto the gravy. Stir well. It will get thicker. You can add more water if you like. But the sauce should preferably be a thick one.
- Garnish with kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves.
- Serve hot with naan or paratha. Enjoy!
I hope you try out this delicious and fail proof vegan gobhi makhani for yourself. It’s absolutely divine.
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Happy cooking!
