Creamy, hearty and spicy, this cauliflower cashew curry is a great way to eat seasonally and enjoy the otherwise neutral cauliflower as a quick side dish. While the aloo gobi may be South Asia’s gift to the culinary world, this cauliflower cashew curry is a good fusion of the same Pakistani/Indian spices in a rich and creamy cashew sauce.
If you’ve been around a while, you know I am always looking for ways to cut time in the kitchen yet keep the flavors of my recipes authentic. Much like my popular Tandoori Chicken Curry, I’ve left out the onions that are an integral part of South Asian curries but I find that this dish is much faster without it and so much less work!
Benefits of cauliflower
Wiser and more conscientious of my eating habits, cauliflower seems more appetizing with impressive amounts of phytonutrients and antioxidants. The most surprising to me though is the amount of vitamin C in it. It is said to provide 77% of the recommended daily value in just one serving!
When consumed at least once a week it has shown a decreased risk of:
- Colorectal cancer;
- Prostrate cancer;
- Cardiovascular disease;
- H.Pylori;
- And better regulation of blood cholesterol.
Why you’ll love this cauliflower side dish
- It comes together in 20 minutes. Such a bonus on weeknights! Amirite?
- It doesn’t require the addition of onions like many Pakistani and Indian curries do. Which amplifies my point above! Plus your kitchen and clothes won’t smell of onions!
- It lends an otherwise bland vegetable rich, creamy and spicy flavor.
What you will need:
- Cauliflower – 1 large head/ About 2 pounds in weight.
- Olive oil – You can use avocado as well.
- Garlic – Minced or paste but make it homemade 😃.
- Spices – Salt, red chili powder and cumin powder.
- Cashews – Plain, pre soaked for best results (more info below).
- Garam masala or my Roasted Cumin-Coriander Masala published on my Haleem recipe post.
- Cilantro – As garnish.
How to make it
- Soak your cashews (over night preferably) on the countertop. Saute the cauliflower in oil with the garlic, salt and turmeric. Add water to the pan and cover to let the cauliflower cook. About 5-7 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, make the cashew sauce. In a food processor add the presoaked cashews, water, salt, garlic, red chili powder and cumin powder. Blend till fully incorporated and smooth.
- Pour the sauce into the pan and stir to combine. Add the garam masala and cilantro garnish and cover and simmer on low heat for an additional 2 minutes.
Some helpful tips
- Presoak your cashews – But if you don’t have the time, simply pour boiling water into a bowl with the cashews and cover for 10 minutes. Continue to use as instructed.
- Roasting the cashews – You can roast the cashews for an added depth of flavor but it is optional. I have tried it both roasted and plain and don’t find it to be a deal breaker if you don’t.
- Roasting the cauliflower– The resulting dish will be drier if you roast the cauliflower and will add to the cooking time for this dish. If you want to roast it, simply coat with salt and oil and roast in a preheated 425℉/220℃. Once roasted, add the pan with the cashew sauce.
- Using frozen cauliflower. I prefer using fresh cauliflower especially when it’s in season but you can absolutely use frozen cauliflower. Do note, however, that the frozen variety is flash frozen so will take less time to cook.
Storage
- Refrigerate – This dish will last up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Freeze – You can certainly freeze this curry for future meals. Don’t add the garnish and let the curry come to room temperature. Store in an airtight freezer friendly container for up to a month. Once ready to eat, thaw fully and reheat on stove top. Garnish and serve.
Some main dishes you can serve with Cauliflower Cashew Curry
If you try this recipe, I’d appreciate it so much if you would rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! And let me know in the comments how it worked out for you. I love hearing feedback and the recipe rating helps others find this recipe!
Cauliflower in Cashew Sauce
Equipment
- 1 saute pan
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower about 2 pounds
- 3 tablespoon olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cashew Sauce
- 1/2 cup cashews preferably soaked overnight. More in post above.
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
Garnish
- garam masala optional
- cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the cauliflower by removing the leaves and cutting into quarters. Break the quarters into bite sized florets.
- Warm the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is warm, add garlic and saute till golden brown
- Next, add the salt and turmeric powder and stir. Add the cauliflower and saute for about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water, lower the heat to medium low and let cook for about 10 minutes or till fork tender.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, make the cashew sauce. In a food processor add cashews, all the spices, water and blend till you get a sauce-like consistency.
- Once the cauliflower has turned slightly translucent, uncover the pan and raise the heat to high in order for the water to cook off, about 5 minutes
- Next, add the cashew sauce to the pan and stir to combine and coat the cauliflower.
- Cover and simmer an additional 2 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro, garam masala and serve.
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