FOOD AND TRAVEL

Friday, April 1, 2011

Gobi Butter Masala - Cauliflower { Butter Chicken Style }


Blogging world is full of weird people. I always praise of how I have met fabulous people through blogging all the time but today lets talk about the other side. Take up a chair, because this is lengthy.
My first weird encounter came when I was pretty new to blogging and no one read my blog, not even the weirdest of people. And then I get a mail. As a new bee I jumped with joy (come on don't tell me you didn't bite into your nails when you got one!). The subject line said 'saw your blog', my hopes were high. May be someone was writing in to say they like my recipes, or tried something from the blog. But no, all the writer wanted to know 'Being an Indian would you have ayurvedic home remedy for acne?'


What? Why! What have I done to deserve that. I have not even posted my high school picture for someone to guess about my close encounter with terrible acne problem. I wrote back saying "No idea"! Even though I think I had some idea but I wanted to be mean. Like really mean.To give you a more recent example: check out the third comment on my post of Fatteh Hummus  that got featured on Steamy Kitchen's TLC column.


But the good part?  The good mails! I got a few mails asking for more restaurant style Indian vegetarian recipes. You called for it - I made you a curry with butter and cream enough to beat any restaurant you love. This is certainly not for the faint hearted. Its rich, creamy and full of aromatics. While butter chicken seems to get all the attention, there are equally scrumptious and indulgent vegetarian options to make you fat and happy.


Before I head to the recipe, would you mind sharing any of your weird blogging experience if you are a blogger? I don't want to feel as if I'm the only tormented soul here. Thank you.

Gobi Butter Masala - Cauliflower { Butter Chicken Style }
Serves : 3- 4
Click here for printable recipe


Ingredients
For cauliflower
1/2 medium size head of cauliflower, split into small florets  (about 500g)
1 tsp red chilly powder (adjust to tolerance)
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

For masala
3 tbsp butter
1 red onion (large, finely cubed)
3 tomatoes (medium, red, ripe)
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp ginger garlic paste/ 2 cloves garlic with 1/2 inch cube ginger
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tbsp crushed cashew nuts/almond
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp heavy cream/thick cream
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves/kasuri methi*
1/2 cup water

1 bay leaf
1 green cardamom, cracked
1/2 black cardamom / badi elachi  (optional) **
1/2 tsp black cumin seeds ***
1 stick cinnamon (2 inch)
2 whole cloves
Salt to taste

Note

* Dried fenugreek leaves have a distinct aroma and flavor that is often used in curries as a finishing touch. If you enjoy Indian food I would highly recommend buying fenugreek leaves.

** Black cardamom called badi elachi in hindi adds a great smoky flavor, but you can easily skip it if you don't have it.

*** The regular cumin is the white cumin called jeera in hindi. Black cumin, shahi jeera/kala jeera in hindi is darker and has a sweet lemony kind of flavor. I particularly like to use black cumin in curries with nuts and cream. Substitute it with 1 tsp roasted white cumin if you don't have it.

Method

For the cauliflower, wash  and separate the cauliflower into small florets and add all the ingredients except water and butter.


Heat the butter and add the florets. Once the floret starts to brown add water and let the them cook covered for about 5-7 minutes. You just want the florets to be tender and not mushy.


For the masala, heat the butter in a wok. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom, bay leaf and black cumin.


Add  finely chopped onions and let it cook.


Once they are lightly golden, add the ginger garlic paste.


Tip in the turmeric, red chilly powder, cashew nuts, coriander powder, tomatoes and tomato paste. Let the tomatoes completely cook till they form a paste.


Add water and let it come to a boil. Switch off the gas and grind the mixture to a smooth sauce. Oh wait - you should remove that bay leaf before you grind, everything else stays.


Add back the sauce to the wok and let it come to a boil.


Add the cauliflower (along with the water) and let it cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the cream and crushed kasuri methi and cook for another 5 minutes.


Garnish with more cream and some coriander to perk it up. Serve with cumin rice, butter naan or roti.

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56 comments

  1. Niiice! A fabulous vegetarian offering and your Naan in the background is perfect for swiping-up sauce.

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  2. Wow..your pics are making me damn hungry..truly irresistible gobimasala...Love it!

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  3. Oh my goodness! First, want to say, thank you for stopping by my blog, because I got to discover YOUR blog. I heart Indian food something fierce. This recipe looks like pure perfection! Cauliflower is my favorite vegetabel and mixed with the yummy butter sauce. Holy Heck!! I'm on it. XOXO

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  4. Forgive me not spelling vegetable correctly. I was typing too fast.

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  5. Looks fantastic! I love the versatility of curries and their ability to take on whatever seasonal produce you can put in. Love the "gobi" take on butter chicken!

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  6. sounds delicious :)I like how you gave the step step direction. Beautiful clicks!

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  7. so far the blogging world is treating me just fine :) I have few weeks of no comments and very very few visits. Sunshine and smile is just 3 months old and no complain so far .. really loving it and getting addicted to it :)

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  8. The strangest thing for me is that if you had said just over a year ago when I started my blog, that I would have a new group of lovely supportive warm kind friends here in Dubai and go out for a coffee (like I did last night) with someone who I'd never met before but had a lot in common with, or plan to meet other people in London again who I'd never met...I wouldn't have believed you. It's all true. The common interest and passion about food is a great uniting force.
    The search terms people use to get to my blog is another story!
    Great topic and beautiful photographs.

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  9. There's this ANONYMOUS person running rampant online leaving nasty comments all over the place. Fortunately, only 9 people read my blog and they are all my friends, LOL.

    You have a BEAUTIFULLY-WRITTEN blog with AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHY. You bet I'll be here time and again.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Ha, I love that first example of someone asking you for acne cures! Ive never had anything quite so strange happen to me before, I guess I've been lucky. Every once in a while I get a strange comment but I think it's mainly due to a language barrier like in your second example with the grandmother. I have however heard some horror stories of people being downright vicious and insulting in the comments. I'm always shocked when I hear that, I mean why leave a comment if you are just going to be rude?

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  11. That is the funniest email ever! Now I want to see that picture of you from high school. Love the curry btw!

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  12. This creamy chicken dish looks amazing!! Oh girl, do I have some great heckler stories. Sometimes I hit delete, other times I post the ridiculous words. Just depends on my mood. Can't stand when people are hurtful, those do not get published. xo

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  13. Totally get hate or weird emails and comments every now and then. You are not alone :) that curry made up for everything ridiculous surrounding a bloggers life :D

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  14. Thank you everyone. I'm glad I'm not alone :-)

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  15. The comment on steamy kitchen is plain foolish ..about the first one..I m laughing :) I asked you the other day what your connection with such funny and fussy people..LOL.Dont worry my friend..we are all part of the same pond. I think I told you about the weird couple of mails I got.
    As I told you..This looks scrumptious.I will even have this gravy with squash for breakfast..Looks yummy!
    P.S. - Looks like you have a good bai..coz your kadhai is stainfree!! Just cudnt control myself frm pointing that :)I envy all those who have such bais.

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  16. I get some very strange comments and emails as well...I guess it comes with the territory! Two people in particular keep "tabs" on me and it makes me a bit nervous! But I guess that's what happens when we put our life out on the Internet for all to see. I prefer to think of the great people I've "met" like you!

    Great recipe..I love gobi and butter so this is right up my alley!!

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  17. Niiice! A fabulous vegetarian offering

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  18. Looks fabulous! Your pictures are a treat for the eyes.Keep rocking Kulsum

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  19. @Ameena That sounds like a stalker. Make sure one of them is not Ali though ;-)

    @Susan and Abraham and Padhu
    Thank you guys. Glad you like it

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  20. Oh that is very strange, let me tell you at-least you send few words emails, i would have never even that. My darling your pictures are touching sky and butter masala cauliflowers is fantastic!

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  21. Like I told u before, I love this idea of a vegetarian makhani. rich and sensual and the step by step really helps.

    spam comments.. some people have lot of time in hand. Most of mine goes to the spam folder, some I remove. and if you have noticed, most of their text makes no sense at all. I get more spam comments than actual comments :-)

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  22. Oh this is KILLING me! It looks so good and I am soooo hungry right now as I was busy and forgot to eat dinner. Bookmarked for dinner soon.

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  23. omg this looks so great. I wish you would give me some cooking classes if I lived near you

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  24. Wow, this looks amazing!! I am drooling over this dish. This is a must try for me. :-)

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  25. I'm here Kulsum! hehe, just have been busy with life.. Glad you're speaking honestly about the blogging world and all us weirdos ;) I've gotten the snarky comment before, some ppl aren't so nice. And yes some ppl are kinda weird but I can't tell if it's spam sometimes! I love this recipe. I am not faint hearted so this is right up my alley

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  26. I think we all may get weird e-mails which I personally just delete. But I do occasionally get a good laugh out of it. Have gotten rude comments on articles on Huffington Post, but those usually are not people who visit food blogs but are there for political reasons and just like being mean. On the good side, I LOVE this rich, flavorful cauliflower curry! Delicious! Thanks for the step-by-step pics which always help!

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  27. Beautiful dish! I love the step by step pictures. I haven't had any really weird experiences yet, but I'm still fairly new :D

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  28. This one is really tempting. Would definitely give it a try post navratras

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  29. OMG so glad i found your blog, I'm gonna try gobi butter, I always try to think of recipes to make cauliflower, and this is of course a wonderful recipe. Congrad's on top 9!

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  30. wow ....Tempting.... your presentation is fabulous....

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  31. My kids would LOVE this! I may have to bite the bullet and invest in all the spices listed that I've never heard let alone have them in my spice cupboards. :)

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  32. kulsum, my first time here... love the creamy gobhi... and happy to have aother way to make this. and fortunately for me ive had only happy bloggy experiences :)

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  33. I am so sorry that this happened to you. It is one of the things I fear about being open with stories about my family. I do try not to mention more than the city that I live in order to protect my kids. I did notice that I have a few "interesting" followers on Twitter. Twitter confuses me and I haven't got the hang of it yet. Again, I am so sorry that our world is so stricken with intolerance.

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  34. Hi Kulsum! I love vegetables as they are ever so pleasant and healthy. Gobi butter masala sounds like a beautiful tasting dish. Will be trying it out soon...

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  35. This looks delicious! thanks for the gorgeous curry recipe!
    You are not alone with the bazaar comments. I will never understand the levels of judgemental that people will go to- but that is part of the journey I suppose. I always delete the few wacko comments I have had- no bad juju on the blog!

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  36. Seriously, we do we dwell on the negative comments when we get far more positive ones! I have gotten a weird comment here and there, DELETE and FORGET ABOUT IT! That's my new mantra : )

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  37. I'm doing research into so called "food hoarding" for a tv show and
    would love to hear from people who think they overstock, over shop or
    stockpile food.

    Please contact me on carly@alroker.com

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  38. I made this dish 3 times. The first time I did it just the way u mentioned only with gobi but my husband likes potatoes along with gobi so added it with peas too. Very nice recipe we all liked it.

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  39. @anonymous I'm so glad you tried and enjoyed the recipe. And potatoes makes everything right don't they :-) Thank you for your feedback!

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  40. We LOVE!! Indian food! I am so glad to have found your blog! And it all looks so good!

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  41. Hi Kulsum,

    Tried this today and it was indeed very tasty.. I added 1/2 tsp of kitchen king masala in addition to the mentioned ingredients :) Thanks for the awesome blog! I am planning on trying your egg curry next :)

    Preethi

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  42. @Preethi

    Hey there :-) I'm so glad you tried and enjoyed the recipe with your own spin. Thank you for your feedback. Do let me know how the egg curry goes.

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  43. i did it yesterday (- ) cream and it was really good
    i enjoyed it so much
    i will post the picture in my blog soon
    thank you

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  44. @bent el deera

    So glad you made and enjoyed it. Looking forward to your blog post!

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  45. Hi I'm from India & your recipe is good!I make it with paneer cottage cheese cubes & it goes extremely well with those crept garlic naans.Enjoy! Sonia

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  46. Your blog is wonderful Kulsum! Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes and pictures. I have tried a few of your recipes with great success. Especially I loved your simple explanation for deep fried red onions and made these with the best result ever. This gobi recipe will make a delicious warm winter dinner. xx

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  47. Your gobi recipe sounds so tasty. I will try it next time I have cauliflower in the house! Thank you for sharing. I have recently discovered ginger garlic paste and find it very useful in my indian cooking. In a pinch it is a great thing to have. Bonnie Deahl

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  48. I made this yesterday, it came out real good. only thing was it was a bit sour so i added little sugar to make it good. thank you for the wonderful reciepe.

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  49. Kulsum,

    This was amazing! The curry came out so well and absolutely perfect. I added this on my blog and I've linked it to your recipe. Thanks for this delicious gift :)

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  50. Just wanted to say how awesome this recipe is. I've been looking for the perfect 'butter chicken' recipe that matches what I get at our local Indian place. This is so it. I've made it countless times since I found this recipe and it is always a hit. So thank you so much!

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  51. Not sure if you've seen this one, but I came across this blog that seems to have blatantly plagiarized your recipe. I got this result when I searched for "butter gobhi" on Google.

    http://world-food-diary.blogspot.com/2011/04/gobi-butter-masala-cauliflower-butter.html

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  52. I'm a blogger and I'm exactly the same way about mails and comments don't worry! I spend hours every day going through blogs and reading and commenting and get so excited about finding new people to talk to in the blogosphere! Came here for some indian food though - and I wasn't disappointed! Going to make this tonight. Yum.

    Danika Maia
    www.danikamaia.com

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  53. Loved this recipe, so yummy! My only disappointment was in following the recipe. Since the instructions are separated from the ingredient list, I had to keep scrolling back up to see how much of each item to put in. Doubled my time in preparing the recipe.

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  54. Just made this for lunch today. Amazing flavor and of course my house now smells heavenly! This is a must keep. Thank you so much for making my rainy day better!

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