Gobi Matar | Cauliflower and Peas Curry
Delicious gobi matar or the cauliflower and peas curry - my take on the vegan version of the popular matar paneer replacing paneer with cauliflower!
Servings: 6
Calories: 98kcal
Equipment
- Saucepan or kadai
- mixer jar or blender
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower cut into medium-sized florets (approx 365 grams)
- ½ cup peas if using frozen thaw it to room temperature
For blanching the cauliflower
- 4 cups water or more as required. Hot water is required
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp salt
To grind
- 3 to matoes chopped (approx 275 grams)
- 3 green cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 2- inch cinnamon
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- 1 green chili optional
- 2 tbsp melon seeds soaked for 30 minutes (refer notes for substitutions)
- 4 tbsp water divided
Other ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp panch phoron spice mix
- 1.5 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp jaggery optional
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
Prep-Work
- Rinse and soak the melon seeds for atleast 30 minutes
- Add the salt and turmeric powder to the hot water and mix well. Then add the cauliflower and let it sit for 15 minutes. Make sure the cauliflowers florets are fully covered with water. After 15 minutes, drain the water and set it aside.
Prepare the masala/spice paste.
- In a blender or mixer jar, add the tomatoes, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, red chili powder, cumin powder, green chili, and the soaked and drained melon seeds.
- Add 2 tbsps of water and grind it into a smooth paste.
Prepare the gobi matar curry.
- Heat a pan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the panch phoron spice mix.
- When the spice mix sizzle and splutter, add the ground paste slowly and carefully. Rinse the mixer jar/blender with 2 more tbsps of water and add that too.
- Add salt and mix well. Cover the pan partially and cook for 7 to 8 minutes over medium-low heat. Mix it in between. The ground paste splashes out; that’s why we partially cover and cook.
- Remove the lid and add the jaggery (optional) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the moisture is partially absorbed. You don’t need to cook until the ground paste becomes dry.
- Now add the cauliflower florets and peas. Add ¼ cup of water and mix well—cover and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- And then, remove the lid and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork-tender.
- At this stage, crush the dried fenugreek leaves and add them to the curry, followed by cilantro and garam masala.
- Mix well and turn off the heat. Serve warm with rice or any flatbread of your choice. I paired it with ragi roti.
Notes
- Panch phoron spice mix is optional. I love the flavor, so I went with that. You can make your own by adding an equal measure of yellow mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, and fenugreek seeds. But this is not a mandatory ingredient. You can also use 1 tsp of cumin seeds or a combination of cumin and fennel seeds.
- As always, adjust the spices and salt as per your preference. Jaggery is optional too. But it helps to balance the flavors. So do give it a try with jaggery.
- If you don’t have melon seeds, you can use 10 cashew nuts or almonds instead. If using almond, after soaking them, make sure to peel the skin.
- I did not use any onion or garlic. If you plan to use it, you can add up to 1 cup of chopped onion and 1 tbsp of chopped garlic. Saute them both before adding the ground paste.
Nutrition
Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 849mg | Potassium: 519mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 722IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg