Badami gobi musallam – nut butter-roasted cauliflower

Not yet rated

A decadent centrepiece, this cauliflower is drenched in a luscious almond and cashew cream sauce and then roasted whole. It’s the perfect feast for any vegetarians in your midst, and appreciated just as much by meat lovers. Blended caramelised onions add extra depth of flavour and sweetness to the dish, along with the nuts.

This recipe is taken from Masala: Indian Cooking for Modern Living (£26, Bloomsbury) by Mallika Basu.

First published in 2020
discover more:

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Equipment

  • Blender

Method

1
Pour the oil into a frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the sugar, onions and a pinch of salt, in that order. Sauté for 12–15 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from the heat
2
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
3
Transfer the onions to a blender, leaving behind 2 tablespoons for garnishing. Add the yoghurt, ginger, garlic, nut butters, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, cumin and 250ml cold water and blitz until smooth. Add salt to taste. Pour this sauce into a casserole dish that will snugly hold the whole cauliflower
4
Keeping the leaves on the cauliflower (they will char and add to the stunning appearance of the dish), slice off the bottom of the cauliflower so it sits comfortably. Use a sharp knife to stab the stalk end two or three times to help it cook
5
Place the cauliflower upside down in the casserole dish, add the cinnamon stick, loosely cover with foil and shove in the oven. After 40 minutes, take the dish out of the oven, and remove the cauliflower with two forks. Add the hot water to the bottom of the dish and stir to loosen the curry. Return the cauliflower to the casserole dish, the right way up this time, and spoon the curry over the top. Loosely cover and return to the oven for another 20 minutes, then uncover and cook for a final 20 minutes with the garam masala sprinkled over
6
Lift the cauliflower into your serving dish and pour the sauce around it, garnishing with the reserved crispy onions. You can also serve the sauce separately for pouring. Cut the cauliflower into chunks or slices at the table
First published in 2020
DISCOVER MORE:

Mallika is an Indian food writer and the author of two cookbooks (Masala: Indian Cooking for Modern Living and Miss Masala: Real Indian Cooking for Busy Living).

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.

You may also like

Load more