Gobi/Cauliflower Masala

Is it not funny that we look for the authentic taste, a sense of nostalgia, a touch of home in restaurant meals but also look for restaurant taste, richness in our home cooked food! How contradictory our thoughts can be!

How many times would we have related restaurant food to our mothers, grandmothers or even great grandmothers?

And how many times, would we have scouted the internet for restaurant style recipes of our favorite food?!?

 Of late, there are so many recipes out there in the internet claiming to be ‘authentic’ or ‘restaurant style’ for each and every dish churned out from the kitchen that I don’t really know how much of it is true. But when I came across this recipe for Cauliflower masala, I knew I had to give it a try. I was literally drooling seeing the pictures. I convinced myself that even if not restaurant style, it got to be yummy for sure but it turned out to be both – delicious and very similar to what we get in a really good restaurant!

So here is my version with very very less changes depending on the ingredients that I had available at that time.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 medium, chopped to medium sized florets.
Tomatoes -  2 medium size
Cashews - Around 10
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Bay Leaf- 1
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri methi/Dry Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Thick Yoghurt - 1 tbs
Salt
Oil
Water

Preparation:

1. Boil 3 cups of water. When it starts boiling, turn off the stove and add the chopped cauliflower florets to the hot water. Keep it covered for 20 minutes.

2. Grind tomatoes and cashews to a smooth paste.

3. Drain the cauliflowers and wipe them dry.

4. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the cauliflower florets. Saute on medium flame for about 8 to 10 minutes until the cauliflower gets some brown spots. Keep the cauliflowers aside.

Method:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan.
2. Add bay leaf and fennel seeds and fry for few seconds.
3. Add chopped onions and fry until golden brown.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the ground tomato cashew paste and give a good mix.
6. Add the other spices - turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and red chilli powder.
7. Saute and stir for about 15 minutes. You should see the oil leaving the sides of masala.
8. Add 1.5 cups of water and give it a stir.
9. Add the cauliflower florets along with required salt.
10. Stir and cover cooked for about 15 minutes or until the florets are completely cooked. Make sure to stir at regular intervals.
11. Add crushed kasuri methi and yoghurt. Give it one good stir.

Your Cauliflower masala is ready. Trust me, it is the amazing cauliflower dish I have ever had. Serve it hot with rotis