GOBI SABJI
GOBI SABJI IS A WELL-KNOWN INDIAN FAVOURITE. COOK THIS DELICIOUS CURRY AT HOME.
This gobi sabji recipe has to be one of my all-time favourite dishes. Deep fried, twice cooked and beautifully spiced cauliflower that is rich in taste, molten in texture, and deeply satisfying. The two keys to this dish are deep frying the cauliflower for extra flavour, and then cooking the gobi in the masala on low and slow heat for around 45 minutes. It will seem ready before this. But really it just gets better the longer you cook.
Find out the best tips to cooking cauliflower >
RECIPE DETAILS
Serves: 4
Cooking time: 40 to 60 minutes.
Dietary Style: Gluten Free. Vegetarian. See the recipe for dairy free and vegan substitutions.
INGREDIENTS
THE PREP
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
FOR THE FRYING
- 2 cups vegetable oil
FOR THE MAIN COOK
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 2 or 3 tsps fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp fine pink salt
- 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp hot ground red chilli
- 2.5 tsp cumin seed
- 1/3 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp fennel powder
- 1/3 tsp cinnamon powder
- a few shavings of jaggery
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- Veganise the dish by replacing the ghee with the same quantity of coconut oil or mustard oil.
METHOD
How to make our gobi sabji recipe.
STEP 1
Cut your head of cauliflower into florets. Not too big, but not so small they will break apart in the oil. Take a look at mine in the video for size.
In a heavy based kadai, pot, or wok heat the vegetable oil until very hot and deep fry the cauliflower in batches. You want the cauliflower to be well browned on the outside and a little softened by the oil also. Don’t be scared to leave them in there for a little bit. Drain the fried gobi on kitchen towel.
STEP 2
In a large frying, place the ghee and the rest of the spices off the heat. This will give you time to measure out, take note of what you’re doing, and just admire the beauty of the masala in the pan.
Heat the spice and ghee gently until tempered and aromatic. The ghee should be melted and the spice very fragrant. You can use your spoon to press down on the pieces of jaggery to ‘melt’ them into the ghee and then stir them through so the sweetness is even through the masala.
STEP 3
Add all the cauliflower at once and cook on a low heat so the oil that eventually leeches from the cauliflower is just bubbling. Look to the video to see how the cauliflower evolves over time in the frying pan. It’s great to get a visual on the impact time on flavour, particularly as it relates to masala. The cooking process can take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour.
LEARN MORE ABOUT
COOKING CAULIFLOWER
What’s the best way to cook cauliflower?
For me, cauliflower takes on spice best when it is pre-cooked prior to spicing. I like to deep fry my cauliflower before cooking into a sabji. If you have reservations about using so much oil, or are required to restrict categories, oven roasting before cooking is a good option.
What is gobi sabji?
Gobi sabji is a vegetarian curry made with cauliflower that is commonly made across the regions of India. Different regions will have different spice variations, but the basic method of spicing and cooking down the cauliflower in fats and masala is the same.
What are the benefits of cauliflower?
Cauliflower is high in fibre. It contains vitamins K and B6 along with folate. It can be used as a grain replacement (aka cauliflower rice), and is easily accessible. In ayurvedic terms, cauliflower is digestion friendly for pitta and kapha types, and is said to be good for the brain because of its form (much like the walnut).
What can I use to replace cauliflower?
If cooking for younger children that don’t love cauliflower, if it isn’t the right season, or if you are not a fan of cauliflower yourself, you can replace any INdian sabji recipe for cauliflower with potato and achieve a beautiful result.
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