I love Tandoori – especially vegetables. In this recipe you’ll learn how to take the Tandoori Masala I posted earlier and actually use it to make a traditional Indian marinade that can be put on anything. In this case, I used cauliflower.

I wanted to do something dramatic, like some other food bloggers out there, and cook up a whole head of cauliflower with the tandoori paste and bake it in the oven. But, honestly, I just could not do that to you all. It came out very dry with just a layer of marinade crusted on the outer layer.

I think the problem is two-fold. One, cauliflower is not a porous vegetable. So, none of the marinade is actually seeping in. And, I don’t have a commercial Tandoor. Meaning my oven at a mere 400 degrees F is nothing compared to a restaurant’s 900 degrees. It just didn’t taste good enough for me to put the Indian As Apple Pie name on it, nor to make it to my next book.

But, what I will share with you is my recipe for the cauliflower first diced, then marinated, and then baked. This came out delicious and a recipe that I can put my name on! I hope you’ll try it soon!

Baked Tandoori Cauliflower 

½ cup plain yogurt (fat, non-fat, low-fat)*
1 tablespoon tandoori masala
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated, 2 tablespoons
½ lemon or lime, juiced
1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut in bite-sized pieces (6 cups)
1/2 lemon or lime
1 small yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
1 – 3 Thai, Serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Mix yogurt, tandoori masala, salt, ginger, and lemon or lime juice in a large mixing bowl. I use a whisk to really blend everything together.

2. Carefully fold in cauliflower florets. Mix carefully so all of the pieces are coated. (Remember, you can use anything from tofu to tempeh to paneer to chicken, but the cooking times may vary. You can also cook it up on a grill – perfect for summer.)

3. Put bowl in the refrigerator and marinate ideally overnight or at least 2 hours.

4. When you are ready to cook, adjust your oven rack to the highest position and pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Arrange the marinated cauliflower in a single layer on a baking tray. (I oil the tray lightly first.) Bake for a total of 30 minutes, turning in between at least once to be sure the pieces are lightly browned on all sides.

6. Once cooked, place the cauliflower in a bowl or tray. Squeeze lemon or lime over it; smother it in onions, chiles, and cilantro. If you want to add a little more punch, sprinkle a bit of the tandoori masala over it just before serving. This is best enjoyed with thick Indian bread like naan and a side of mint chutney.

Vegan-ize it! Substitute plain soy or coconut yogurt for the regular yogurt.

* Many folks ask me if they can substitute Greek yogurt. I recommend not doing that. The yogurt has to have some moisture in order to seep into your main ingredient. I found using Greek yogurt that the marinade would just sit on top and not really create the taste profile I was looking to create. For those using homemade yogurt, note that it can be very watery. This can pose a problem as well. Just drain off that water a bit before using the yogurt. 

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The one thing I always say about Indian cuisine is that it’s one of the only that takes vegetables – like this cauliflower – and places them center stage without ever skipping a beat. Growing up, I rarely ate meat. At home, it was typically Vegetarian Indian at every meal. When we protested, my mother would either make spaghetti spiked with cumin seeds or my father would take us to the Burger King a little north on Route 202 in our town of King of Prussia, PA. It took me years to realize that I would eat the whopper junior, but it was the fries that I really wanted. Meat just didn’t really do it for me.

It wasn’t an earth-shattering revelation as happens in other homes outside of the Indian community because with a vegetarian mother and Hindu culture that places the emphasis on rice, beans, and curried vegetables, it all seemed natural. And it still does.

In our home now, even though my husband does eat meat, when I make vegetarian and/or vegan, everyone still absolutely loves it. No one protests because Indians know how to spice and prep vegetables to the point that they will just sing on your plate.

Gobi Mussallam is one such dish that is dressed to impress. Make it for your next dinner party, and I guarantee that you will be the talk of the town for weeks. It’s at once simple and impressive at the same time – my kind of dish. Mussallam means whole and it implies that your cauliflower is prepped and cooked intact. You first steam or boil it and then let bake the curried sauce in even more by putting the whole thing in the oven – a typical Mughlai-style of cooking, perfected in the Imperial kitchens of the Mughal empire.

This style of cooking – taking the flavors to another level by baking – is a style that emerged from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where a style of cooking called Awadhi took hold in the capital city of Lucknow. The cuisine in this area is what gave birth to the dum style of cooking – basically cooking for long hours over a low flame. (Sound familiar? The modern-day slow cooker works the same way…i.e. my first book, The Indian Slow Cooker!)

Gobi Mussallam

¼ cup raw cashews|
¼ cup golden raisins
1 medium yellow or red onion, roughly chopped (1 cup)
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
10 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons oil (I use grapeseed)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
4 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed
2 black cardamom pods
2 tablespoons butter
4 medium tomatoes, diced (2 cups)
2 cups water (preferably boiled), divided
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon red chile pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 small Thai, Serrano, or cayenne chile, stem removed and finely sliced (1/2 teaspoon)
¼ cup cream
1 large head of cauliflower (about 6 inches in diameter), keep the bottom base of greens and stalk intact
10 black peppercorn, crushed
5 whole cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
5 large bay leaves
14 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced

1. Place cashews and raisins in separate bowls and immerse in hot, boiling water to soak as you prep your remaining ingredients.

2. Position your baking rack on the second-from-top position, and pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. In a food processor grind onion, ginger, and garlic. You’ll have a heaping 2/3 cup of the watery paste.

4. Heat oil in a 4-quart sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add cumin and green and black cardamom pods. Heat until the seeds pop, about 40 seconds.

5. Very, very carefully add the onion-ginger-garlic paste. Keep a lid handy in case the mixture pops out of the pan. Cook until the mixture browns, about 3 minutes. Be sure to mix it occasionally so that it does not stick to the pan.

6. Add butter and cook another minute, mixing.

7. Add tomatoes and cook about 2 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Add 1 cup of boiling water and continue to cook another minute. Of course you can use water that is room temperature, but that will bring the cooking temperature down. I love my electric kettle and keep it close when adding water to curries.

8. Add drained cashews, garam masala, coriander, salt, red chile, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer about 7 minutes until the tomatoes completely break down and the mixture comes together. If the mixture thickens too much, add a tiny bit of water. Be careful not to add too much, as the sauce will become too watery later when you bake it.

9. Take out black cardamom pods and the skin of the green if possible. No problem if you can’t find all of the green cardamom skin, as it will get blended down and just add flavor to your dish.

10. Transfer the mixture to a blender or Vita-Mix and blend until completely smooth. I always use a little water to clean out the bottom of the blender and get every last bit of the curry.

11. Return the sauce to your pan, add drained raisins, green chiles, and cream. Heat through. Set aside until you cook the cauliflower.

12. Place cauliflower upside down (stalk facing up) in a 10-quart stockpot. Add turmeric, salt, bay leaves, peppercorn, cloves, and 14 cups water. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer 10 – 12 minutes. I like my cauliflower al dente. If you want it softer, by all means, cook it a little longer. By turning the cauliflower upside down the edible parts all get cooked perfectly. Test your cauliflower’s softness with a fork before removing. Alternatively, you can also steam your cauliflower.

13. Carefully remove cauliflower from pot. Drain it, and place it in a 2-quart ovenproof dish. The key is to put it in a dish just big enough to hold it. If the dish is too large, then your topping will eventually dry out after baking. I like the turmeric soaked in, but if you really want the cauliflower to stay white, omit the turmeric and add a little milk to the boiling water. 

14. Take your sauce and carefully pour all but one cup over your cauliflower. Be sure to coat the entire vegetable. Bake in oven for 15 minutes until all the flavors have a chance to soak into the cauliflower. Pull it out, scoop the sauce from the sides, put it over your cauliflower, and cook another 5 minutes.

15. Take your dish out, pour the remaining cup of the sauce (heat first if you need to) over the dish to spruce it up a bit, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve immediately. I like to place the whole cauliflower on a platter surrounded by basmati rice so that everyone can easily serve herself and make a meal out of it. You can also serve with roti or naan and cut it into wedges.

Tools: You’ll need a 4-quart sauté pan, blender or Vita Mix, and a 2-quart ovenproof dish.

Vegan-ize it! Replace butter with Earth Balance spread and the cream with coconut milk creamer. You can also leave the cream out entirely, as your cashews will give you enough creaminess.

Serves 4 – 6

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Palak in Hindi means spinach. But, I guarantee Palak Paneer the way it is traditionally made in North Indian households will blow your perceptions of spinach. Here, I show you how to make it the way Indian restaurants would with the creams and ghee, but also give you ideas on how to lighten it up – the way we make it at home – and Vegan-ize it!

Keep in mind, that some folks refer to this pureed and spiced spinach dish as Saag, but to a typical Punjabi from the villages of the state (like my family) saag refers only to pureed and delicately cooked mustard greens fresh from nearby fields and eaten with makhi ki roti (cornmeal rotis). That’s a recipe for a future blog post – promise!

This is a sneak peak into the recipe from my upcoming Book 3….! Keep in mind, it’s very similar to the recipe from page 175 in Vegan Indian Cooking, with a few minor tweaks. If you love paneer (homemade cheese) and don’t know if you want to sub baked tofu..please try it. My husband – who has typical Punjabi tastes – actually couldn’t even tell the difference. The key to using tofu in Indian dishes, though, is to bake or pan fry it to give it a  better consistency.

Palak Paneer

 2 tablespoons ghee or oil (I use grapeseed)
½ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 large yellow or red onion, roughly chopped (2 cups)
1 pinch of coarse sea salt
3-inch piece ginger, peeled and diced small (1/4 cup)
10 cloves garlic, peeled and diced (1/4 cup)
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne
2 large tomatoes, roughly diced (2 cups)
1 cup water, divided
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
1 heaping tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves, crushed slightly in one hand to release flavor (optional) *
2-5 green Thai, Serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed and chopped
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
12 packed cups fresh spinach, washed
½ – 1 cup cream, cashew cream, soy/almond milk, or coconut milk
2 heaping cups diced paneer or baked tofu **

1. Heat ghee or oil over medium-high heat.

2. Add asafetida, cumin and turmeric. Cook 40 seconds until the seeds turn reddish brown. Mix to coat seeds with oil and avoid burning and sticking.

3. Add onion and pinch of salt. Cook and mix until the onion browns slightly, about 3 minutes.

4. Add ginger and garlic. Cook another minute.

5. Add garam masala, coriander, and red chile. Cook another 40 seconds. Be careful not to burn the spices.

6. Add tomatoes and ½ cup water. Cook 2 minutes.

7. Add tomato paste, ½ cup water, fenugreek, green chiles, and salt. Cook until blended, about 3 minutes. Mixing occasionally.

8. Slowly add spinach, mixing until you have it all in the pan. Cook uncovered until the spinach cooks down, about 8 minutes.

9. Turn heat off, let the mixture cool a few minutes and then blend down. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a food processor or blender, and pulse until all ingredients break down and blend together. Here, use your own judgment. If you like it smooth, process it more. If you like texture, just pulse it a bit. Don’t blend it down at all if you really like texture. ***

10. Transfer back to you pan and simmer on medium heat another 5 – 6 minutes until all the ingredients, including the spices pull together.

11. Add cream and paneer or tofu. Cook through and serve immediately with basmati rice, roti, or naan.

 Tools: 6-quart sauté pan and immersion or regular blender.

Note: If using canned tomatoes, cut the water down by half.

Makes 4 – 5 cups before adding paneer

*Thus far, I’ve only found dried Fenugreek Leaves in Indian grocery stores. Traditionally they are called Kasoori Methi. Leave them out if you can’t find them!

**Baked Tofu. This recipe is in Vegan Indian Cooking on page 68. Take one 14-oz. package of firm or extra firm tofu, and slice into 1/2-inch thick strips. Lightly spray a baking sheet. Lay strips on it and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, flipping once in between. You can also season the tofu with salt and garam masala before baking.

***My husband and I CANNOT stand eating this dish with too much texture. It’s just the way we’ve been raised. You may love it just cooked through. If so, you might want to chop the fresh spinach before cooking it.