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This delicious Indian Cauliflower Curry is vegan, low calorie and packed full of flavor. Easy to make and mild in spice, this curry is a well balanced and healthy meal that’s perfect for the whole family. And best part is that you can get creative with the ingredients and swap based on availability.
When I was first introduced to curries, I realized it was essentially the exact same way I make my Arabic stews but with slightly different spices. Even the rice that went with the stew was pretty similar but instead of vermicelli with the rice, its cumin with the rice seeds to make Jeera rice.
This curry is a great healthy weeknight meal packed with nutrient dense ingredients like cauliflower and tomatoes; and it’s low in calories and fat. It’s a well balanced meal with fresh veggies and legumes – a protein-rich tasty meat free meal.
How to make cauliflower curry
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot. Cook the onions until they’re soft and translucent. Then add the garlic, ginger, and cilantro; and saute for a couple more minutes until they’re fragrant.
Add the cauliflower and sweet potatoes or white potatoes along with the red curry paste, curry, turmeric, coriander and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 5 more minutes until the vegetables are well coated with the curry paste and spices and the dish becomes very fragrant.
Next, add the canned tomatoes with their juices, chickpeas or peas, coconut milk along with 2 cups of water so that it covers the vegetables slightly. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it simmers.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower and potatoes are fork tender and the liquid reduces by half.
The end result is a fragrant rich curry recipe that’s sweet, savory and full tender vegetables. This may not be an authentic curry dish but it’s the way I learned to make it from my friends and it’s easy, and flavorful!
Tips to make Indian cauliflower curry
- Finely chop onions for best flavor. The finely chopped onions along with the canned diced tomatoes are crucial for creating the base sauce for this cauliflower curry. Many curry recipes will even recommend blending the onions and tomatoes in a food processor.
- Don’t be overwhelmed with the amount of spices used. When you add the spices in, it will look like it’s too much, but I assure you that you’ll need it all to bring out the best curry flavor.
- Fry the spices long enough until they become fragrant. This is essential to bringing out the best taste in all those spices you’re adding along with the red curry paste.
- Make it more spicy by adding fresh chili when you sauté the ginger, garlic and onions. You can also double up on the red curry paste if you’d like.
Frequently asked questions
What herbs and spices are used in an Indian curry?
This curry contains an herb and spice mix that is often used in Indian cuisine and it gives it a wonderful aroma and flavor. You will need:
- ginger
- cilantro
- curry powder
- turmeric
- coriander
- cumin
How long does a vegan curry last?
This curry will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an air tight container. It will also freeze well, simply defrost it in the fridge and slowly reheat on the stove top.
What variations can I make to this cauliflower curry recipe?
This curry recipe makes a great base and you can easily add in your favorite veggies, eggplant, tomatoes and peas will all work really well. You can also add chicken, fish or meat to this dish if you wish. I prefer to use full fat coconut milk in this recipe, but you can use lite.
For more similar dinner recipes:
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Cauliflower Curry recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Cauliflower Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled/finely grated
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped (plus more for garnish)
- 1 small head of cauliflower cut into florets
- 3 cups cubed sweet potatoes peeled
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon curry
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 ½ teaspoon coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- 14 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
- 14 ounces can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 14 ounces canned coconut milk full fat
- 2 cups water
- Lime slices for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot. Add the onions and cook until they're soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and cilantro; and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the cauliflower and potatoes along with the red curry paste, curry, turmeric, coriander and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 5 more minutes until the vegetables are well coated with the curry paste and dish becomes very fragrant.
- Next, add the canned tomatoes with their juices, chickpeas and coconut milk along with 2 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower and potatoes are fork tender and the sauce thickens.
- Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro and lime slices, if desired
Notes
- Instead of diced tomatoes, you can use fresh tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or just tomato paste
- Instead of canned coconut milk, you can use any type of milk or half and half.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
This was as delicious as many others have said. I did a couple of things slightly differently which might have added a little extra to the flavour. One great tip I’ve borrowed from Thai dishes is to use all the coriander including the stem. I blitzed together garlic, fresh chillies, a whole bunch of coriander (including stem), and ginger to create a paste which I added in and cooked down once the onions were translucent. I also dry fried the spices and added some cardamon pods to the spice mix. Finally I roasted the cauliflower with some of the spice mix in the oven before adding it to give it a slightly charred flavour. Thanks for the recipe and can’t wait to eat the leftovers.
Love this! Thank you for sharing your tips!
I never rate recipes but I loved this one so much I wanted to tell the world about it. Thank you for such an easy, healthy, inexpensive and filling recipe! I followed the instructions but because we like things pretty spicy I added more some Chile powder and smoked paprika. Served over basmati rice and squeeze of lime. I am imagining the leftovers tomorrow will be even better!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I really appreciate it. You’re so welcome! That’s perfect. Hope you enjoy!
Hi – I LOVE Indian food – my dad is from India. This looks amazing, however I cannot stomach sweet potatoes…..can you suggest a suitable replacement? Maybe swede (rutabaga)? Thanks!!!
Thank you! Yes, you could definitely try that. Or regular sweet potatoes!
Absolutely delicious. I added salt and a bit more cumin and coriander.
I thought it sounded like too much curry however I ended up adding
the suggested amount! I will serve this to company!!! Yum!
Thank you so much! Hope everyone enjoys!
Tried it once. Fabulous!
I’m getting ready to make it again today.
It’s wonderful to find a flavorful, low-fat recipe like this!
That’s amazing! Hope you continue to enjoy!
Made this recipe today and it was amazing my family loved it and I’ll will be making it again and again thank Yumna for the recipe 😘
That makes me so happy! You’re so welcome!
I made this last night and was disappointed. In the reviews some remarked that the dish was not very flavorful so I increased the spices and doubled the red curry paste. Even that did not make the dish “sing.” Trying to decide how to salvage that big pot of food, after all the veggies were cooked, I pulled out all the solids and set them aside, then I reduced the liquid until I could draw a spoon across the bottom leaving an open trail. Finally, I put back all the solids in the pot with the reduced sauce. That helped a lot. I wonder if it was the canned red curry paste that was the problem. I’m used to making home made curry paste but thought I would try the canned for once to see how that worked.
The other disappointing aspect of this recipe is the actual site itself. I cook using my iPad. The page kept jumping up and down, refusing to stay still. Then when I got the page to the correct part of the recipe again, the page would go blank for a few seconds. Very frustrating when in the midst of cooking. I thought perhaps I should make a file for it, copying the text and saving it but I figured I would not be making it again, not worth the effort to make a file for it.
I hate to leave such a review but the whole experience was such a disappointment and took so much time, I felt I had to say something. I’m glad others seem to enjoy this dish.
Thank you for the feedback! The red curry paste could’ve definitely made a difference. When you go to the recipe card, you can print out the recipe, so it’s easier to access while cooking.
I don’t usually rate online recipes, mainly because I find myself having to add more spices, herbs etc. Generally, the original recipes aren’t that impressive.
Enter this Curry.
Its fantastic! Perfect flavour and texture. You can swap out veggies easily, I usually just use what I have avaliable. Its become a regular appearance on Saturday Curry night (we call it the fusion curry) Goes great with Naan and rice and I ALWAYS make enough for leftovers.
Thank you so much for letting me know! Happy to hear you loved the recipe!