I went through a phase as a teenager where I was obsessed with everything related to India. From requesting trips to Devon Avenue in Chicago to making my dad watch Lagaan with me (an epic Bollywood musical/drama/comedy/sports film about cricket that is almost 4 hours long…), I was utterly fascinated with the country. I still am to this day – though I haven’t subjected anyone to watching Lagaan with me in quite a while – and Indian cuisine is my absolute favorite food. Luckily it’s my husband’s favorite food too, so we eat it all the time.
Up until a couple of years ago, I viewed Indian food as something I could only get in a restaurant, believing I could never do it justice myself. But I’ve slowly started to experiment more with it, gaining confidence along the way and learning how to create my own Indian recipes from scratch. Once you realize the basics of Indian cooking and build up your collection of Indian spices, it doesn’t have to be daunting at all. If you’re new to Indian cooking, here are a few pointers:
- The base: the basis of so many Indian dishes is some sauteed onion, garlic and fresh ginger. It adds an incredible flavor to your dish, so you won’t want to skip any of these ingredients.
- The spices: don’t feel overwhelmed by the array of Indian spices out there – start with the basics. The spices I use in this recipe are all easily found in a variety of grocery stores (curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne). Others that I enjoy using include garam masala (a spice blend), ground coriander, and English mustard powder.
- The heat level: start with a little bit of heat (in the case of my recipe, cayenne pepper) and slowly add from there. A little goes a long way! There’s a misconception that all Indian food is extremely spicy, but many of my favorite Indian dishes are actually quite mild.
This dish – the easiest vegetarian curry, in my humble opinion – has been on an almost weekly rotation in my kitchen this winter. It ticks all of the boxes that I consider important for a weeknight meal: it comes together in about 30 minutes; a large portion of it is based on pantry/freezer staples that I usually have on hand; it’s got three servings of vegetables and plenty of protein; and the leftovers taste just as good. With cauliflower, peas, chopped tomatoes and chickpeas, this is a healthy and flavorful meal that keeps things interesting for a weeknight dinner without sacrificing too much time in the kitchen. It’s got a stew-like consistency that pairs wonderfully with either naan or rice, and it makes a nourishing, filling meal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion or two shallots, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1.5 teaspoons curry powder (I use Penzey's Sweet Curry)
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon cayenne, depending on how hot you want the dish to be
- 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- cilantro to garnish
- toasted cashews or almonds to garnish
- In a large pan, sautee the onion or shallot in the oil over medium heat. Once translucent (about five minutes), add the garlic and ginger. Cook for one more minute.
- Add the cauliflower florets plus two tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let the cauliflower steam for 8-10 minutes, or until it is tender.
- Add the spices and salt, stirring to coat the cauliflower; then add the tomatoes, chickpeas and peas, and increase the heat to medium. Cook for five more minutes.
- Add additional salt to taste and garnish with cilantro and cashews or almonds. Serve with naan or rice.
Notes: I can’t recommend this Penzey’s Sweet Curry highly enough. I go though it constantly!
We love your recipes and I can’t wait to try this one! Cauliflower is a favorite in our kitchen. Thanks Julia!!
Thanks for visiting, Mrs. K! I hope you enjoy this recipe – you should try it with the Penzey’s Sweet Curry 🙂
It’s a miracle that the Indian Dinner Debacle didn’t put you off Indian cuisine forever, Julia. If only you had been a little bit older than 12 or 13, you could have brought a calming presence to my kitchen and helped me to prepare that dinner without using every single pot and pan that I owned! Your simple curry recipe was exactly what I needed! I can’t wait to try it.
The Indian Dinner Debacle was an important lesson for all of us, but it by no means scared me off Indian food! I hope that you enjoy this one – it’s very easy to tweak depending on your tastes (for those who dislike poor little peas!).
That looks delicious! When I moved into my first apartment, my dad gifted me a lot of Indian spices, and I eventually came to similar realizations that Indian food isn’t as intimidating once you have the spices. Adam and I have a copy of a Julie Sahni cookbook that is falling apart with too much Indian food love. =)
Thanks for visiting, Amanda! I’m glad you agree about the spices – now I just wish I had more room in my pantry so I could expand my collection! I’ve never heard of Julie Sahni before, but I’m going to check out her books right now 🙂
I’m not a vegetarian, but I think Steve and I would both like this dish. Thanks, Julia. Love you.
Thanks for visiting, Aunt Toni! I hope you like the dish. Love you too!
I laughed (literally, OL) at your comment about Lagaan. It was way less of a hardship than a Bollywood movie featuring cricket would seem. Now, as for this dish, you could hardly have made anything that would tempt me more. It’s still a little chilly here in Chicago so the hearty stew-like quality is certainly appealing. It’s a great *looking* meal, too. And that spice combination makes my mouth water just thinking about it. BTW, I have it on good authority that more Penzey’s Sweet Curry is headed your way in case you’re running low.
I’m glad I got an LOL from the Lagaan reference! Maybe you and Mom can do a Tiffin + Lagaan dinner and a movie date once you move into the city 🙂 I’m so glad I have more Sweet Curry now – it really elevates this dish!
I’m imagining how well this beautiful curry blend would absorb into the cauliflower and permeate this dish — and what is it about peas and curry — truly a match made in heaven! Love your practical and down-to-earth approach to Indian cuisine; sometimes we worry too much about getting it right and become immobilized. It’s freeing to just keep it simple and make it work in our own way as you have done so well here Julia. The goodness of this dish really shines through and I would enjoy this beauty any time of year. Lagaan is almost 4 hours long? Love it — special father/daughter bonding time 🙂 thank you for sharing that story… I’m always drawn to the personal tidbits; ultimately it’s our stories that connect us and allow us to learn about each other ❤️.
You’re right, Kelly – there is definitely something special about peas + curry. And I love the way you describe how the cauliflower absorbs the spices. I had never thought of it that way, but you’re absolutely correct! Indians know a thing or two about spice and veg combinations, don’t they! I’m so glad you like the personal little tidbits I mention in my posts 🙂 We associate foods with special memories, so it feels natural to bring them up from time to time. Your personal stories are one of the reasons I love reading your blog!
Bravo Julia! Your tips are fabulous and have given me collective nudge to forge ahead in the Indian cooking department! I’ve been learning for the past year about Indian food and have been slowly incorporating new spices into my spice cabinet! Surprisingly Indian dishes start very similar to Thai! I love that because Ginger and Garlic are magic together! What a fabulous recipe to have on rotation, so comforting and cozy. And cauliflower is divine. Thank you for this my dear! Just gorgeous!
Aww, thanks Traci! I’m happy to give you some inspiration in the Indian food department 🙂 With your expertise in creative flavor combinations, I have no doubt you could whip up some amazing Indian recipes! And yes, ginger + garlic is such an amazing start to a dish…you really can’t go wrong!
Ooh this looks like it would 100% fit into my kitchen. 😉 There’s something about cauliflower and peas that I really love in a curry. And I love that you top with roasted cashews too. Cooking Indian food once felt intimidating for me too but in reality it couldn’t be farther from the truth. So thanks for making curry feel doable and accessible for all of us.
I’m glad you like the added cashews, Katie! I’m so addicted to cashews that I throw them onto everything these days. I love the sweetness of them combined with the spices and peas in this curry. And that’s so funny you mention that this could fit in your kitchen – every time I go to your blog, I think the same exact thing 🙂
This looks just the right kind of meal to prepare double of (at least) and eat during the week in different guises. Those flavours will just get better and better! This cuisine is one of our favourites, and I like to keep various homemade masala pastes stashed in the freezer for a quick Indian food fix.
Oh yes, I love making a big batch of this for the week! I’m addicted to naan and often have it that way, but it could definitely be served up alongside a variety of grains. And what a genius idea to make homemade masala pastes – do you have a recipe or tutorial for that on your blog? I would absolutely love to try that out!
As I’m sure you know, curry is one of our staples too! I’m going to give this one a try next week. Thanks Julia!
I love the combination of the cauliflower and curry. I also love Penzy’s curry- their spices are so good, I can spend hours just walking around smelling all the different spices!
Hi, I included this recipe in my roundup of 10 Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes.
https://www.happierwithtea.com/easy-vegan-dinner-recipes/
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Freya