Chickpea Cauliflower Curry
Vegan, healthy 20 minutes curry with chickpeas simmered in coconut-curry broth and loaded with cauliflower.
I'm always trying new ways to bring easy and healthier weeknight meals on dinner table. A flavorful main course such as this chickpea cauliflower curry keeps dinner interesting and encourages everyone to eat at home.
Chickpea Cauliflower Curry is not just flavorful, vegan, healthy and all.... it is also my one-pan wonder. Really, start to finish, one pan and 20 minutes and this chickpea curry with veggies will fly from kitchen to dinner table.
Bonus(s)? Aroma in kitchen, wowed family and friends, and happy pocket with Indian-eatery style meal at home, to name a few.
We have one Chickpea curry in our weekday menu every-week. To keep it interesting, I make different variation of curry. A lot of which I have already shared on blog. This one is my special favorite these days. It is vegan and veggie loaded version of my recipe - Chickpea Curry with Basmati Rice.
In Northern India, the only way we eat Cauliflower is dry curry, like hash browns, crisped up with Indian spices. And it is served on side with some lentils (or a curry with gravy) and rice. Today, I thought to make a two-in-one main dish.
Actually both of these, Cauliflower and chickpea, share similar qualities when it comes to absorbing any flavor you add to them. In my humble opinion, the tang and spice go BEST with flavor of both. So these were very natural companions.
When I planned coconut based vegan chickpea curry... I decided to give it extra flavor boost with tang of tomatoes. If I'm not making a vegan curry, I use yogurt which does the double work. I mean, has tang and creaminess too. However, I really love the pronounced flavor of coconut in this curry which gets excellent balance with tomato paste.
Now confession time. In Indian cuisine, we sort of chop-up veggies, for any curry, very small. So small that these disappear in the curry. It is funny that I never realized that until some of my non-Indian friends pointed out.
Feedback was like:-
For cauliflower curry, How you guys make cauliflower disappear in the curry?
For potato curry, What is this curry? Is it potato? It looks like mashed potatoes.
LOL!
Well, if I take you to India, in my home town, and serve you curry with big pieces of cauliflower... someone will sure reprimand/ask me about my knife skills. haha. You know what, we even mash a portion of chickpeas when making chickpea curry because that mashed portion gives natural thickness to the curry. So obviously chickpeas not look so al-dente (if I may say).
So, yes I felt little uncomfortable when instead of chopping.. I cut the big florets of cauliflower for this recipe. What I was trying here to make cauliflower look like cauliflower. :) (for a change). But it actually was well received by Vishal. Not so veggie fan, my man, enjoyed the bigger chunks of cauliflower and I enjoyed the crunchy texture specially with tang of curry.
Based on this experience, I recommend trying florets of cauliflower for this recipe. Please don't overcook it.... just enough so that it has little bite.
This curry comes together very fast but I still like to do some prep-ahead sometimes. Like I separate the cauliflower florets and refrigerate/freeze them. Of curse pre-chopped or frozen cauliflower works perfectly fine too. 20-25 minutes before dinner time... on one side I leave rice on stove for boiling.
On other side, I saute cauliflower until it is crisp tender. (frozen cauliflower cooks faster than fresh). Then I saute aromatics, curry powder, spices, tomato paste, and add chickpea and cook until flavors marry and chickpea are tender to my liking. Then I add coconut milk and simmer the broth until it absorbs flavor of spices. I finish by adding cooked cauliflower and garnish with cilantro.
Curry is ready to serve! Just grab your favorite seat on dinner table and enjoy!
Just so you know, I have used very low-fat coconut milk for this curry because I wanted very low-cal lite broth. If you are serving it for a special dinner, feel free to add whole coconut milk which will make curry more creamy.
I'm happy to share that this curry is gluten free, vegan, low-fat, and loaded with cauliflower for hearty main course dinner. If you have not planned for dinner tonight?! I recommend grabbing a can of coconut milk and some cauliflower while heading home. Then just make some Chickpea Cauliflower Curry for dinner. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!
A few more easy Curry recipes from blog:
Chickpea Cauliflower Curry
(13 reviews)
Ingredients
Cauliflower Chickpea CurryDirections
- 1. Cook Rice: Cook rice according to package directions.
- 2. Cook Cauliflower: While rice cooking, in a wide skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add cauliflower florets and cook on high heat until slightly caramelized from at-least two sides. (2-3 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked but not mushy. We are looking for slightly crunchy pieces.)
- 3. Saute Aromatics: Remove cauliflower in a plate. Return pan to heat, add remaining 1 tbsp of oil with sliced onion, whole chili (if using), garlic and ginger. Saute until onions are soft. (2-3 minutes).
- 4. Saute Chickpea with Spices: Add chickpeas with spices, chili powder, and tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute. (fish out whole chili and discard)
- 5. Simmer Curry: Add vegetable stock, coconut milk with 1 tbsp lime juice, and salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until curry thickens (3-4 minutes).
- 6. Add Cooked Cauliflower: Taste and adjust salt and lime juice. Add cauliflower in the pan with chickpeas.
- 7. Garnish Curry and Serve: Serve curry over rice garnished with toasted cashews and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Savita's Notes:
- Curry Powder: Often when I don't have curry powder. I mix few basic Indian spices for an instant fix. Curry powders are different in different parts of the world. So this recipe below is not a claim as the only recipe for the curry powder. It is my kitchen's curry powder used often for curry like this one. So here is the recipe:
Mix equal part (say 1/2 tsp) of cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder. Mix well, then use as per recipe suggestion.
To make 1 tablespoon of the Curry Powder: Use 3/4 tsp of each spice. If you prefer less warm spices, use only 1/2 tsp garam masala but increase coriander powder to 1 tsp. - Use this recipe to make homemade Garam Masala.
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40 Responses
Angela Tremblay
The recipe was fantastic, I added extra of all the spices and doubled the recipe for dinner tomorrow.. roasted cashews and salt and cilantro completed it .. soooo goodHannah Jung
Ive made this a few times and loved it!Martha
This is an easy delicious recipe for a curry! Made it for the first time tonight and I, as well as my 2 year old, loved it! Thank you!Savita
Thanks for sharing your feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the curry.Nancy N
Made this on the stove top and it was a huge hit with the entire family! Im wondering if recipe could be adapted for instapot or slow cooker without changing the yummyness?Savita
Thanks for letting me know. I am glad you enjoyed. I will post the Instant Pot version soon.Donald Naccari
It occurred to me as I was preparing your suggested curry mix that if I used 3/4 teaspoons, instead of 1/2 teaspoons that I would actually have a tablespoon of the seasoning called for by the recipe. 3 teaspoons equal one tablespoon. Great recipe! Thanks!Gracie
Made this dish tonight for the first time, it is absolutely beautiful. Quick, easy and family friendly. Hubby loved it and its soft and mild enought to give to my toddler. Love your work!Savita
Thanks you so much Gracie. I loved your feedback. Such kind words make my day and help me keep pushing forward. Thanks once again. I'm glad you enjoyed chickpea curry. High five!Ram
Love all your vagitable dishes hope to see some old type ones if possible.Savita
Thanks Ram. I have made a note to add more vegetarian classic recipes. You can subscribe to CDH Newsletter for updates.Heather
Looks like a delicious delightful dishMaureen
I love cauliflower and this is such a nice blend of chilies and coconut milk l will definitely make again.Marcy
This is an amazing dish! I’ve made it twice now and can’t get enough. Thanks for the great recipe.Savita
Hi Marcy, thanks for letting me know. I’m glad you enjoyed.Cynthia Wilson
Thank you so much for such a delicious and easy recipe. Really enjoyed it!Savita
Cynthia, thanks for letting me know. I'm happy to share and glad you enjoyed!Susan W
Sorry, re spice recommendations, I meant Druera from Ceylon. Brain fog!Savita
Sounds good!Susan W
Further to my comments re the curry, I used Dru-Era, Sri Lanka Unroasted Curry Powder and also their Cinnamon; they are our favourite spices brand.Susan W
A delicious curry - mild but very tasty. Loved it! Thank you for the recipe. I didnt add the whole chilli and added some spinach, not because it needed it, but just to have an additional vegie. The recipe did not need additional seasoning; it was perfect for my taste. The cashews really made it special.Savita
Hi Susan, I'm glad you enjoyed curry. Addition of extra veggies is always a plus! Thank you for sharing your experience with us.Zeba Durrani
Love it...such a great way to showcase cauliflower and chickpeas. The toasted cashews are a nice touch.Savita
Thanks Zeba. Indeed, chickpeas and cauliflower are great together.Sereena
Does this have a strong ginger flavor, is it a part of a blended flavor?Savita
Sereena, ginger is not strong flavor here. You can add more if you prefer. I hope it helps.Vickie
This is absolutely delicious, easy and versatile. Third time making it,Deb T
Do you think this could be frozen and used a later date?Savita
Hi Deb, yes, you can freeze it and use later. I would thaw it in refrigerator or in lukewarm water as harsh heat is not good for cauliflower texture. I hope it helps.