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    Home » Gravy » Gobi Matar | Cauliflower and Peas Curry

    Gobi Matar | Cauliflower and Peas Curry

    Posted on March 19, 2021 · Last Updated on March 18, 2021 · By Srividhya G · Leave a Comment

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    gobi matar with text overlay for pinterest

    Delicious gobi matar or the cauliflower and peas curry – my take on the vegan version of the popular matar paneer replacing paneer with cauliflower! A great side for rice and flatbreads. 

    gobi matar served in a gray casserole placed on a red coaster with ragi rotis on the top

    Like potatoes, cauliflowers are very versatile and can be used for many recipes. It has fewer calories but rich in fiber and nutrients. No wonder cauliflower rice and pizza crust are popular. We love cauliflower, and I have assorted cauliflower recipes on my blog. Do check them out. 

    Jump to:
    • No onion – no garlic curry
    • Preparation time
    • Dietary specifications and serving suggestion
    • How to make gobi matar
    • Recipe Notes
    • Explore other popular Indian curries
    • 📖 Recipe

    No onion – no garlic curry

    Now coming to today’s recipe, as mentioned before, this is my vegan take on the popular Indian dish – matar paneer. Okay, I have mushroom matar on my blog, but this cauliflower and peas curry is totally different. I did not use any onion or garlic in this recipe, and also it’s nut-free, and I didn’t add any cream as well. But hey, no compromise on taste, and that’s for sure!

    The dried melon seeds, tomatoes, whole spices make this curry delicious. You can find dried melon seeds in your local Indian groceries, but you can always use almonds or cashews if you can’t source them.

    gobi matar served in a gray casserole placed on a red coaster

    Now, are you wondering why no onion and garlic? We try to avoid onion and garlic during auspicious days, festival days, and Thursday as they fall under rajasic and tamasic foods. (You can check more about the food categories on the Healthline website.)

    I have explained about this on my no-onion and no-garlic pulav post. So I always explore and make gravies without any onion and garlic. And that’s how I tried and prepared this gravy. Some popular recipes without any onion and garlic from my blog are the pulav, baingan bharta, kadamba sadam, chana masala, and qubooli biryani. 

    Preparation time

    We need to soak the melon seeds for half an hour. I always soak my cauliflower in hot water mixed with salt and turmeric, especially for curries. So consider the soaking and plan accordingly. The recipe is straightforward after that, and you can make it in less than 30 minutes. 

    top angle shot of gobi matar served in a gray casserole placed on a red coaster

    PS: I used fresh peas for the matar nimona and asparagus, broccoli, and pea soup. But for this recipe, I used frozen peas. 

    Dietary specifications and serving suggestion

    This gobi mater is a vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free dish. This curry goes well with roti, naan, and kulchas. You can also pair it with rice.

    A mini thali with ragi roti and gobi matar: 

    I served this curry along with cholar dal (Bengali-style chana dal), jeera rice, and ragi roti topped with some pickle and made it a complete filling meal. 

    simple indian thali served on a partioned plate with four dishes - dal, rice, curry and roti

    Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this gobi matar with detailed step-wise pics.

    How to make gobi matar

    Prep-Work

    • Rinse and soak the melon seeds for atleast 30 minutes
    soaking the melon seeds
    • Add the salt and turmeric powder to the hot water and mix well. Then add the cauliflower and let it sit for 15 minutes. Make sure the cauliflowers florets are fully covered with water. After 15 minutes, drain the water and set it aside. 
    blanching the cauliflower

    Prepare the masala/spice paste.

    • In a blender or mixer jar, add the tomatoes, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, red chili powder, cumin powder, green chili, and the soaked and drained melon seeds.
    adding all the ingredients to grind in the mixer jar
    • Add 2 tbsps of water and grind it into a smooth paste. 
    ground paste

    Prepare the gobi matar curry.

    • Heat a pan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the panch phoron spice mix.
    preparing the tempering
    • When the spice mix sizzle and splutter, add the ground paste slowly and carefully. Rinse the mixer jar/blender with 2 more tbsps of water and add that too. 
    adding the ground paste and salt
    • Add salt and mix well. Cover the pan partially and cook for 7 to 8 minutes over medium-low heat. Mix it in between. The ground paste splashes out; that’s why we partially cover and cook.
    cover and cook the paste
    • Remove the lid and add the jaggery (optional) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the moisture is partially absorbed. You don’t need to cook until the ground paste becomes dry.
    adding the jaggery
    • Now add the cauliflower florets and peas. Add ¼ cup of water and mix well—cover and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
    adding the cauliflower and green peas
    • And then, remove the lid and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork-tender.
    cooking cauliflower until fork tender
    • At this stage, crush the dried fenugreek leaves and add them to the curry, followed by cilantro and garam masala. Mix well and turn off the heat.
    adding herbs
    • Serve warm with rice or any flatbread of your choice. I paired it with ragi roti. 
    gobi matar served in a gray casserole placed on a red coaster with ragi rotis on the top

    Recipe Notes

    • Panch phoron spice mix is optional. I love the flavor, so I went with that. You can make your own by adding an equal measure of yellow mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, and fenugreek seeds. But this is not a mandatory ingredient. You can also use 1 tsp of cumin seeds or a combination of cumin and fennel seeds. 
    • As always, adjust the spices and salt as per your preference. Jaggery is optional too. But it helps to balance the flavors. So do give it a try with jaggery.
    • If you don’t have melon seeds, you can use 10 cashew nuts or almonds instead. If using almond, after soaking them, make sure to peel the skin.
    • I did not use any onion or garlic. If you plan to use it, you can add up to 1 cup of chopped onion and 1 tbsp of chopped garlic. Saute them both before adding the ground paste. 

    Explore other popular Indian curries

    • Instant Pot Chanya Tonak | Goan Dry Peas Curry | Tondak
    • Pav Bhaji | Instant Pot Pav Bhaji
    • Matar Nimona | Green Peas and Potato Curry
    • Methi Matar Malai | Creamy Fenugreek and Peas Curry

    PS:  If you try this matar gobi, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.

    📖 Recipe

    square image of gobi matar served in a gray casserole placed on a red coaster
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    5 from 3 votes

    Gobi Matar | Cauliflower and Peas Curry

    Delicious gobi matar or the cauliflower and peas curry – my take on the vegan version of the popular matar paneer replacing paneer with cauliflower!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Soaking Time30 mins
    Total Time1 hr 10 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 98kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Equipment

    • Saucepan or kadai
    • mixer jar or blender

    Ingredients

    • 1 cauliflower cut into medium-sized florets (approx 365 grams)
    • ½ cup peas if using frozen thaw it to room temperature

    For blanching the cauliflower

    • 4 cups water or more as required. Hot water is required
    • ½ tsp turmeric powder
    • ½ tsp salt

    To grind

    • 3 to matoes chopped (approx 275 grams)
    • 3 green cardamom
    • 3 cloves
    • 2- inch cinnamon
    • 2 tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp red chili powder
    • ½ tsp cumin powder
    • 1 green chili optional
    • 2 tbsp melon seeds soaked for 30 minutes (refer notes for substitutions)
    • 4 tbsp water divided

    Other ingredients

    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 1 tsp panch phoron spice mix
    • 1.5 tsp salt or to taste
    • 1 tsp jaggery optional
    • ½ tsp garam masala
    • 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
    • 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
    • ¼ cup water

    Instructions

    Prep-Work

    • Rinse and soak the melon seeds for atleast 30 minutes
      soaking the melon seeds
    • Add the salt and turmeric powder to the hot water and mix well. Then add the cauliflower and let it sit for 15 minutes. Make sure the cauliflowers florets are fully covered with water. After 15 minutes, drain the water and set it aside.
      blanching the cauliflower

    Prepare the masala/spice paste.

    • In a blender or mixer jar, add the tomatoes, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, red chili powder, cumin powder, green chili, and the soaked and drained melon seeds.
      adding all the ingredients to grind in the mixer jar
    • Add 2 tbsps of water and grind it into a smooth paste.
      ground paste

    Prepare the gobi matar curry.

    • Heat a pan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the panch phoron spice mix.
      preparing the tempering
    • When the spice mix sizzle and splutter, add the ground paste slowly and carefully. Rinse the mixer jar/blender with 2 more tbsps of water and add that too.
      adding the ground paste and salt
    • Add salt and mix well. Cover the pan partially and cook for 7 to 8 minutes over medium-low heat. Mix it in between. The ground paste splashes out; that’s why we partially cover and cook.
      cover and cook the paste
    • Remove the lid and add the jaggery (optional) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the moisture is partially absorbed. You don’t need to cook until the ground paste becomes dry.
      adding the jaggery
    • Now add the cauliflower florets and peas. Add ¼ cup of water and mix well—cover and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
      adding the cauliflower and green peas
    • And then, remove the lid and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork-tender.
      cooking cauliflower until fork tender
    • At this stage, crush the dried fenugreek leaves and add them to the curry, followed by cilantro and garam masala.
      adding herbs
    • Mix well and turn off the heat. Serve warm with rice or any flatbread of your choice. I paired it with ragi roti.
      prepared curry

    Notes

    • Panch phoron spice mix is optional. I love the flavor, so I went with that. You can make your own by adding an equal measure of yellow mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, and fenugreek seeds. But this is not a mandatory ingredient. You can also use 1 tsp of cumin seeds or a combination of cumin and fennel seeds. 
    • As always, adjust the spices and salt as per your preference. Jaggery is optional too. But it helps to balance the flavors. So do give it a try with jaggery.
    • If you don’t have melon seeds, you can use 10 cashew nuts or almonds instead. If using almond, after soaking them, make sure to peel the skin.
    • I did not use any onion or garlic. If you plan to use it, you can add up to 1 cup of chopped onion and 1 tbsp of chopped garlic. Saute them both before adding the ground paste. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 849mg | Potassium: 519mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 722IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
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