Vegan butter cauliflower curry

Tender spiced cauliflower florets in a creamy lightly spiced tomato based curry sauce. The best cauliflower curry you'll ever taste!

Butter chicken is one of the most popular Indian takeaway dishes in the UK and for a good reason, the creamy rich sauce is to die for and really does work with anything. Butter cauliflower, butter tofu, butter chickpeas butter anything and I’m in!! Cauliflower works really well in this dish as it holds its shape really well and has lots of little crevices to catch all of the gorgeous sauce. This curry is gorgeously creamy and full of top flavours that make it the perfect indulgent weeknight meal for some real comfort food and a curry that will be loved by meat eaters and vegans alike. For me it is an absolute must to mop this up with a whole heap of fluffy naan bread. I should also mention that the flavours intensify after it sitting overnight so take the leftovers in a tupperware the next day for an amazing lunch.

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Ingredients and substitutes-

• Cauliflower- in this recipe the whole cauliflower can be used to make it low waste. Once the cauliflower leaves and stalks are coated with that amazing creamy curry sauce you’ll never notice! Make sure to cut all of the cauliflower pieces into equal sizes to make sure they cook evenly.

• Tomato passata- This is used in this recipe to ensure a smooth lump free sauce and passata also gives the sauce that beautiful deep colour. You can also cook down fresh tomatoes if you prefer, just strain through a sieve before adding the cauliflower into the sauce however the colour may be less vibrant.

• Ginger garlic paste- Using a pre mixed garlic and ginger paste is an essential for lazy Indian cooking and can also be used for many other Asian dishes also. A very handy ingredient! – I recommend this brand

• Soy cream- I tend to use Alpro single soya cream as it’s the cheapest in my local supermarket however you can use any vegan cream you like or make a cashew cream by blending soaked cashews with water in a high speed blender if you prefer an unprocessed cream.

• Vegan yoghurt- this is the base of the flavoursome marinade. I use Alpro plain soy yoghurt or Alpro Greek style (try to buy one that doesn’t have added sugar).

• Spice mix- This is a guide and the blend I recommend for this exact curry but do feel free to omit any spices you don’t have, however I promise you will love this curry so much it is worth buying the spices in the recipe.

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Top Tips!

Marinating time-

With all foods that have a spice mix I’d recommend the longest marinating time you can manage to make sure those flavours really penetrate the protein or vegetable. 24 hours would be lovely but this will still be flavoursome even if you only have a short amount of time. 30 minutes would be the bare minimum.

Spice-

This is a fairly mild curry however if you like spice feel free to add some extra chilli powder or some chilli flakes to the sauce powder spice mix.

Sauce cooking-

I tend to try and let the sauce simmer for as long as I can to make sure the flavours infuse together therefore I make the sauce before I put the cauliflower in to bake so the sauce get sufficient simmering time. For an even more flavoursome sauce you could make the sauce a day ahead.

Indian spice brands-

Spices keep forever so it is worth buying in bulk from Indian supermarkets or Indian brands online as they are cheaper and better quality than mainstream supermarket brand spices. Check the 'ingredients' section for the spices I buy.

And now for the recipe!

Vegan butter cauliflower curry recipe

​Serves- 3 Time- 50 minutes + marinating time

Ingredients-

• 1 whole cauliflower

• 1 large onion

• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

• 1 tbsp butter

• 500g tomato passata

• 125 ml soy cream

Marinade-

• 500g plain yoghurt

• 2 tsp garlic ginger paste

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp salt

Spice mix-

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp fenugreek

Method-

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients. Chop the cauliflower and place into the marinade. Cover and marinate for as long as you can (up to 24 hours).

2. Once marinated pick out the cauliflower florets and add to a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes turning them over half way. Keep the marinade aside for later.

3. Whilst that is baking the sauce can be prepared. Dice the onions and cook in the butter until translucent.

4. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 more minute. Now add the spice mix and mix until the onions are all coated.

5. Now add in a small bit of the passata and cook until bubbling. Repeat this until all the passata is gone and fill the container half way with water to get the last bits off and add that to the sauce too.

6. Put a lid on to simmer for 20 minutes.

7. Remove the lid and put the cauliflower into the sauce. Add the leftover marinade and half of the soy cream. Mix well then put the lid on and simmer for another 5 minutes.

8. Serve up and top with the remaining cream.

9. Serve with some fluffy naan and basmati rice.

FAQ-

· What if I don’t have all the spices?- The spice mix can be changed to what you have available for recipe but garlic and ginger are a must and as a bare minimum you could use a pre mixed curry powder mix.

· Can I use other vegetables?- yes feel free to experiment with what vegetables you use or even add chickpeas! Just make sure the vegetables you use get the right amount of cooking time needed so you don’t end up with any mushy or solid veggies!

Why not try these other Indian inspired recipes?

• Butter bean curry

• Indian inspired roasted cauliflower

Did you make this recipe?

Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @theplantbowls I'd love to see it!

Click here to watch the recipe video

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