Indian Cauliflower Steaks
Cauliflower is an underrated vegetable in my opinion. It is incredibly versatile and roasting is my favourite way of preparing cauliflower giving it a soft middle and slightly caramelised edges.
The sauce we’re putting these with for this recipe is the Indian takeaway classic butter chicken style sauce or makahni sauce. Making a homemade sauce is much better than shop bought and surprisingly only takes a few store cupboard ingredients.
Combining these roasted cauliflower steaks with a 'butter chicken' sauce creates a satisfying, flavorsome side dish that could also be the main event. This dish will be showstopper at a dinner party, people wont believe how something so easy to make tastes so delicious. So invite your friends for an Indian inspired feast and get cooking!
Curry cauliflower steaks ingredients and substitutes-
- Cauliflower- In order to get good sized steaks try and get hold of the biggest cauliflower you can. If you can only find the small ones this recipe can be used on florets too. I use all of the cauliflower in this dish- leaves and all. Once all pieces are marinated and baked even the leaves taste great!
- Pasatta- I like a smooth sauce however you can also use chopped tomatoes if you don’t mind a chunkier sauce. You could also use tinned tomatoes and blend the sauce before serving. As always fresh tomatoes can be used but the sauce will not be as rich and dark in colour, I’d recommend adding a tablespoon of tomato puree if using fresh tomatoes to give that richness.
- Cashew nuts- I prefer to use a cashew cream in my curries as it is less processed. I make this but soaking raw cashew nuts in boiling water and blending until a cream consistency is reached. However you may just use your favourite soy or oat cream if that’s what you prefer.
- Soy yoghurt- In Indian cooking meat is generally marinated in yoghurt to help tenderise it however I think the flavour is better when marinating non meat options such as tofu and cauliflower. Of course this is optional but if you are omitting yoghurt I recommend mixing the dry spices with oil instead and brushing that on to the cauliflower steaks to help keep them moist. You can also use any other type of non dairy yoghurt if that’s what you have or if you are soy free.
- Garlic ginger paste- I find garlic and ginger paste easier to use however you can use fresh just use one clove of garlic and one finger tip sized piece of ginger and mince as small as you can.
- Vegan butter- Butter curry is very indulgent and traditionally contains a lot of fat through cream and butter. Sometimes I add butter to give a luxury feel however this is totally optional, the curry will still taste amazing.
- Fenugreek- Fenugreek is a spice I swear by. A few years ago I didn’t use fenugreek in my cooking as it can be hard to find in some smaller shops however once I started using it I wouldn’t go back as it really makes the curry flavour that my curries years ago were lacking so if you can find it I recommend to buy it and you’ll taste the difference.
Cooking cauliflower steaks
The secret to a perfectly cooked cauliflower steak is to ensure you cut them to an even thickness, then roast low and slow to ensure the hardest part is cooked until soft. Flip the steaks half way to ensure they brown on both sides.
FAQ-
- Can I make this ahead?- The butter sauce is always best made a day or two before to really let those flavours marinate but I’d recommend baking the cauliflower fresh on the day to make sure it doesn’t go soggy.
- What can I serve these with?- I would serve them with rice or naan bread and cut them into triangle slices to serve on individual plates, making sure you get enough of that lovely sauce on each plate. You could also serve up with some Indian style tofu skewers or my Tofu saag.
Roasted cauliflower steaks with makhani sauce
Roasted cauliflower steaks on an Indian style butter curry sauce drizzled with cashew cream
Ingredients
- 1 Cauliflower Large
- 500 g Passata
- 50 g Cashew nuts
For the marinade
- 250 g Soy yoghurt Unsweetened
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Garlic ginger paste
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder
For the sauce
- 1 Onion Diced
- 1 tbsp Garlic ginger paste
- 1 tbsp Vegan butter
- 1 tsp Brown sugar
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Fenugreek powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into 1 inch thick steaks, line a large baking sheet and add the cauliflower onto the sheet evenly spaced out.
- Add the yoghurt, ginger and garlic, coriander, garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and lemon juice to a bowl and mix well.
- Brush the yogurt marinade onto the cauliflower steaks and pieces making sure to get in all the cracks and flipping over to coat both sides.
- Pop into the fridge to marinate for your desired amount of time (at least an hour).
- Once the marinating time is up put the cauliflower in the oven at 180C for 40 minutes or until the thickest part of the cauliflower is cooked until soft.
- Whilst the cauliflower is baking get started on the sauce. Add the olive oil to a pan and fry the diced onion until soft.
- Add in one tablespoon of garlic and ginger paste and fry for a minute. Next add in the dry spice powders and sugar. Stir well to make sure the onions are coated.
- Now add in the passata or chopped tomatoes and bring to up to heat. Pop the lid on and put on a simmer stirring frequently, make sure to add water as you go if the sauce gets a little too thick. Melt in a knob of butter just before serving.
- Once the cauliflower is cooked to perfection grab yourself a serving plate and spread the sauce along the plate and gently place your cauliflower on top.
- Top with some more cream and fresh parsley and enjoy!
Notes
Excess cauliflower- you are only likely to get 2 thick steaks out of a large cauliflower however don’t waste the other bits and the leaves you can marinate them all and bake with the steaks.
Marinating- Â The cauliflower should be marinated for at least one hour or up to 24 hours for maximum flavour.
If you liked this recipe be sure to check out some of my other recipes!
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