Can I make it less spicy?

Of course. We often make recipes pretty spicy in our kitchen, especially where that’s what the traditional version would be like. In the case of our vegan cauliflower curry, you could use less chilli powder or add yoghurt to the sauce to cool it down (or both!).

Can I just use a shop bought paste?

Definitely! We have done, and it’s still tasty. We recommend the u003ca href=u0022https://amzn.to/31nuTF7u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 aria-label=u0022undefined (opens in a new tab)u0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopener nofollowu0022u003ePatak's madras pasteu003c/au003e, and it is vegan as it comes.

What other vegetables can I use?

If you don’t like cauliflower, this recipe works well with so many other vegetables. We’ve used all kinds, such as broccoli, sweet potato, peppers and courgette! Most of our recipes just mention particular vegetables as a guideline, but really they’re here as a base for you to get creative with!

Using vinegar to make the paste seems a bit odd – do I have to use malt vinegar?

Nope! Some traditional recipes use tamarind for a base level of sourness and then don’t add any vinegar, or just use a little. So, you could use tamarind paste. You could also just cut the sour flavour out if it’s not for you – you do you!

Vegan Cauliflower Curry with Madras Sauce

Description

Our vegan cauliflower curry is full of flavour and is way better than anything you'd get out of a jar! The perfect way to calm your takeaway cravings.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the madras paste:

3 cloves garlic - skin removed
2 cm piece of ginger - peeled
2 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp coriander powder
1 red chilli - topped and tailed (remove seeds if you're being cautious)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup vinegar
4 tbsp groundnut or rapeseed oil

For the vegan cauliflower curry:

1 tsp groundnut or rapeseed oil
1 tin of 400g chickpeas - drained and rinsed
200g cauliflower - chopped into florets
120g baby spinach
2 tins tomatoes (800g total)
1 tin coconut milk (400ml)
All of the paste (as above)
2 cloves garlic - chopped finely
2 onions - chopped
1 tsp cumin
Pinch of salt - to taste

Instructions

For the madras paste:

Put all the ingredients apart from 1 tbsp of the oil into a blender and whizz up until smooth. If it's a bit dry, and your blender is struggling, add a little water to loosen things up.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan, over a low-medium heat, then add the paste.
Stir the paste around the pan until oil starts to leech out of the paste.
Your kitchen should be smelling pretty rad at this point, so your paste should be good to go!

For the vegan cauliflower curry:

In a large pan, heat up the oil over a medium heat, add the paste and stir for a minute.
Once the paste is fragrant add the onions and garlic - cook until the onions have softened.
Stir in the cumin, then pour the tomatoes and coconut milk in the pan and stir well.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then immediately reduce to simmer. Add the cauliflower and chickpeas.
Simmer with the lid on for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally to make sure it's not sticking. You're looking to cook the sauce down slightly, so that it's a bit thicker, but so it's still a nice consistency for mopping up with naan bread!
Add the spinach and stir in until wilted.
Salt to taste and serve with rice.

Category: Dinner
Method: Simmer
Cuisine: Indian

Keywords: Vegan cauliflower curry with madras paste