Gobhi Musallam / Roasted Whole Cauliflower Recipe

Gobhi Musallam is a delectable roasted cauliflower delicacy from North India. "Musallam" translates to whole and gobhi musallam is ideally prepared by lightly blanching the small whole cauliflower head and then coating it with rich creamy makhani gravy and finally roasting it until done. Gobhi Musallam is a very appealing and scrumptious dish that serves a perfect centrepiece for any festive occasion. It can be paired with any paratha, roti or even with steamed rice. Here, i have shared a gluten free and vegan version with detailed recipe of making gobhi musallam in the oven as well as on stove top.

Gobhi Musallam is a delightful vegetarian dish inspired from the Mughalai Cuisine. Murg Musallam is another Mughalai delicacy,  non-vegetarian dish in which whole chicken, marinated in flavorful Indian spices is stuffed with boiled eggs and cooked in a onion based dish. The word Musallam in Urdu language translated to whole. Here, in case of Gobhi Musallam, whole cauliflower head is first blanched and then drenched in delicious and creamy makhani gravy and then roasted until you get a well cooked yet firm gobhi musallam which is both eye appealing and delish. I agree, making Gobhi Musallam is a bit time consuming , but believe me the end results are worth the time and efforts. I have shown both the oven and stove top method of making it. However, i personally prefer the oven roasted gobhi musallam as it gets a gorgeous red color from roasting and you are spared of the efforts of stirring the makhani gravy coated cauliflower head in the gas top method.

Points to consider while making Gobhi Musallam

• Select a worm free and clean whole cauliflower head that is small to medium in size. Look for a fresh cauliflower , white in colour without any black spots on the florets and with green leaves and stem. 
• The whole cauliflower is lightly blanched in turmeric salt water. Make sure you do not over cook the cauliflower head at this stage or else the florets will fall apart in the further step of roasting and will make the final dish mushy and not up to the mark.
• Gobhi Musallam should be well cooked yet should retain its shape and you should be able to slice it. 

Go For Gobhi @ Foodie Monday Blog Hop

It is Monday today, and we members of our Gourmet Facebook group, Foodie Monday Blog have come up with yet another interesting theme for this week. "Go for Gobhi" is the theme proposed by Sasmita who blogs at Firsttimercook. As per the theme, participating members had to showcase recipes with Cauliflower as the star ingredient. Cauliflower is a happy veggie at my place and i use it in curries, stir-fries, pulaos, soups, snack and parathas. It is winter time and local markets here are flooded with fresh veggies and fruits , cauliflower being one of them. Gobhi musallam was on my to-do list for a long time, so when the Cauliflower theme was finalised i knew i was making it for sure. Meanwhile, do check out Sasmita's blog for authentic Odia dishes and many other delicious dishes mostly vegan.

                                                                     

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that is extremely healthy and a significant source of nutrients.  It is very versatile and can be easily added to our diet in many ways. Lets have a look at the health benefits of including it in our daily diet.

• Cauliflower is very low in calories yet high in Vitamins.
• It is rich in fiber , which aids in digestion and is beneficial for overall growth.
• Cauliflower provides a significant amount of antioxidants, which are beneficial for reducing inflammation and protecting against several chronic diseases.
• It is a good source of choline, a nutrient involved in many process in the body and works to prevent several diseases. Click here to know more about this low-carb veggie.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 2 small to medium cauliflower heads
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2-3 large tomatoes finely chopped
• 10-12 cashew nuts
• 1/4 cup milk cream /coconut cream
• 2 green chilies
• 1 inch cinnamon piece
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 3-4 black pepper corn
• 2-3 clove
• 1 teaspoon dried fenu greek leaves / kasuri methi
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoon oil

Method:

1. To begin with making gobhi musallam, soak cashew nuts in hot water for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the leaves and stem from cauliflower and wash it thoroughly. Next, take a pan large enough to hold the cauliflower head. Fill it with water such that the entire cauliflower head can be immersed. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste and allow the water to boil.

2. As you can see in the picture below, I have taken 2 cauliflower heads as i am going to show both the oven and stove top method of roasting the gobhi musallam. Place the cauliflower head in boiling water and cover cook for around 4-5 minutes.  Remove the lid and flip the the cauliflower and cook for 2-3 minutes and put off the flame. Let the cauliflower sit in the hot water for another 2 minutes before draining the water. Keep this blanched cauliflower in a dish and set aside.

3. Now, we will prepare the makhani gravy. For that, heat oil in a pan and add the whole spices to it, cumin seeds, black pepper corn, cinnamon and clove. Once the spices sizzle, tip in the finely chopped garlic and chopped green chilies. Saute for around a minute. Next, add the finely chopped onions and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

4. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and saute the veggies and spices for another 2 -3 minutes. Now, lower the flame and add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, sugar and salt to taste. Blend the spices very well with the onions and tomatoes and put off the flame.

5. Transfer this onion tomato masala to a grinder jar on cooling along with the soaked and drained cashews. Pulse it to get a fine paste. You may add a little water while grinding.

6. Transfer the onion tomato paste to  the same pan and add around 1/4 cup water to it. Allow the gravy to boil. Now, add cream and crushed kasuri methi to the gravy and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Lastly sprinkle garam masala, give a quick stir and put off the flame. Our creamy delicious makhani gravy is ready.

7. Place the blanched cauliflower head in a dish upside down and coat it with the makhani gravy. Now flip it and coat the top side as well with the gravy such that the cauliflower head gets fully drenched in the makhani gravy. Reserve the balance gravy aside for serving.To make the gobhi musallam in an oven, place the makhani gravy coated cauliflower in an oven proof bowl and roast it in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes.

8. To make the gobhi musallam on stove top, place the makhani gravy coated cauliflower head in a non-stick or heavy bottom pan with some more gravy by its side and cover cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes. Keep a watch in between as we do not want the cauliflower to catch the bottom of the pan. Flip the cauliflower and cook from the other side as well for 4-5 minutes.

9. To, serve the gobhi musallam, place reserved makhani gravy at the base of the serving dish. Now, delicately transfer the gobhi musallam on the dish and serve it sliced with steamed rice or any flat bread of your choice and some salad.

Recipe Notes:

Select a worm free and clean whole cauliflower head that is small to medium in size. Look for a fresh cauliflower , white in colour without any black spots on the florets and with green leaves and stem. 

Make sure, you do not over cook the cauliflower head prior to its roasting. On roasting the gobhi musallam should be well cooked yet should retain its shape.

You may skip green chilies and adjust the spices used as per your spice tolerance. 

For a vegan version, use coconut cream instead of milk cream. You may completely skip cream if you wish to. Increase the quantity of cashews used in that case.

I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.\

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For more recipes with cauliflower, check out the following from this blog

• Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice

                         

• Vegetable Korma

                         

• Gobhi Ke Parathe