This Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry is an authentic Indian homestyle curry that is one of those rare gems that’s made with spices that are sold at local supermarkets. It is made from scratch, loaded with classic Indian spicy flavours, and it’s super healthy too.
Use this recipe for curry sauce as a base and toss in whatever veggies and proteins you want!
Cauliflower Chickpea Curry
I know most people do Meat Free Monday. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? But in my world, meat free meals are towards the end of the week after I’ve depleted my supply of fresh meat from weekend grocery shopping.
So for RecipeTin Eats, it’s Meat Free Wednesday, not Monday.
Let me try announcing that, see if it has the same ring to it.
Meat Free Wednesday is here!!!
Hmmm. Nope. Doesn’t sound quite the same, does it?
Oh well! Let’s blow right past that to today’s meat-free offering: This Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry. 🙂
I absolutely adore Indian food. I don’t eat Indian out as often as I want because Indian restaurant food in Australia – and I think in many Western countries – is notoriously high in fat. Delicious, but not that good for you. 😞 At least, not the popular curries – Korma, Rogan Josh etc.
As for making it at home, most Indian curries require a trip to an Indian grocery store to track down harder to find spices, like black mustard seeds, fenugreek leaves.
However, this Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry, along with my Butter Chicken, are two rare exceptions. I can make this pretty much anytime I want because I always have the spices in my pantry, a can of some sort of beans plus some kind of veggie suitable for throwing in.
It’s a standby curry!!! I love it!
When I shared my Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna a couple of weeks ago, I undertook to post a meat free meal every fortnight for the rest of 2016. When it comes to meat-free, I think many carnivores such as myself can be skeptical, worried that the meal won’t be satisfying enough, will lack flavour and oomph.
I don’t think anyone could ever think that about this Chickpea Cauliflower Curry. What do you think? 😉 – Nagi x
PS Don’t skip the yoghurt and a good handful of fresh coriander / cilantro. It really “makes” this dish. ❤️
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp ginger finely grated
- 3 large garlic cloves minced.
- 1 large onion chopped (brown, white, yellow)
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp tumeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 800 g / 28 oz can crushed tomato
- 300 g / 4 cups packed cauliflower small florets (1 small / 1/2 large cauliflower)
- 400 g / 14 oz can chickpeas drained
- Salt
- 1 tsp sugar – optional Note 1
- 3/4 cup frozen peas 75g
- 3 tsp garam masala powder Note 2
- 1/4 cup coriander / cilantro leaves chopped
- Yoghurt to serve (highly recommended)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large deep skillet or pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute. Add onion and cook for 6 – 8 minutes or until golden and caramelised.
- Add coriander, turmeric, cumin and paprika. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken stock and tomato. Stir to combine, bring to simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add cauliflower and chickpeas. Cook for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is soft and sauce has thickened. If sauce is thickening too quickly (Note 3), put the lid on. Adjust salt to taste, and add sugar if using.
- Add peas and garam masala. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from stove. Stir through most of the coriander.
- Serve curry with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with reserved coriander and yoghurt on the side.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Memories of when he was a puppy…..You just can’t get mad when you come home and are greeted with a sight like this…. At least he didn’t get into my SHOES!
If I wanted to add lamb to this what cut of lamb should I use and when should I add the lamb.
Made this without lamb and loved it but have to take it to a group dinner and Ai have to bring a lamb curry.
Hello! After step 2, add it and brown the lamb, then add the tomato and liquid and cook until the lamb is tender. Cut the lamb into small bite size pieces so it becomes tender. Add extra water if it thickens too much 🙂
So good! Adding the garam towards the end is inspired…I used to make a curry not unlike this, but with tofu instead of chick peas. It was good, but this is next level. Such fab flavours! Love all your recipes, I’m new to the blog and am grateful I found it!
Whoot! Fantastic to hear you enjoyed this Eloise, thanks for letting me know! N xx PS Your name is beautiful!
Hi Nagi,
Does this recipe freeze well? Thank you
Ooh YES!!!
Terrific recipe! I am trying to learn to cook Indian food, one of my favorites, and have been collecting the appropriate spices. When I went to the store, they were out of fresh cauliflower, so I nuked a package of frozen florets instead. It didn’t quite make the four cups, so I added more peas. The only other thing I added was a half-teaspoon of Cayenne, which jazzed it up (I like my Indian dishes HOT). Even my meat-eating boyfriend loved it, and wants me to make more! Yay!
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Carlene, thanks for letting me know! N x
Oh no! I also just realized I dont have frozen peas! any suggestions on a substitution??
Thanks!!
Hi Paige! It will be fine 🙂 Just leave it out – or chop up some zucchinis or anything like that if you really want to!
hey! I just realized I dont have chicken stock – can I use vegetable broth??
Thanks ! 🙂
I mean chicken broth!!
Sure! It will still be delish!
Just made this curry. One word Delicious! Living here in Tenerife chickpeas (garbanzos in Spanish) are an everyday day thing so trying them in a curry was totally different. It’s another great recipe. So thank you Nagi.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Maureen! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know! N x
Hello Nagi,
I am writing from the Netherlands.
I want to ask you, why don’t you use any garlic to this dish?
When I look in my cookingbook called “Vedische kookkunst” ( a good translation could probably be, the Vedisch kitchen), there is no use of any garlic at all. Do you know of it is a ingrediënt that is necessaire to the kitchen of India?
Hoping for an answer, thank you so much for your wonderfull blog.
Hi Anne – oh dear! How could I have missed that, I feel awful!!! This recipe uses both garlic and ginger and are key to the flavour. I thank you so much for picking that up, I have made the correction! N xxx
Hi Nagi,
I just wanted to let you know how fantastic your blog is. I made this last night and it was so quick and easy and DELICIOUS!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This will be a recipe that will be used again and again in our household- even my meat loving husband loved it.
?
I’m so happy to hear your meat-eating husband enjoyed this too! Please tell him I get it – I’m like him, I’m so used to a protein of some sort for every meal, my meat-free ones have to be really satisfying!!! N x
Thanks for the recipe! Your post came up on a day that I was wondering what to make for dinner and wah-la! I had most of the ingredients at home. The family loved it and I finally used up the tomato cans and chickpeas. The yogurt is a must with some naan/roti on the side. I think I’ll start having any-day-meatless meal during the week. I look forward to more recipes!
Woo hoo! Glad my timing was bang on! 🙂 N x
Just made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! I am trying to add more meatless dishes to my repertoire and this is definitely going to be in regular rotation. Made a couple of minor adjustments with seasonings due to what I had available on hand and it was still fantastic. Can’t wait to try out more of your recipes!
Touchdown! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it Lana, THANK YOU for letting me know! N x
I could never get mad at Dozer. That sweet face I bet you scolded him with a grin on your face 🙂 And I’m not familiar with curry but as I’ve mentioned before I love eating all types of cuisines as long as they taste good. I’ve never had one of your recipes that were anything but excellent. Have a great day xoxo
You know me too well Marisa! I do always yell at him with a smile on my face – I can’t help it!! N x
Well, seem to have all the ingredients and this sounds delightful tho’ I would methinks slightly turn up the ‘heat’!! No need to think of ‘meatless days’ as this would not taste thus and I have no fixed ones!! Are you certain you did not set baby Dozer up: if those tissues or toilet paper had not quite been SO close: the dear boy would have remained totally innocent: or . . . 🙂 ?
I’ll be getting so fit with all of this happy dancing, Indian has to be my favourite tucker.
Cauli added to the list, all other ingredients at hand, curry tomorrow, YUM.
Thank you and a big woof, hug, for Dozer.
I know, I LOVE Indian food so much!!! It’s nice to have some healthy curries in the stash, isn’t it? Dozer says WOOF back! He is bundled up in his robe after a wet morning at the beach – it’s RAINING today, and I still took him! N x
Can’t wait to try this Cauliflower and Chick Pea Curry! We, too, love Indian food
I am a dog trainer and suggest that you never leave your puppy ‘on his own’ an running free at home! We always leave our dogs in a crate. It will keep them safe when they are young and apt to get into something naughty or just plain dangerous. As they mature the crate becomes their den and makes them feel safe and ‘off duty’. It also makes traveling with your dog so much easier; they have their familiar ‘home’ when staying in a hotel or at a friend’s home! There really are no negatives to crate training!
Note: Do start with a wire crate. Once they are older and happy, you can go to a canvas crate.
I agree Ruth! I should have crate trained him 🙂 Luckily though he is very adaptable and is very comfortable in a crate! I actually didn’t intentionally leave him to roam the house on his own, I had a barricade but he broke through it!!!
Nagi — Thanks so much for posting this lovely curry recipe, it looks great. I’ve been gathering spices, herbs, making chicken stock and freezing owing to your inspiration, and leafing through the great recipes you’ve shared! I’ve just started buying cauliflower lately and so this recipe fits right into my plans, maybe not for tonight, but very soon!
You are a gem!
I am wondering if down the road, you have a recipe for bakery style sugar cookies, if you might share it. I don’t mean the flat, little crispy kind, I mean the thick yummy kind that are found at the bakery with a dollop of chocolate frosting on top. Is that possible?
A thousand smiles from Upstate New York
Hi Nadine! Guess what? I have the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, I haven’t read it yet but I bet they have one!!! YUM!
Hi Nagi! This sounds delicious! Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables and in combination with the chickpeas would make a very satisfying dinner. We don’t very often go meatless, but in the summer we do cut back on the meat and eat way more vegetables. I do, however, think adding some lamb would be good in this!
Oooh…..yes to adding any meat into this! The sauce is a great base for anything really 🙂 (Except maybe seafood – bit strong I think) Say hi to Gary for me! N x
Oh my goodness, Dozer as a puppy is BEYOND cute!! (sorry, that comment just had to trump any I made about the food!)
Very impressed indeed with your ‘meat free Wednesday’! (why not?)
I’m definitely with you on not skipping the added extras and toppings etc. when it comes to veggie food, Nagi. I love many vegetarian dishes (a legacy from my time in Greece where they do veggie so effortlessly well!), but I must admit they’re never so appealing without the cheese, yoghurt etc. on the top (I’d make a terrible vegan!).
P.S. I’m preggers, due in Jan, so we probably won’t be back in Oz until April/May (sorry to ‘announce’ it to you like this, but I’ve been holding back on announcing it to the world on my blog for some reason!) 🙂 xx
SCREECH!!! WHAT?? OMG congratulations Helen! Mrs Scrummy, Mr Scrummy and now BABY Scrummy! ??
Yee Haa, another wee Pom. CONGRATULATIONS Helen!!