Gobi Matar Masala
Feb 15, 2015, Updated Jan 02, 2018
Gobi Matar Masala - Cauliflower and Green Peas cooked with lots of spices, onion & tomatoes. Goes well with naan or roti. [Vegan]
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Hello guys, how did you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Did something special? I made a homemade gift for my hubby and I will be sharing that very soon on my blog! And he gifted me lots of kitchen/baking stuff , it’s so easy to make me happy! 😀 I think we might need to buy a new home just to keep my baking stuff, it’s getting difficult to accommodate all this in the 1 bedroom apartment we currently live in!
Anyway so now that Valentine’s Day is done with I’m back to sharing my Indian vegetarian recipes. Wow it has been long since I shared one, all I did for last 2-3 weeks was post desserts and more desserts. Obviously I will be back with more desserts very soon as you all know it’s impossible to keep me away from baking but for now let’s talk about this spicy cauliflower and green peas dish known as Gobi Matar Masala where Gobi=Cauliflower, Matar=Green Peas and Masala=Spices.
Gobi Matar Masala is a vegan Indian recipe where cauliflower and green peas are cooked together with onion, tomatoes and lots of spices. Honestly speaking, like with any other Indian recipe everyone has their own way of making it so there isn’t a specific recipe that you have to follow here. Some people deep fry the cauliflower in this recipe especially if making it for a special occasions, I just pan fried it using 2 teaspoons of oil.
Every time I make gobi matar masala I try to make it in a different way so I am sure there will be 2-3 versions of this recipe on my blog in the coming years. This version is one of my favorites, there are tons of spices in here and that is what make this dish so flavorful. However if the ingredient list looks too long to you, I promise to post a simple version of gobi matar masala soon. In fact you can even modify this recipe by just adding in whatever you have on hands.
To make gobi matar masala, you first pan fry the cauliflower florets. This step is optional but I highly recommend it if you don’t want your cauliflower to get too mushy by the time it’s cooked. I used to make my gobi all mushy when I first started cooking but over the years I have realized that there are certain things which you need to do in order to get perfectly cooked gobi which is cooked but not mushy.
# pan fry the cauliflower florets in little oil before putting them in the onion-tomato spice mix.
# after adding the cauliflower, cook the dish uncovered on medium-low heat.
# add salt towards the end when cauliflower is cooked.
This vegan cauliflower and peas dish is great with naan or roti or even with a side of rice. I promise to post a simpler version of gobi matar masala soon!
Method
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cauliflower florets.
Cook the florets till they start turning very light golden brown in color. Remove from pan and set aside.
In another pan, dry roast all the spices listed under “To be roasted and grind”. Roast for 2-3 minutes till you start getting a nice aroma of all the spices.
Once the spices are roasted transfer the mixture to a spice grinder.
Add ground ginger to the roasted spices.
Grind the mixture to a fine powder and set aside.
In the same pan heat 2 teaspoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add sliced onions.
Saute till raw smell goes away and onions become translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste.
Cook the ginger garlic paste for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes away.
Add in the sliced tomatoes and mix.
Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium flame till tomatoes are cooked and mushy.
Add the ground spices that we had kept aside +turmeric powder +paprika powder and mix. Cover and cook again for 3-4 minutes. [Tip: Overall you should cook the tomatoes on medium heat for 10-15 minutes for best flavor]
After the spices are cooked, add the tomato ketchup, sugar and mix.
At this point add 1/2 cup of water and the half cooked cauliflower and blanched green peas and mix.
Cook the veggies on medium-flame for 5-8 minutes without covering it till cauliflower is cooked and soft but not mushy. You should still be able to bite it. Add the salt now and mix. Also add in the fresh lemon juice and sprinkle some garam masala on top [optional].
Garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves and serve gobi matar masala hot with naan or roti.
* If you don’t have all these spices, you can make a simple version by cooking onion and tomatoes and adding to it common spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric and garam masala powder.
* I used frozen peas and put them in hot water for few minutes before adding it to the curry. You can also use fresh peas here.
Gobi Matar Masala
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower head small
- ⅓ cup green peas [i used frozen]
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes sliced
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon paprika powder
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon sugar [i used vegan granulated white sugar]
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- cilantro leaves chopped
- garam masala powder to sprinkle [optional]
- salt to taste
To be roasted and grind
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 3 peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick small
- 1 whole dry red chili
- ⅛ teaspoon ginger powder
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cauliflower florets.
- Cook the florets till they start turning very light golden brown in color. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In another pan, dry roast all the spices listed under "To be roasted and grind". Roast for 2-3 minutes till you start getting a nice aroma of all the spices.
- Once the spices are roasted transfer the mixture to a spice grinder, add ground ginger and grind to a fine powder and set aside.
- In the same pan heat 2 teaspoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add sliced onions.
- Saute till raw smell goes away and onions become translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste.
- Cook the ginger garlic paste for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes away.
- Add in the sliced tomatoes, mix and cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium flame till tomatoes are cooked and mushy.
- Add the ground spices that we had kept aside +turmeric powder +paprika powder and mix.
- Cover and cook again for 3-4 minutes. [Tip: Overall you should cook the tomatoes on medium heat for 10-15 minutes for best flavor]
- After the spices are cooked, add the tomato ketchup, sugar and mix.
- At this point add 1/2 cup of water and the half cooked cauliflower and blanched green peas and mix.
- Cook the veggies on medium-flame for 5-8 minutes without covering it till cauliflower is cooked and soft but not mushy. You should still be able to bite it.
- Add the salt now and mix. Also add in the fresh lemon juice and sprinkle some garam masala on top [optional].
- Garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves and serve hot with naan or roti.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gobi Matar Masala
This recipe seems unnecessarily complicated. Roasting and grinding all the whole spices was a hassle and I didn’t feel it added anything more than just using a pre-ground masala mix. What is the point of the ketchup? The final dish had a weird mustard-like flavor that I couldn’t identify but didn’t like. It also took me a very long time to cook the cauliflower (close to 30 minutes). It was a time consuming recipe and the outcome was just okay. I would look for a simpler recipe next time.
sorry it didn’t work out for you Shilpa
hmm… i think I missed a lot in your space, Manali! I love gobi-matar, can eat a bowl right now! pass me some please 🙂
Sending some your way Savita! 🙂
This looks so delicious, Manali! I adore cauliflower and love all the flavors in this dish! Haha, it’s amazing how much space our baking gear takes up 🙂
Thanks Kelly! haha I knew other baking addicts would understand 😉
This looks wonderful, Manali! I adore the flavors of this gobi matar. Pinning!
Thanks Jen!
Manali I love gobi matar and it’s been a long time since I made one! It’s cold here and this reminds me of back home when mom would make this in winters with hot paranthas!! Yumm!
Amiiii now you are making me crave parathas! Now the sabzi is finished else I would have made parathas!
This looks fantastic, Manali! Loving everything about this recipe! YUM!
Thanks Annie!
This sounds incredible, Manali! You’re going to get me to break through my fear of cooking Indian food if you keep posting these incredible recipes. And I love the tips about how to keep the cauliflower from becoming mushy. Texture is just as important as flavor when it comes to creating awesome dishes! Pinning so I can make this soon!
P.S. We did absolutely nothing for Valentine’s Day. To be fair, we were both sick…so we ordered a pizza and watched a movie. 🙂
I hope you do give Indian food a try David…it’s full of flavors so I’m sure you will love it! And you Valentine’s Day sounds just about perfect, we also stayed at home 🙂 Hope you are feeling better now!
What a gorgeous dish, Manali! I love your pretty bowls! And the cauliflower and pea combination sounds delicious! So flavorful!
Thanks Gayle, I love that bowl too..it’s so pretty!
I love cauliflower. It tastes great by itself, but it takes on the flavour of herbs and spices really well.
I agree Dannii!
I just want to eat everything you make. Aside from my boyfriend, I’m in love with cauliflower!! Love the look of this dish. Pinned!
Ps. please do a post for tawa pulao! :p
haha you are so sweet Connie, thank you so much! And consider it done..the tawa pulao recipe will be up on the blog soon! by the way I’m surprised that you know what tawa pulao is!
I *love* Indian food, and I’m from California (the Bay Area), so I’m spoiled with delicious Indian food! Also, I have to thank a former boyfriend who was Indian for my knowledge of Indian food (: Looking forward to your tawa pulao recipe!
oh yes lots & lots of good Indian food in the Bay Area! Ahh so now I know the secret behind your knowledge of Indian food 😀
This looks scrumptious! I must make some soon.
Thanks Angie! 🙂
This looks amazing, Manali! Love the flavours – craving a bowl right now!
Thanks Jess!
Your desserts were fun, but these are my favourite recipes! Will definitely be cooking this in the next couple of weeks. Simple, healthy and packed with flavour… my kind of food 🙂
Thanks Emma.. yeah desserts are fun but ultimately this is what you can eat everyday!
Hi Manali, I love when you share vegan recipes 🙂 That’s how easy it is to make me happy! Oh and same with you, just give me lots of baking and cooking utensils/tools/ingredients/whatever and I’ll be soooo happy! Sounds like you had a terrific Valentine’s Day 🙂 I just picked up some new garam masala powder so I’ll have to put it to good use. I don’t have any cardamon at home though…back to the store!
Thank you Vanessa..always love when you visit my blog 🙂 I know..it’s easy to please food bloggers right? haha..
Manali, this ‘Gobi Matar Masala’ is very tempting and tantalizing. I can have ‘Gobi Matar’ anytime, LOVE it so much! 🙂 Would be waiting for your new versions of Gobi!! I could imagine, that you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day! 😉 🙂
Thanks Anu..gobi is one of my favorites too! 🙂 I had a great Valentine’s Day..hope you had a wonderful day too!