One Pot Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry
Huge flavor does not always need hours and hours of time to develop. This delicious chickpea and cauliflower curry is made in one pan and has a huge pop of flavor all in under 20 minutes!
When I first decided to change my diet , I constantly panicked about making hot meals for myself to replace the meat I was no longer eating. I quickly learned however that the best recipes for me had nothing to do with the number of ingredients or whether it had meat or not. What truly stood out were powerful flavors.
I turned to curries many a nights to get me through those cravings for hearty meals. Curries had loads of flavors, textures and they always filled me up. They were super hearty and beyond that they were always healthy. Loaded with veggies, spices and good for you legumes and lentils, curries were the ultimate dinner served over a simple Basmati rice.
The Spices
This chickpea and cauliflower curry in particular I have made time and time again. Primarily because…it comes together in 15 minutes. With the help of the Vitamix I take care of most of the chopping of the vegetables. And the bright spice combination in this curry is phenomenal. Best of all, there is no curry paste here. It is all made from scratch using the best quality spices.
I buy my spices from my friend Marlena’s store Love That Spice . I highly recommend buying your spices from a good purveyor. The quality is unbeatable. The herbs and spices are always more potent and a great deal more flavorful which means you get to use less, which = money savings. Which is always a plus.
In this particular chickpea and cauliflower curry there a few spices that really light up the show:
- Madras curry: This spice mix has red chili flakes, turmeric, cardamom, fenugreek, cumin, ginger, Cassia cinnamon, brown mustard seeds, and other spices. It can be used in any curry just on its own and make a huge impact.
- Smoked Paprika: I love the smokiness and the sweetness the smoky paprika adds to the chickpea and cauliflower curry.
- Garam Masala: This is a classic spice that is used frequently in Indian cooking. It is a combination of a few different spices including, cinnamon, nutmeg, black peppercorns, cumin, bay leaf and cardamom.
- Turmeric: This bright yellow spice is one of the main spices in general curry spice. However, I love to add more of it because it adds a mild flavor but the color payoff is huge. Plus turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory so add that baby on.
When these spices come together along with some garlic, ginger and onions, a magical curry is born…and all in 15 minutes.
Best of all this is ridiculously healthy. The chick peas add much needed protein and the cauliflower is just perfectly cooked al dente.
I always top it off with plenty of cilantro and a few limes. I also serve some red pepper flakes on the side in case anyone needs some extra heat.
Last night happened to be a particularly cold and crisp night that demanded some necessary comfort food. And so I made my chickpea and cauliflower curry again last night…at 10pm…because I was craving curry (duh). Hubs stood by and watched as I whipped up my last minute curry craving in less time than his fancy omelette creation.
We both stood over the pan once it was done and inhaled the bright yellow goodness, searing our lips and tongues in the process. But we agreed…it was worth it.
One Pot Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
Description
Huge flavor does not always need hours and hours of time to develop. This delicious chickpea and cauliflower curry is made in one pan and has a huge pop of flavor all in under 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch knob of ginger
- 1 small head of cauliflower (chopped into bite size florets)
- 1 can of chickpeas (drained *)
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- chili flakes (optional)
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 large handful of cilantro (roughly copped)
- 1 lime cut up in wedges
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place onions, ginger, garlic and 1/2 a cup of water into a blender or a food processor. (You may not need the water in a food processor but you will definitely need it for a blender).*
- Puree everything until it is finely chopped.
- Heat up olive oil on medium heat in a large pan.
- Add the pureed onion mixture to the pan allow to sweat for 2-3 minutes. Do not let it get caramelized.
- Add the tomatoes , curry powder, garam masala, paprika, turmeric and chili flakes to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Combine everything and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add cauliflower and vegetable broth. Let it cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture reduces and the cauliflower is fork tender.
- Add in the chickpeas and cilantro.
- Taste, season and serve over rice and with lime wedges.
Notes
1. You can reserve the brine from the chickpeas to make aquaphaba. AKA vegan meringue. Recipe on the way…soon š
2. You can certainly chop everything up by hand, however I like the homogenous mix that the blender and or food processor gives us plus…IT’S A TOTAL TIME SAVER.
3. If you are out of tomatoes, you can use 3 tbsp of tomato paste instead.
4. Ā The nutritional information is to be used for information purposes only.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course, Vegetarian
- Cuisine: Indian
Yum! This looks amazing, Mila! I’m with you – if a dish is well spiced I don’t even miss the meat! I suppose that’s why I love curries so much š Do you think this will freeze well? I’m starting to think about those after pregnancy frozen meals your recommended I make before baby comes.
Hey honey! I think it totally will do great frozen. I would also crank out some lasagna’s and stews for yourself… those saved my butt when I was preggers.