I’m currently obsessed with using pumpkin puree for savory meals and this is my favorite one. Pair this cauliflower pumpkin tikka masala with fluffy homemade naan and you have a lovely fall treat!
This fall I’ve been using pumpkin puree in savory dishes way too often. Usually plant-based curries are made all thick and creamy with coconut milk, but sometimes you just don’t want to use coconut milk for a curry. That’s where pumpkin puree comes in. If you have a single can of it and were considering baking, consider trying something new and using it to make a cozy, spicy curry! I paired this cauliflower pumpkin tikka masala with The Curious Chickpea’s vegan naan.
The Rundown
1. To make this curry as creamy as possible without blending it, I blended the onion into a paste. You can also finely chop it, but the curry will have more texture that way.
2. Marinate cauliflower in a yogurt-based sauce and then broil it for 4-5 minutes.
3. Start cooking the curry in the following order: whole spices, onion, ginger and garlic, tomato paste, ground spices, pumpkin puree, cauliflower, and water. Optional: soak cashews overnight, make a cashew paste, and add that in for extra creaminess.
Cauliflower Pumpkin Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 1 tbsp coconut yogurt or your favorite yogurt
- 2.5 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (2 inches of ginger, 7 cloves of garlic)
- 1 onion
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1.5 cups tomato paste
- ¼ cup quick-soaked cashews + ¼ cup water optional
- 1 tsp kasoori methi optional
Instructions
- Blend onion into a paste. Alternatively, finely chop it.
- Marinate cauliflower with 1 tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp red chili powder. Broil on high for 4-5 minutes.
- Add 1.5 tbsp neutral oil to a pan. Add cumin and coriander seeds. Fry for 1-2 min.
- Add onion, cook for 6-8 minutes if using onion paste or until slightly brown if using chopped onion.
- Add remaining ginger-garlic paste and cook until fragrant, around 4-5 min.
- Add tomato paste and cook until it has thickened.
- Add dry spices and salt. Add pumpkin puree and kasoori methi, if using. Combine well before adding cauliflower and water.
- Bring to a boil, add cashew paste, and let it simmer until it’s at desired texture, around 10-15 min.
For more cauliflower curries, check out…
Creamy 30-minute Cauliflower Chickpea Curry
One-Pot Coconut Cauliflower Curry
Omg this recipe was when I was younger and still practicing writing accurate recipes! By tomato paste I think I meant tomato puree, meaning you process a few whole tomatoes until smooth. Thanks for the reminder to go back to literally anything I wrote in 2020 and edit in case people try them haha
I made this last night and really loved it. I was a little suspicious of the 1.5 cups of tomato paste. I did 1.5 tablespoons of tomato paste as well as some plain tomato sauce. I rarely ever see more than 2 tablespoons of tomato paste called for in a recipe. Perhaps what I know as tomato paste is different than what was intended? I’m not sure, but I’m glad I did it the way I did because it came out great! Maybe even a little too thick. I did thin it out a bit with water but my husband still felt like it was too thick. Is 1.5 cups of tomato paste accurate or was that a typo? The pumpkin is already so thick, I have trouble wrapping my head around adding that much tomato paste.
You sure would love this one, especially since you’re a pumpkin fan! 🙂
Wow this sounds like the coziest curry ever!! Moved this one to the top of my list! Your curry’s are always amazing so I’m sure I’ll love this one too!