Tandoori gobi or tandoori cauliflower is my vegetarian take on the flagship recipe of Tandoori chicken and it proved to be totally mind-blowing!
It’s time for a vegetarian recipe and what could have been better than a lip-smacking Tandoori gobi especially when world if obsessing over cauliflower! Tandoori gobi or Tandoori cauliflower combines best of both worlds into a single dish which would be loved by all!
Cauliflower being a popular veggie across the world couldn’t have got a better makeover than this and this Tandoori gobi would knock out one and all! Trust me on this! Cauliflower, which we call ‘gobi’ in India, is quite a popular item in my household. That you can see from my super poplar aloo gobi or cauliflower Manchurian recipe or many other cauliflower recipes!
Cauliflower is quite a staple around here; but this take with Tandoori gobi is very new and I am still wondering why hadn’t I thought of it before! It’s the perfect choice of vegetable to make the vegetarian version of quintessential Tandoori chicken. You will know why.
Tandoori gobi is my kind of recipe where the prep time is almost negligible and the entire cooking happens inside the oven. You would have to get your hands dirty only once while marinating the gobi florets.
Well, yes you can use a spatula for the process; but if you are anything like me, you will love to use your hands (clean ones of course!) to really get in there and make sure the marinade reaches each and every nook & corner of the veggie ensuring maximum flavor.
The marinade for tandoori gobi is everything; once you get the right balance of spices in your marinade, your tandoori gobi will turn out perfect every time and that’s a guarantee from me. Once you prepare the marinade, give it a taste test before adding cauliflower florets to it and adjust any flavor if needed e.g. add little more garam masala if you want more warmth or little more chili powder if you want more heat.
That’s all the hard work there is between you and this incredible Tandoori gobi! Rest of the process is nothing but to lay the marinated cauliflower florets on roasting tin and shut them into the oven to let them turn into something exquisitely beautiful.
You can see it for yourself how tempting this Tandoori gobi looks in that burgundy make-over! Aren’t they? If you like cauliflower you will freak out on this delicious Tandoori gobi. If not, then take my words on it, at least for once, that you will become a cauli-lover after this tandoori experience!
As I had mentioned above, cauliflower is the ideal veggie for roasting because it has the right amount of firmness which enables it retain its crunch on the outside after roasting as well as it is soft enough for the flavors to infuse the inside. Sounds complicated? Don’t worry!
I am only trying to convince you to give this Tandoori gobi a shot because I am sure you won’t regret! Another alternative I would suggest for making the vegetarian version of Tandoori is – yes, I think you guessed it right! Tandoori potato!
Those baby potatoes would be the best for this purpose and don’t bother to peel the skin off. The skin would add extra crunch and smokiness. You can check out my popular recipe of Indian spiced roasted potatoes – they are mindbogglingly good! And finally, I have created my version of tandoori potatoes as well which are freakingly good and extremely easy to make.
Find out the recipe here and make a double delight with both tandoori gobi and tandoori potato! Trust me, your friends & family will love you for these amazing stuffs as these babies are absolute crowd-pleaser and great for potlucks! Make them today and enjoy all such good things that life has to offer!
- Cauliflower head – 1, cut into medium sized florets
- Yogurt – 1 cup
- Ginger paste – 2 tsp
- Garlic paste – 2 tsp
- Garam masala – 1 & ½ tsp
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
- Chat masala – 1 tsp
- Vegetable/mustard oil – 4 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Cut the cauliflower head into medium sized florets. Wash them and let them dry as much as possible.
- Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and make a uniform marinade.
- Add the cauliflower florets into the marinade and coat each piece well. Let it marinate for 2 hours or even overnight in the refrigerator.
- Once you are ready with the marinated cauliflowers, preheat your oven to 220 C / 425 F.
- Place the marinated cauliflower pieces on a roasting tin lined with aluminum foil. Do not overcrowd the tin else the cauliflowers will get steamed instead of being roasted.
- Place the arranged roasting tin on the top rack of your oven closest to the heating element.
- Start grilling the cauliflower using broil mode for 15 minutes. Take them out after 15 minutes, brush some oil on top of each pieces, flip them over and again brush some more oil on the other side.
- Return the roasting tin to the top rack of the oven and grill them for another 10 to 15 minutes using broil mode, keeping an eye throughout to avoid burning.
- Once done, take the Tandoori gobi out and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle some chat masala, drizzle some lemon juice and serve the warm Tandoori gobi with mint-yogurt dip and julienned onions. Enjoy!
What’s a broil mode?
Broil mode is when you activate only the top heating coil of your oven and keep the food at the upper level so the food is very near to direct heat source and can get charred. This gives somewhat similar effect of grilling. Hope this helps!
What is chat masala please…
Hi Nattie,
Chat masala is a spice powder mix used in Indian cuisine. It consists of amchoor (primary ingredient), cumin, coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, asafoetida and chili powder. It is used as a taste enhancer and can be sprinkled on top of cooked food like Tandoori items just before serving. Hope this helps.