Mughali- the name conjures images of rich, oli/ghee drenched delicacies. Mine today is a cheat Mughlai Gobhi, if I may say so. The man of the house has always loved this, but I was reluctant because one, it was tedious to make (in my head at least) and two, it used a fair amount of ghee. Saw a post by a friend ,Ritu Taneja Mehta, who is a health-food aficionado and I knew this has to be a healthier version. Thanks Ritu, for making it and reminding me of this forgotten delight!
Apart from the hour-long marinating, this was done under thirty minutes! I have paired the marinated and oven roasted whole cauliflower with my go-to tomato onion gravy. And all done in just a teaspoon of oil. Happy tummy, happy me 😀
Cauliflower head- 1 medium sized. Remove the green stems and wash thoroughy in warm water
For the marinade
Thick yogurt/curd/dahi- 1 cup
Salt- 1 tsp (to taste)
Kashmiri red chili powder- ½ tsp
Turmeric/haldi powder- ¼ tsp
Coriander/dhaniya powder- ½ tsp
Garam Masala powder- ¼ tsp
Cumin/jeera powder- ¼ tsp
Goda masala- 2 pinches (Skip if not available)
Crushed ginger-garlic- 1tbsp
Mix all of the above to form the marinade.
Microwave or steam the cauliflower whole till soft but still crunchy.
Roll well in the marinade and keep covered for an hour (I kept it for thirty minutes and it worked fine)
Remove to a greased baking dish and bake in at 200C till the top is somewhat brown.
My go-to tomato onion gravy/sauce
Tomatoes,cubed- 4-5,medium
Onions,cubed- 3,medium
Ginger,roughly chopped- 1 tsp,grated
Garlic, mined- 1 tbsp
Green chili- 1
Oil- 1 tsp
In a non-stick pan, heat the oil and all the chopped vegetables. Cook covered for about ten minutes on low heat. Uncover and let cool. Blend in the mixer till it is a grainy paste.
This is my basic gravy. I used it for Indian as well as continental recipes adding spices as per the recipe requirement.
Gravy for the Mughlai Gobhi,
Transfer the gravy to the pan and temper it with 1 tsp salt, ¼  tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp kashmiri chili powder ,¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp coriander powder ½ tsp garam masala. Simmer for about five minutes and remove.
To serve
Spread half the gravy on the serving dish and place the oven roasted cauliflower atop it. Spread some gravy over the cauliflower and garnish with chopped coriander.
Serve hot with chapati or naan.
