This vegan cauliflower korma is nice and creamy, full of flavour and easy to make! The perfect dish for those colder nights when you need something warm and comforting.
I usually make this recipe in a rather traditional way, with whole spices. But you can easily make this curry with ground spices too or use my shortcut that I’ll be talking about later on!
Contents
This recipe is loaded with alternatives and substitutes so you can make this vegan cauliflower Korma the way you love, or you can!
Ingredients
- cauliflower
- onion and garlic
- coconut milk
- veggie stock
- tomato paste
- spices: cloves, cardamom, ginger (fresh or ground), coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli, garam masala
- rice and/or flat bread (naan, chapatis, etc.) to serve
The ingredients are quite simple. And therefore, they’re so easy to substitute. Have you noticed an ingredient that you absolutely hate or that isn’t available to you at the moment? Learn more about your options in “substitutions” (see below).
Keep in mind though: The magic lies in the spices, guys! Without them, this korma wouldn’t really be a korma, right?
However, there are some ways to create a similar taste by using fewer spices or spice blends to save you some time (see “substitutions”).
Instructions
Step One. Heat oil in a saucepan, a big, deep frying pan or a wok (you won’t need a lid). I prefer using coconut oil and quite a lot of it to absorb all the flavours of the spices!
Step Two. Once the oil is hot, add onion, garlic and ginger and fry until onion turns translucent. That usually takes about 2-3 minutes.
Step Three. Add all the spices and fry for 1-2 minutes so they can release their flavours. Stir frequently to make sure that the spices don’t burn!
Step Four. Then, add cauliflower and saute for about 2 minutes.
Step Five. In a measuring jug, combine coconut milk, and veggie stock (I used 1 tablespoon of my homemade veggie stock paste and replaced the veggie stock with more coconut milk for a creamier vegan korma) and tomato paste and pour into the frying pan.
Bring to the boil and cook for a minute. Then reduce heat to a low setting and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft and tender.
Meanwhile, make some rice or flatbread to go with your vegan cauliflower korma.
Step Six. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with chopped cilantro if you like and serve with rice or flatbread!
Substitutions
Korma, or kurma, is a dish originating in the Indian subcontinent and consists of meat or vegetables, spices and a creamy, thick sauce—made with cream, yoghurt or coconut milk.
So, there’s a lot you can replace or try out to make it suit your taste!
The Spices
I absolutely love spices which is why I have a whole spice rack full of ground as well as whole spices to choose from. But I know not everyone is like me and some people love it simple.
Option 1: Garam Masala & Turmeric
This option gets you as close as possible to the yummy flavours of my korma recipe, without using a whole lot of different spices. So, less work for you but a similar outcome, yay!
We can cheat a little by using garam masala which is a traditional spice blend and usually consists of cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg (or mace), chilli, fennel and bay leaves.
As you can see, most of the spices we use in this vegan cauliflower korma are in this blend, except for turmeric. So, instead of using all the different spices, you can use 1 tablespoon of ground garam masala and ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric.
Option 2: Curry powder
Another great option is to simply use curry powder! This spice blend usually contains coriander, turmeric, cumin, chilli, fenugreek, fennel and ajwain.
I love using it when I’m out camping and need to make this dish as simple as possible. It tastes similar to this recipe but yet very different.
I reckon, about 1-2 tablespoons of curry powder is enough for this recipe. But surely, you can always adapt to your liking.
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is a great, dairy-free alternative and is also used in many curries. If you don’t like the coconut flavour though, you may use any other plant-based cream (like oat or rice) or yoghurt (unsweetened) instead.
You do want to use something heavy, creamy, and full-fat because otherwise, your sauce won’t have the right consistency. Plus, fat carries flavour, right?
However, if you rather prefer avoiding fats, you can use plant-based milk instead and add less vegetable broth. You may add some thickener to your sauce like cornstarch or buckwheat flour.
Vegetable broth/stock
For the vegetable broth, I love using my homemade veggie stock paste to avoid nasties that hide in many conventional and instant products. I just mix a tablespoon with the water and add some more at the end if it needs more flavouring.
If you don’t have any veggie broth at hand, you can use just water instead. Simply add salt to it and that’ll do the trick (though, it won’t be as nice).
Creamier Vegan Cauliflower Korma
What I like to do most of the time: I use a full tin of coconut milk (400ml/13.5oz.), leave out the water/veggie stock and just add my stock paste to the coconut milk. This results in a creamier korma!
Cauliflower
You can use whatever vegetables you want in this vegan cauliflower korma, really. I love using a mix of different vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchinis/courgettes, peas and green beans.
What to serve with this vegan cauliflower korma
Traditionally, naan bread is served with a korma. When I’ve got some extra time, I make a few (or chapatis) on the side. I love dipping it in the sauce—so yummy!
But who am I kidding? When do I ever have the time, haha? I just make Basmati rice with it because it’s quick and hassle-free!
Storage
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll keep for about a week. Alternatively, you can also freeze them for about 3 months.
Generally, curries, or anything made with spices, taste even better the next day when the flavours had time to fully immerse in the food.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower cut into bite-size pieces, yield 600g / 21.2 oz.
- 3-4 tbs coconut oil or other cooking oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2.5cm / 1" piece of fresh ginger grated or finely chopped, or ¼ tsp ground ginger
The Spices
- 4 whole cloves or a good pinch of ground cloves
- 2 tsp cumin seeds or 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chilli flakes to taste
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
For The Sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 200 ml / ¾ cup + 1 tbsp veggie stock see notes
- 200 ml / 6.8 oz full-fat coconut milk (half of a tin/can)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan or a big frying pan or a wok works. If using whole spices, add cloves and cumin seeds. Fry for about a minute until you can smell the spices.
- Now add onion, garlic and ginger (if using fresh one) and fry until onion turns translucent.
- Add the rest of the spices (or all of them, if using ground spices only) and fry for another minute.
- Then add cauliflower and saute for about 3 minutes.
- In a measuring jug, combine veggie stock, tomato paste and coconut milk and pour in the sauce. Bring to the boil, cook for a minute or two, then reduce heat to a low setting and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- While your vegetable Korma is cooking, make some rice or flatbread (like chapatis or naan bread).
- After cooking the Korma, remove whole cloves, if used. Leave in cumin seeds, you can eat them.
