Another special dish from the ‘Mughlai’ cuisine is Gobi Gulistan. The word ‘Gulistan’ in Persian means “flower garden” or “rose garden”. There are also places named ‘Gulistan’. This dish is prepared by stuffing the cauliflower, a flower from the vegetable garden, with a spicy masala. The florets are fried separately and the masala is stuffed as a filling in-between the florets. This lovely Mughlai recipe adds flavour, colour and spice to your meal. Some prepare this dish by deep frying the florets which are dipped in a flour batter. To avoid the excess oil content in the meal I opted for this method. Here is the recipe…
Ingredients:
- Cauliflower (small) no 2
- Oil tbsp 4
For the masala:
- 3 Onions- chop roughly and grind to a paste
- 3 Tomatoes- roughly chopped
- 1 Ginger- chopped
- 2 Tbsp Curd/Yoghurt
- 1/2 Tsp Garam masala
- 1/2 Tsp Red chilli powder
- 1/2 Tsp Amchoor powder/dry mango powder
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 Cup Peas(boiled)- To garnish –(Optional)
Method:
- Remove stem of cauliflower (a little) and wash, then wipe dry.
- Heat oil in a pan, put in one cauliflower floret at a time( with the stem facing up), then cover and cook on medium flame stirring occasionally till the florets turn golden and gets cooked. Remove and keep aside.
- Meanwhile – To prepare the masala – heat oil in a pan or use same pan, add the chopped tomatoes and chopped ginger. Cook for 4-5 minutes till they turn soft.
- Grind this cooked tomato to a paste.
- Heat oil in the pan and add the onion paste, sauté till it turns brownish.
- Add cooked tomato paste. Cook for 3-4 minutes on low flame till the masala turns dry.
- Add well beaten yoghurt and cook again till the masala turns reddish.
- Add red chilli powder, dry mango powder/amchoor powder, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add 2-3 tbsp water to get a thick consistency of dry masala. Cook for 1 minute on low flame. Now remove from fire.
- Insert a little masala in between the florets of the fried cauliflower.
- Serve it as a dry side dish with rice or rotis and dal. or
If required with little gravy follow these steps-
- When serving arrange the florets on an oven proof platter/dish. Then add 3-4 tbsp water to the masala to make it a little thin. Boil it a little and pour over the arranged cauliflowers. Now heat this in a preheated oven for few minutes. OR
- Heat the cauliflower in a pan in 1 tbsp oil and heat the masala separately by adding 2-3 tbsp water. Arrange the heated cauliflower on a serving platter and pour the masala over it.
- Optional – sprinkle some boiled peas over it and on the sides.
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4-6