Serve as a side dish or as a simple vegetarian meal

Make Indian Cauliflower and Green Pea Curry as a side dish for a simple vegetarian Indian meal with dal, basmati rice, and a fresh chutney. Or just serve as a simple meal with rice or chapati. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free and uses coconut milk to make it creamy.

Ingredients you’ll need for Cauliflower and Green Pea Curry

• Onion, garlic, ginger, green chile
• Cauliflower, potato, and green peas
• Spices (choose from): mustard seed, cumin seed, fenugreek seed, cardamom, turmeric, coriander, red chile flakes, garam masala, curry leaves, sea salt
• Coconut milk, coconut oil
• Cilantro, lemon

See recipe variation for nightshade-free version

This dish is typically made with tomatoes, chili peppers, and potatoes. But you can make a nightshade-free version of Indian Cauliflower and Green Pea Curry using butternut squash in place of tomatoes, and substitute more cauliflower for the potatoes. See the notes at the end of the recipe for this version. And don’t worry, is still flavorful with a unique blend of fresh and dried spices, including anti-inflammatory turmeric.

Benefits of nightshade-free, dairy-free foods

Cutting back on or avoiding nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, tomatillos) and dairy is recommended for anyone with inflammation or really any kind of illness. Arthritis, IBS, leaky gut syndrome, colitis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, stomach issues, acid reflux, chronic infections, acne and cysts, and many other conditions improve with the elimination of nightshades and dairy foods.

Try going without for at least 6 weeks to experience the benefits. It takes this long for the toxins from nightshades to be eliminated from the body. Most of my recipes are nightshade-free and dairy-free, so take a look if you’re interested in trying this.

Load up on nutrient-dense foods to avoid dairy cravings

A lot of people say they can never give up cheese. I think of it more as adding in other foods and gradually crowding out cheese, as you fill your diet with other nutrient-rich foods. Make sure you’re getting enough good quality fats too, so you don’t crave cheese or other dairy products just because your body needs more nutrients.

I regularly eat avocados, wild caught fish, nuts and seeds, and coconut milk, all of which have good fats. I also use extra-virgin olive oil in my cooking and in salad dressings. Try some of my other nightshade-free, dairy-free curry recipes listed at the bottom of this post, or search for “curry” on my recipe page.

Indian Cauliflower and Green Pea Curry

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• Author: Rachel Zierzow
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: Indian
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

There are many different spice blends you can use to make this classic Indian side dish. I have made some of the spices optional that are more difficult to find. Make this recipe your own by varying the spices a little each time you make it. As long as you have garlic, ginger, cumin, and turmeric, you’ll be off to a great start.

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Ingredients

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3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (or coconut milk)

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (optional)

1 cup yellow onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, grated or minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2 Roma tomatoes (or 1 cup canned tomatoes), seeded and chopped 

seeds of 2 cardamom pods (optional)

3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (or pinch cayenne pepper)

1 cup potatoes, peeled and diced

sea salt, to taste (about 2 teaspoons)

water

2–3 cups cauliflower (about 1/2 medium head), cut into small florets 

1 cup full-fat coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

8–10 curry leaves (optional)

1 cup frozen green peas

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, divided

1 lemon, cut into wedges (for garnish)

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Instructions

1. Heat Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Add coconut oil and mustard seeds. After about 10 seconds, add cumin and fenugreek (if using) and onion. Sauté onion until golden, being careful not to burn the spices, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, ginger, and serrano or jalapeño pepper. Sauté about 30 seconds, then add tomato and cardamom, turmeric, coriander, and red chile flakes.Simmer on medium-low until the mixture resembles a chunky paste, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Mix in potatoes and coat with the tomato-spice mixture. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon sea sal and add a little water (about 1/2 cup). Give the potatoes and stir, cover, and simmer a few minutes. Add cauliflower, coconut milk, garam masala, curry leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring up to a boil, then turn to medium-low, cover, and simmer until cauliflower is fork-tender. 
4. Add peas and cook just until thawed and bright green. Taste for seasonings and stir in about 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro. 
5. Serve with freshly cooked basmati rice and garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.

Notes

For night-shade free version, omit tomatoes, green chile, and red pepper flakes. Add 1 cup steamed butternut squash (puréed or mashed) plus 1 teaspoon ume plum vinegar at the same time you would have added the tomatoes.

More curry recipes on Cook Love Heal