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Whole Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower

A whole head of cauliflower marinated with homemade tandoori masala and grilled to perfection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 whole cauliflower head approx 850gms
  • ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves; finely chopped
  • Lemon wedges; to serve
  • ¼ tsp chaat masala optional
  • Vegetable oil

1 cup tandoori marinade

  • 1 cup plain/natural yoghurt
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp chaat masala
  • A pinch of black salt
  • Salt to season

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan forced)
  • To prepare the cauliflower, trim away all the extra greens and cut enough of the bottom to ensure that the cauliflower can sit flat on a tray. Cut a cross at the base of the cauliflower but not too deep.
  • Soak the whole cauliflower in a large bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. Wash well and pat dry.
  • To prepare the tandoori marinade, mix all the ingredients mentioned above in a glass bowl. Make sure there are no lumps.
  • Place the cauliflower inside an oven proof tray lined with baking paper (a cast iron skillet or casserole can also be used). Pierce the cauliflower lightly with a fork all over but take care not to disrupt the florets too much. Rub the whole cauliflower head with ¼ tsp salt getting into the crevices. Turn the head over and pour ¼ ths of the tandoori marinade to the base and rub it in well (using your hands is best but a brush also works). Then turn the cauliflower over so that it rests flat on the base and pour more marinade (reserve some) rubbing it well to all the parts.
  • Cover the tray loosely with foil and place it inside the oven. Also place an oven proof tray half filled with water at the bottom rack of the oven (this helps create steam which enables to cook the cauliflower faster).
  • After 30 minutes, take the tray out and baste the cauliflower with more tandoori marinade. Cover with foil and continue to roast for another 20 minutes.
  • Increase the oven temperature to 200°C. Take the tray out and remove the foil. Drizzle the cauliflower head with 1-2 tsp of vegetable oil and roast for another 40 minutes or till the cauliflower head has lightly browned and cooked through (insert a skewer into the core; if it feels soft then the cauliflower has cooked well). Alternately, you can turn the oven mode to grill and cook till the cauliflower head has roasted well.
  • To serve, place the Arabian rice on a large platter and then place the whole roasted tandoori cauliflower head in the middle. Garnish with coriander leaves, lemon wedges and a sprinkle of chaat masala.
  • Enjoy with refreshing cucumber raita on the side.

Notes

Ensure that the cauliflower is really fresh as it has to be cooked whole.
The time taken depends on the size of the cauliflower so it’s important to keep that in consideration while roasting.