Cauliflower and butter bean malai curry: a recipe that works twice
Rukmini Iyer shares a tomato and cream curry that roasts its cauliflower first and can be reused the next day.
Key points
- Cauliflower is roasted in turmeric, cumin and salt before going into a tomato and cream sauce
- Jarred butter beans are used, and tinned beans may need longer simmering
- The recipe serves two today and two tomorrow
- Leftovers can become a kati roll, a puff pastry pie or a paneer version
A creamy, tomato-based curry is a good choice when you want comfort food. This recipe, shared by Rukmini Iyer in The Guardian, is built around cauliflower and butter beans in a malai-style sauce. It is designed to serve two people today and two more the next day.
The cauliflower is the main feature. It is tossed in a roasting tin with oil, turmeric, cumin and sea salt, then roasted at 220C for about 20 minutes until golden and just cooked through. An air fryer can be used instead, cooking the florets in batches at 200C for around 12 minutes each.
For the sauce, the onion is fried in oil until golden brown. Garlic and ginger follow, then the spices are added on a low heat for about a minute so they cook without burning. Chopped tomatoes and the butter beans, along with their jar liquid, go in next.
Building the sauce
The mixture is brought to a boil, then left to simmer for 15 minutes. Cream and the roasted cauliflower are added for two more minutes. Lemon juice is squeezed in off the heat, and the cook is advised to taste and adjust the salt at the end.
Iyer suggests extra chilli for those who like more heat, moving from one teaspoon of crushed dried red chillies to two or more. If tinned beans are used instead of jarred, she advises letting them cook in the sauce a further 10 minutes, which helps them soak up the seasoning.
Ideas for the next day
Iyer notes that the flavours deepen overnight in the fridge. One option is to stuff the curry into a paratha with lettuce and thinly sliced red onions, rolled kati roll-style. For the onions, she suggests blanching them for two minutes, draining, and dressing them with lime juice and salt, which gives a lightly pickled taste after about 30 minutes.
Another option is a pie. The leftover curry can be placed in an ovenproof dish, topped with puff pastry, brushed with egg and baked at 220C for 20 to 25 minutes. Iyer compares the pastry to a flaky paratha, which she says makes the idea less unusual than it sounds.
Flexible ingredients
The recipe can also adapt to what is already in the cupboard. Tinned or jarred chickpeas can replace the butter beans, and defrosted peas can be added for extra vegetables. Iyer also describes a version that drops the cauliflower and beans in favour of roast or fried paneer cubes, seasoned with the same spices, to make a matar paneer style dish.
Iyer says the recipe effectively gives five dishes in one. The full method and ingredient list are available in the original Guardian feature.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the cauliflower and butter bean curry take to make?
The recipe lists 10 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. It serves two people today and two more the following day.
Can I use tinned butter beans instead of jarred?
Yes. Rukmini Iyer, writing in The Guardian, advises giving tinned beans an additional 10 minutes of cooking time in the sauce so they absorb the seasoning better.
How can I use leftover curry?
Iyer suggests stuffing it into a paratha as a kati roll, or topping it with puff pastry to make a pie. It can also be turned into a paneer dish.
Sources
- The Guardian: Rukmini Iyer’s recipe for cauliflower and butter bean malai curry | Cook once, eat twice
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