Mumbai to Maine Makhani Simmer Sauce | Whole Roasted SKORDO Tandoori Masala Cauliflower| Green Goddess Chutney Drizzle

Back in India, a Tandoor is an outdoor clay oven used heavily in Punjab. Masala refers to a spice blend. I’ve been hooked on the SKORDO Tandoori Masala blend available online and at their brick and mortar stores in Maine. It hits all the notes for me and saves me a ton of time not having to toast and grind spices from scratch. As a simmer sauce maker, I’m all about max flavor, zero labor when it comes to meals for the family.

Typically this cauliflower would be marinated in the masala ahead of time and then roasted in a tandoor at a high temp. With no access to my mobile HOMDOOR as it was still in storage from the winter, I decided to roast it in my oven and only marinated it for 2 hours while we enjoyed the most beautiful afternoon on the water in Boothbay, Maine.

I marinated this humble “cabbage flower” in the thickest Greek-style yogurt (fat-free believe it or not), SKORDO Tandoori Masala loaded with turmeric, cayenne, cumin, coriander and turmeric. No need to add in Kashmiri chili powder for added color and minimal heat as this blend already has it blended into it. I did however,  add in some ginger and garlic paste, a generous squeeze of lime, salt + pepper and whipped it all up like I meant business!

I brushed this tandoori masala marinade all over the cauliflower. A tip,  you need to really get in there with a grill brush, into all those cracks and crevices. I drizzled the entire thing with melted ghee. The more fat the better! If you are vegan be sure to use some refined coconut oil, avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil.

Meanwhile, I pre-heated my oven to Bake@ 350 degree F , set the entire cauliflower into my Staub and roasted it off with no cover on for 45 minutes. I chose to keep this beauty intact with stem and base attached. It makes for a conversation piece as soon as you set it table-side, ready to carve and share it with family and friends.

I could not resist drizzled it with my herbaceous, green cilantro-mint chutney. What a huge hit!

Now here’s a tip and idea:  if you rather serve it with some rich buttery tomato masala gravy to make it a meal you can carve them into steaks , heat up a jar of Mumbai to Maine’s rich Makhani simmer sauce and pour it right over the steak and serve ( this will no longer be vegan since it has ghee, but still vegetarian). My daughter is now pescatarian, so she loves these cauliflower steaks for dinner with her mom’s Makhani,  Basmati Rice, hot green chutney and a big chunk of garlic-buttered naan. Scroll to the bottom to check it out!

Makhani is the Indian word for ‘with Butter’. This small-batch, handcrafted, luscious, buttery-tomato cream sauce is infused with an aromatic and authentic North Indian Mughlai spice blend. Toasted and freshly ground cardamom, cumin, coriander, peppercorns and a touch of heavy cream add just the right touch of added richness.

Makhani pairs perfectly with chicken (especially for a spicy Butter Chicken) but it also makes for a slam-dunk spicy Chickpea Masala, Paneer Masala, or my husband’s favorite, melt-in-your-mouth boneless lamb over steaming hot Basmati Rice and ghee-slathered garlic naans.

But for now, try it on the cauliflower, for a meatless Monday.