Recipe card
What is lababdar?
Lababdar is a rich and creamy Indian curry made with onion, tomato, cashews, cream, and aromatic spices. Paneer or chicken is added as a main ingredient. But today, I have made lababdar using cauliflower (gobi). Feel free to use baby, tofu, or chicken instead. You can also make a vegetable lababdar by mixing vegetables just like our mixed vegetable kadai.
Ingredients
Cauliflower: The main ingredient that I have used to make lababdar is cauliflower florets. You can even use paneer or chicken if needed. Tomatoes: Use fresh ripe tomatoes if possible. If using canned ones, you don’t have to boil them. Cream and cashews: The rich and creamy, nutty flavor in this lababdar gravy comes from the addition of cashews and cream. For a vegan version, use coconut milk. Spices: Basic Indian aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf are added. Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.
Make the creamy tomato cashew paste
In a pot, add tomatoes, cashews, ginger, garlic, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, and dry red chilies with water. Bring it to a boil. Cover and cook until tomatoes soften. Let this cool down completely. Add this to a blender or mixie jar and blend it to a smooth paste. See that there are no chunks of tomatoes or cashews.
Making of lababdar curry
Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add bay leaves and cumin seeds. Saute for a couple of seconds. Add onions and saute until the onion turns translucent. Add pureed tomato paste, green chilies, turmeric, coriander, red chilies, and garam masala powder, and cook this for 3 to 4 minutes. You can cover and cook as the mixture may splutter. Add 1 to 2 cups of water, sugar, salt to taste, cauliflower florets, and bring it to a nice boil. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes on medium to low flame or until the cauliflower is tender and cooked. Taste check and adjust the spices. Finally, add the cream and coriander leaves and mix. Switch off the flame. Cover and keep this for 5 minutes. This allows the flavors to intensify. Serve hot with naan, roti, chapati, or basmati rice, and ghee rice, and enjoy.
Tips
Vary the spices as per your taste. You can substitute cream with milk, sour cream, or yogurt. For the vegan version, use coconut milk instead of cream. The taste may vary accordingly. If using paneer or chicken, if you have time, marinate them as they will give the best flavors. Along with bay leaf, you can add whole spices like marati moggu and star anise if available. It adds a unique flavor.
More cauliflower recipes
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