Creamy, spicy and wholesome, cauliflower Xacuti is a unique spin on the classic Goan chicken Xacuti.
The best part? This dish is vegan and gluten free too!
The dish starts with a spice mix and a creamy coconut paste, and is a rich and robust curry that you can pair with your flatbreads or rice.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need 3 sets of ingredients for the cauliflower xacuti recipe.
For the Spice Mix
- Dry red chillies: 5-6
- Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
- Black peppercorns: 1 tsp
- Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
- Cloves: 3-4
- Star Anise: ½
- Coriander seeds: 3 tbsp
- Poppy seeds: 3 tbsp
For the paste
- Oil: 1 tbsp
- Coconut (desiccated): ¼ cup
- Onions (sliced): ½ cup
- Vinegar: ¼ cup
For the final dish
- Oil: 2 tbsp
- Onion (paste): ½ cup
- Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Red chili powder: ½ tsp
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Cauliflower (cut into florets): 1 medium sized
- Water: ½ cup
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped): For garnish
How to Make the Cauliflower Xacuti
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make the cauliflower Xacuti.
Blanch the cauliflower florets and keep aside.
Dry roast all the whole spices and transfer it to a blender.
Once it cools down to room temperature, grind into a powder. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the desiccated coconut and sliced onions. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add vinegar and blend into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Next, heat oil in a pan. Add the onion paste and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the powdered spices and saute. Saute and mix.
Add in the blanched cauliflower and mix well. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until the cauliflower florets are roasted a bit.
Next, add in the prepared spice mix. You can either choose to add the entire portion or as per your spice level. You can save the rest of the spice for other curries.
Saute for 3-4 minutes.
Add in the paste next. Saute and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add water and let the curry simmer for 5-6 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
In addition to the cauliflower florets, you can also add in other diced veggies of your choice to turn it into a mixed vegetable xacuti.
Bell peppers, baby corn, green beans, peas, broccoli, potatoes and zucchini are all good choices. 
Your leftover cauliflower Xacuti can stay fresh for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
Simply transfer it to an airtight container and pop it in the fridge.
You can then microwave and reheat it when you want to serve it again. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Cauliflower Xacuti
Making the dish might seem super simple, but you might want to take note of these tips and tricks too.
- Make sure you let the powdered spices and the onion paste cook well in the pan before you add in the cauliflower. Doing this will ensure that the gravy is cooked to perfection, and doesn’t smell raw.
- If your curry has become too thick, you can thin it out by adding a splash of water or some coconut milk or coconut cream into it, and letting it simmer for 2 more minutes.
- I used vinegar to add that bit of tanginess to the curry, but you can easily swap that and use some tamarind paste if you have that at hand.
- Since this is a Goan curry, it is meant to be a bit spicy. If you want to tone down the spice, you can reduce the amount of chillies that you’re adding in.
- If you’re adding other veggies to the dish too, you might need to partially cook them first before you add them into the curry. Veggies like potatoes and baby corn for instance, need to be boiled until they’re half-cooked, and then added in. Other tender veggies like bell peppers and zucchini don’t need that extra effort..
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This rich and indulgent cauliflower Xacuti tastes incredible when paired with some piping hot steamed rice.
If you love bread, you can team it up with some flatbread or crusty sourdough bread too- the curry is pretty versatile that way.
Enjoyed this rich Indian curry? Inspired to try some more unique curry recipes? Here are a few good handpicked ones to check out.
📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Xacuti
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Spice Mix
- 5-6 Dry red chillies
- 2 tsps Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Black peppercorns
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 3-4 Cloves
- ½ Star Anise
- 3 tbsps Coriander seeds
- 3 tbsps Poppy seeds
Ingredients for the paste
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ¼ cup Coconut, desiccated
- ½ cup Onions, sliced
- ¼ cup Vinegar
Ingredients for the final dish
- 2 tbsps Oil
- ½ cup Onion, paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 medium Cauliflower, cut into florets
- ½ cup Water
- Coriander leaves, finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Blanch the cauliflower florets and keep aside.
- Dry roast all the whole spices and transfer it to a blender. Once it cools down to room temperature, grind into a powder. Keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the dessicated coconut and sliced onions. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add vinegar and blend into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
- Next, heat oil in a pan. Add the onion paste and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the powdered spices and saute. Saute and mix.
- Add in the blanched cauliflower and mix well. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until the cauliflower florets are roasted a bit.
- Next, add in the prepared spice mix. You can either choose to add the entire portion or as per your spice level. You can save the rest of the spice for other curries.
- Saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the paste next. Saute and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add water and let the curry simmer for 5-6 minutes.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
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