Enjoy a bowl with hot steamed rice or any flatbread!

The Pathare Prabhu community is one of the oldest and highly revered communities in the city of Mumbai, India. Their origin can be traced back to the 13th century but after settling in Mumbai, their cuisine, composing mostly of seafood dishes metamorphosed to suit the local palate! One of their basic curry powders that they use in most of their dishes is a 20-ingredient masala powder called Pathare Prabhu Sambhar Masala! I need to make some soon! It has been said they migrated to Mumbai from Gujarat (originating first from Nepal via other Indian states!) and their cuisine has mainly been influenced by the different states they traversed and from local communities of Mumbai!

They are basically seafood connoisseurs (being mostly in Mumbai area) and love to enjoy this coastal delight in almost all of their savory dishes! They have even Pathare Prabhufied (if there is a word like that!!) many of the vegetarian local dishes by adding seafood to them! Their most famous dish is “Bhujana” or as they call sometimes it in Marathi, “bhujna” ! Basically, bhujana is a very unique preparation where all the basic ingredients (onions, green chillies, coriander leaves, garlic, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt) are first mixed, coated in seafood mainly pomfret and then kept on stove top to cook. No frying, no blending and no tempering! As fish cooks in 5 minutes, the muscle work is only in mixing the ingredients! I have tried two versions of this, one with salmon fish and the other is for vegetarians, specially made for my husband!! This recipe is with cauliflower; gobi bhujana. If you prefer, you can use thickly sliced potatoes instead. The key step in Bhujana is in mixing the basic ingredients with your fingers, gently but firmly to get a homogeneous spicy mixture. This is then mixed with fish or in this case cauliflower florets. Just enough water is added to cover the vegetables and then boiled until cooked. This would probably take only 5 to 6 minutes or even less if you want your vegetable to be tender crisp! The final dish was so tasty; I was amazed how some simple basic ingredients and almost no cooking could lend such a wonderful flavor to any dish! The next time, I am going to try this with potatoes. By the way, salmon bhujana came out amazing too! Now, everyone in our family was happy! Serve this easy, mind-blowing way of making any dish (the Pathare Prabhu way!) called “Gobi Bhujana” or if you are a seafood lover, “Salmon Bhujana”  or even use pomfrets or any other seafood with hot steamed rice for a simple yet ultimate comforting and satisfying meal! It would go great with any roti, paratha, puri or even some soft bread slices too! Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Step-by-step method to make Cauliflower Bhujana:

Finely chop red onions, green chilies/jalapenos, cilantro/coriander leaves and garlic. You can either hand chop or use a food processor to mince these; do not make a paste; just fine pieces. Place the chopped ingredients in a large bowl or even the saucepan or pot you are going to cook the cauliflower/gobi in. Mix well.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt to taste and oil. Start mixing or crushing with your fingers for a few minutes until the mixture is paste like and all the flavors have blended well.

Pour required amount of water to just cover the mixture. Tip in cauliflower/gobi florets. Give it a good mix and then place on stove top. (If using fish, mix well and then add the fish).

Start heating the mixture and once it comes to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the vegetable is just cooked. Do not mix too much. This could take about 4 to 6 minutes only. Do not overcook the cauliflower! That is it! No frying, no blending, no tempering!!

Enjoy spicy, quick, one-pot cauliflower bhujana with rice, chapattis, rotis, bread etc.!

Love cauliflower? Then check out these easy and flavorful dishes from this blog:

Tandoori Gobi Tikka Aloo Gobi Shahi Gobi Kurma Spicy Vegan Gobi Kurkuri

PIN or SHARE here:

Cook Time: 7 minutes

2 cups cauliflower/gobi florets 2 medium red onions, finely chopped 3 to 4 green chillies/jalapenos, finely chopped 1 cup loosely packed cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped 6 large garlic pods, finely chopped or grated ½ tsp turmeric powder 2 to 3 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (or according to taste) 3 tbsp oil Salt to taste

Instructions Notes The same recipe can be made with potatoes, cooked dried beans, fish etc. Happy Cooking and Eating! If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page  For more such easy and delicious recipes,  follow me on: Facebook @ curryandvanilla Pinterest @ curryandvanilla Instagram @ curryandvanilla16 Twitter @ curryandvanilla Google Plus  @ Vanitha Bhat Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!