Curry Pickled Cauliflower
This curry pickled cauliflower, with its bold, tangy flavors, is ultra delicious, versatile and legit addictive!
Team it up with your sandwiches or add it to your Indian chickpea salad bowl for an extra kick of flavor- it’s amazing either way.
All you’ll need is a few pantry staples and a few minutes of kitchen time to put this insanely delicious refrigerator pickle together.
In case you haven’t guessed that already- I’m all about pickling and preserving foods.
My salt preserved limes, green chili pickle and my Persian mixed vegetable pickle recipe still remain among the most popular recipes, and when I ended up with some extra cauliflower in my refrigerator, I thought of using it up in a way I love the most- pickling it!
Quick Look: Curry Pickled Cauliflower
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 10 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 6.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Cauliflower, red bell pepper, garlic, ginger, white vinegar, curry powder, turmeric, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Cut cauliflower and bell pepper 🡢 prepare the spiced vinegar brine 🡢 bring the brine to a boil 🡢 add cauliflower and bell pepper and simmer 🡢 cool and refrigerate.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Serve as a snack or appetizer, add to salads (like Egyptian fried boiled egg) and rice bowls, or use in sandwiches and wraps.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It is actually a great way to use up any leftover cauliflower you might have, and transform it into a delicious condiment that you can refrigerate and use for weeks.
- The recipe is super easy! If you’ve been confused about how to make refrigerator pickles, this no-fail recipe is going to be just perfect- just like my quick pickled radishes.
Recipe Ingredients
Cauliflower: Start off with a fresh, unblemished and firm white cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into florets.
Bell pepper: This one’s optional, but I had an extra red bell pepper in my refrigerator, so I added it in too! It just adds such a nice pop of color to the pickle.
Aromatics: Adding in some sliced ginger and garlic can really take the flavors of the cauliflower pickle to the next level. I always use either of them while making pickled Brussels sprouts and pickled green beans.
Seasonings: To season the pickled cauliflower, I used some salt and sugar. I would recommend using kosher salt or pickling salt for this recipe.
Spices: For spices, you’ll need some curry powder, red pepper flakes, turmeric powder and whole spices like mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and some bay leaves.
Vinegar: I used white vinegar to make the brine for the pickle. You can choose to use apple cider vinegar or hot pepper vinegar if you want to.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have the whole mustard and fenugreek seeds that the recipe calls for, it is okay to skip them.
- You can also add other whole spices of your choice. Coriander seeds and cumin seeds are both great choices.
- Whole black peppercorns are another great addition to this cauliflower pickles recipe. I used them in my quick pickled shallots recipe too.
How to Make Curry Pickled Cauliflower
Using a sharp knife, cut the cauliflower into small florets, and chop the bell pepper into squares.
In a large saucepan, combine vinegar with a cup of water and add in the aromatics, bay leaves, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red pepper flakes, salt and sugar and
Now add in the rest of the seasonings and bring the brine up to a boil.
Next, add in the cauliflower florets and bell peppers and simmer for a few minutes. Then take it off heat.
💭Top Tip
Also remember to leave a little space on the top of the jar before you put the lid on. Leaving this headspace at the top will again, help with the preservation.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- The cauliflower pickle gets its bright yellow color from the curry powder. Since all curry powders are different, I would recommend starting out with just a little to get the right color, and then adding more if needed.
- If you don't have curry powder, just use a bit of turmeric for that pop of color. I do this when I make jalapeno pickled eggs too.
- Make sure all the cauliflower florets are submerged in the pickling liquid. Doing this will help it stay fresh for a longer time.
- While the pickled cauliflower is ready to eat right away, I would recommend letting it stay for a day or two before you serve it. Doing this will help the veggies soak all of the pickling liquid, and turn slightly soft too. I did the same when I made my pickled turmeric too.
How to Serve Curry Pickled Cauliflower
Serving the curry pickled cauliflower is an absolute no brainer. These pickles are perfect for snacking - team them up with some of your favorite snacks and appetizers on a board, and enjoy it as a part of a snack board that you can serve at a party or a get-together.
You can also make this a part of a relish tray with some other pickled foods like Russian pickled mushrooms, preserved Italian peppers and pickled shredded carrots. You can also add them to your salads and rice bowls, or use them in your sandwiches and wraps for a bit of extra flavor.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
This easy and healthy recipe works for almost all kinds of veggies. Onions, carrots, cucumbers, beet and even jalapenos!
I’ve used a simple quick pickling method for this recipe, because we tend to finish up the pickled cauliflower pretty quick. If you want it to last longer, you’ll need to follow the traditional canning method.
If you tried this curry pickled cauliflower or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Curry Pickled Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower
- ¼ cup red bell pepper diced
- 4 garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2.5 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek
- 2 cups water
- 2-3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut the cauliflower into small florets, and chop the bell pepper into squares.
- In a large saucepan, combine vinegar with a cup of water and add in the aromatics, bay leaves, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red pepper flakes, salt and sugar and
- Now add in the rest of the seasonings and bring the brine up to a boil.
- Next, add in the cauliflower florets and bell peppers and simmer for a few minutes. Then take it off heat.
- Allow this to get to room temperature and then transfer it to a glass jar.
- Cover it with a lid and refrigerate for up to 10 days.
Notes
- The cauliflower pickle gets its bright yellow color from the curry powder. Since all curry powders are different, I would recommend starting out with just a little to get the right color, and then adding more if needed.
- Make sure all the cauliflower florets are submerged in the pickling liquid. Doing this will help it stay fresh for a longer time.
- While the pickled cauliflower is ready to eat right away, I would recommend letting it stay for a day or two before you serve it. Doing this will help the veggies soak all of the pickling liquid, and turn slightly soft too.
Nutrition
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