Roasted cauliflower and fried paneer make a hearty vegetarian filling in this creamy coconut mango curry! This versatile recipe is all about sweet, fragrant flavors and you can adapt the fillings to your own preferences to make it perfect for your family – I love to add sweet peppers and kale but the choice is all yours here!
I’ve been on a roll with curry recipes lately, but this mango curry has been a refreshing change in direction from all the tomato and cream based sauces, as delicious as those always are. It’s brightening the dark winter days with its slightly tropical vibes and I am loving it.
The coconut mango sauce, which was based on The Endless Meal’s popular Mango Chicken Curry, is a dream. Easy to make, easy to love, and it pairs beautifully with roasted cauliflower and fried paneer (or halloumi). I like to throw in roasted peppers and kale too – they are the perfect finishing touch for me; I always have them available and they add great color to the plate. But if you have other leafy greens or other vegetables in the house that need to be used up, go for it. This one is super versatile.
Ingredients & Easy Swaps
- If you have a hard time tracking down paneer, this would be excellent with halloumi cheese instead. Both are easy to find in the UK, but I know different countries have different things available, so as a rule, any type of cheese you can get that doesn’t melt and can be fried is worth trying here.
- Your choice of curry powder is important here. It will dictate the overall flavor of the curry as well as the heat (or lack of heat). So use one you like! I use a kashmiri curry blend with a tiny bit of a kick to it. I’ve also tried it with a korma blend and that worked well too. We add some garam masala to the curry, too, just to make sure it has enough of the really sweet fragrant flavors.
- You can use a bell pepper or a sweet pointed pepper, either will work well to add sweetness and a pop of color.
- I’ve always made this with full fat canned coconut milk. I’ve never tried it with light coconut milk, but it should be OK if you need to use that – the sauce will just be runnier.
- I love how easy frozen mango is for this recipe – it makes it a year round option which doesn’t leave me trying to time the ripeness of fresh mango. But if you want to use fresh mango, you certainly can! Two large mangos, peeled and chopped, will be about right.
Make it Vegan:
The sauce is dairy free, so the only thing keeping this curry from being vegan is the paneer cheese. A couple of options for vegan friendly swaps:
- A can of chickpeas or white beans.
- Tofu: drained, pressed and fried until crisp.
- Mushrooms.
- Vegan chicken style pieces.
Make it for Babies, Toddlers & Kids
- Babies: Only the kale and the salt stand in the way of this being baby friendly, so get rid of those and it would be a fantastic way to introduce cauliflower and peppers to babies! I would mash it down for a smaller baby, or leave the pieces bigger for baby led weaning. (And if you want to give kale to your baby on another day, try this mac and cheese recipe).
- Toddlers and Kids: The sweet, mild fruity sauce in this recipe is a great way for mango loving toddlers and kids to try curry, and you can just swap in whatever veggies and fillings you think will work best. With kids at the table, just make sure your curry powder is mild and your garam masala doesn’t contain any sneaky chili (it shouldn’t, but sometimes it does).
Tip: If you want to use an immersion blender, choose a saucepan over a saute pan
I make most of my curries in a large saute pan, but in this case I recommend a large saucepan instead. There’s plenty of room to saute the aromatics and spices, but it leaves the sauce deep enough in the pan that you can use an immersion blender to puree the sauce directly in the saucepan. In a larger saute pan, you would need to pour the sauce out into a jug blender, and I don’t want that extra step for you if we can avoid it!
Pair me with…
Cauliflower, Paneer & Mango Curry
Ingredients
- olive or coconut oil, for cooking
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp garlic, sliced
- 2 Tbsp ginger, roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups (300 g) frozen cubed mango, divided
- 14 oz (400 ml) canned coconut milk, ideally full fat
- ½ bunch cilantro (fresh coriander), chopped
- 1 small head cauliflower, florets
- 1 sweet red pepper, sliced
- 8 oz (225 g) paneer cheese, cubed
- 2 handfuls kale, optional
- salt and pepper, to taste
- lime wedges, optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C.
- Get the cauliflower and peppers roasting. Scatter them in a large baking dish, toss with just enough oil to coat them all + salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven for 25 minutes, going in once at the halfway point to flip everything.1 small head cauliflower, 1 sweet red pepper, salt and pepper
- Meanwhile, get started on the sauce. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onions until soft, then throw in the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute until fragrant.1 white onion, 2 Tbsp garlic, 2 Tbsp ginger
- Add the curry powder and garam masala and mix through – if the pan is dry and everything is powdery, pour in some extra oil. Once the aroma hits the air, move on quickly (we don't want the spices to burn or stick).2 Tbsp mild curry powder, 1 tsp garam masala
- Add the tomato paste and saute for a minute or two – we want a rich aromatic paste to form in the pan so again, add some extra oil if it's too dry.1 Tbsp tomato paste
- Add the coconut milk and half of the mangos (1 cup) to the pan and stir through. Add salt and pepper to taste – I would recommend about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Leave to simmer on a very low heat, covered, until the cauliflower is 5 minutes away from finished.2 cups frozen cubed mango, 14 oz canned coconut milk, salt and pepper
- Puree the sauce with a hand blender, or by transferring to a jug blender and then back to the pan.
- Add in the kale and the other half of the mangos to the sauce. Let it simmer for a few minutes until the mango is defrosted and the kale starts to wilt down a little, then you can turn the heat off.2 handfuls kale, 2 cups frozen cubed mango
- The cauliflower and peppers are ready when the cauliflower is browned, with a few charred edges, and the peppers are soft and melty. Remove from the oven and add to the sauce (or if they're ready before the previous step is complete just set them aside while you catch up – they can go in later).
- Now fry the paneer. Heat a shallow layer of vegetable or peanut oil in a large frying pan, on a medium heat. Once the oil has heated up enough that a piece of paneer sizzles on contact, add all of the paneer cubes to the pan and fry for a minute or two on each side until golden. Stand as far back as possible while you do this – paneer has a habit of spitting oil from the pan.8 oz paneer cheese
- Add the paneer and the cilantro into the pan with the sauce. If your cauliflower and peppers weren't ready to be added earlier on, add them now too. Mix it all together and exhale – you're done!1/2 bunch cilantro (fresh coriander)
- Serve with rice and/or naan, and lime wedges if desired.
Would this work with a scotch bonnet pepper as we love dishes that are very hot.
I’ve never tried adding any chili to this dish (I am the opposite to you, I like things mild!) so I really couldn’t help with quantities but there’s no reason not to add some chili in here if that’s what you like. I just can’t advise on quantities. What I would do is add a little bit, try the sauce after blending, and then add more if you want to.
Awesome recipe! We used halloumi instead of paneer (what we had available). Next time I think I might add some habaneros cause mango is awesome with some heat!
can you freeze?
Yes this freezes great! 👍
This meal is a delicious treat! Easy to make, easy to follow instructions. Everyone loved it 🙂 I froze the leftovers and had them a couple of weeks later. Equally delicious. Thanks Christine!