Aloo Gobhi, literally means Potatoes and Cauliflower and is a quintessential Indian vegetable dish (sabzi). I am not sure exactly which part of India it originated in. But I am pretty sure that now it has become a staple in most Indian households. Although each family recipe will have their own variations, all of them typically use some key spices like mustard seeds, cumin and coriander powder. This is my simple recipe for Aloo Gobhi that goes well with rotis or naan or any other kind of bread. This is really one of my favorite sabzis to cook at home whenever we have ‘chapati sabzi’ for dinner.
One of my friends loves to eat Indian food but she rarely has the time to cook due to her work related travels. She had asked me to give her a simple recipe that she could cook at home occasionally. I decided to share this recipe with her and she was indeed able to successfully cook this dish!
This dish has really very simple mildly aromatic flavors and is not overpowering to those not used to a lot of spice and heat. It is perfect for a weeknight simple meal. Nowadays, on my Paleo diet I eat this sabzi with my homemade cassava rotis. I also occasionally substitute ‘taro root’ for potatoes. It is yummy either way!
- ½ of a medium size cauliflower, cut up into florets (about 3 cups of chopped florets)
- 1 large potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes(about 2 cups)
- ½ cup of fresh green beans (finely chopped) (optional)
- 2 tsp olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ of a medium size red onion, cut into thin long slices
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper - if you want it mild, add only ¼ tsp)
- ½ tsp freshly chopped ginger(optional)
- 3-4 fresh curry leaves
- ½ of a small tomato chopped (optional)
- for garnish:
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves chopped finely
- 2 spring onions chopped finely
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- Take a wok style pan (kadai) and add the oil to it.
- Once the oil gets slightly hot, add the mustard seeds and cover with a lid till the spluttering stops.
- Next add the cumin seeds and the fennel seeds.
- Then add the sliced onions and sauté for about a minute. then add the curry leaves and all the chopped vegetables.
- Next add the salt, turmeric , red chilli powder and the ginger and mix well so that the vegetables are well coated with the spice mixture.
- Cover with the lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat(stir after 2 minutes to make sure the veggies are not sticking to the pan).
- Check to see if potatoes are well cooked.
- If adding tomatoes, add them now and cook for another min.
- Turn the heat off and garnish with chopped cilantro, spring onions and a dash of lime juice.
- Serve with warm rotis!
