Crispy, spicy cauliflower with nicely browned potatoes – gobi aloo – is a North Indian favourite. Use this quick, easy recipe to impress everyone at home!
Ingredients:
- Half a large cauliflower, cut into florets, about 250g
- 2 small potatoes, about 125g
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 2-3 whole red chilies
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon coriander, ground
- ¼ teaspoon chili, ground
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1” ginger, grated about 1 tablespoon
- 3 tablespoon ghee, divided
- ¾ cup water
Instructions:
- Cut cauliflower into neat pieces and potato into halves or quarters according to the size. Allow to soak in a bowl of water.
- Heat ghee in a wok or large frying pan on high heat.
- Add cauliflower, potato, turmeric, and salt to hot ghee, and sauté until vegetables are light brown, about 8-10 minutes. If vegetables stick to pan, sprinkle a little water. Once cooked, turn off heat.
- Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a saucepan on medium heat; add fenugreek seeds and whole red chilies, and bay leaf.
- When fairly brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, add ground coriander, ground red chili and fry for half a minute. Add the water, and boil for 2-3 minutes or so, until you have a thick gravy.
- Add the fried vegetables and lower heat. Simmer covered for about 5 minutes. Add garam masala and ginger, and allow to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and serve hot with chapatis or parathas.* If vegetables become dry while simmering add a few tablespoons of water. If you like your cauliflower softer, then leave covered for another 5 minutes in the wok after turning off the heat.
Critical Ingredients:
Fenugreek seeds have a mild, bitter flavour, but if you leave them out no one is really going to notice. You can substitute potatoes with green peas. Don’t brown the peas, just sauté them along with the cauliflower. Ginger is critical, but dry red chilies can be substituted with green chili. I like the bay leaf flavour, but it can be left out! If you are vegan, use any unflavoured oil instead of ghee.
