So funny thing. I actually grew up eating a lot of really incredible authentic Indian food. My step father was from India and his side of the family often visited from India. So we naturally had to take them to the very best Indian restaurants we could find. Growing up outside of Washington, D.C. this was fortunately not that difficult. Our favorite place to go was The Bombay Palace in the heart of the capital. We would order family style which was a way we could all have a little bit of everything. It’s impossible to decide on just one things because truly every single Indian dish is mouth-wateringly delicious. Some of my personal favorites are: Butter Chicken (a.k.a. Chicken Makhani), Aloo Gobi, Papadums, Samosas with mint chutney, and of course a side of warm buttered naan.
Over the weekend I had a guest over for dinner who was from Pakistan. I had some potatoes and cauliflower so I was going to try to make Aloo Gobi for him since he is currently in med school and doesn’t get a lot of home cooked meals. I was a little nervous that it wasn’t going to stack up to what he grew up with but I figure he’d appreciate the effort if nothing else. I’d made it once before with my sis, so texted her for the recipe and she sent me a link to this Aloo Gobi by Manjula’s YouTube video. She made it look so easy, so I was pretty confident after that. I had almost all of the spices from the last time we made it but had to do a few substitutes. In the end, it turned out great! It tasted like the Aloog Gobi I remember eating at The Bombay Palace as a kid. And my Pakistani dinner guest was really excited about it and took some home. Before he left, he even told me a quick recipe for Aloo Gobi cakes using leftover Aloo Gobi. I promptly tried out his recipe for breakfast the next morning. Holy, holy, holy. I’m telling you these things were like little bites of heaven. So make a bunch of Aloo Gobi to be sure there is extra, then check out this recipe to make Aloo Gobi cakes.
Aloo Gobi - Indian Style Potatoes & Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 8 large potatoes thinly chunked
- 2 cups sliced cauliflower
- 3 tbsp freshly ground ginger I used frozen ginger cubes
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 3 tsp coriander
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- ½ green chili diced (I used a jalepeño)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp mango power I used lemon juiced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro I used cilantro paste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together grated ginger, cayenne pepper, turmeric, coriander, cumin and salt and water to form paste.
- Then in a large pot (I used a dutch oven), heat oil over medium-low. Add green chillies and bay leaves then the ginger paste. Then add cauliflower and potatoes and toss to coat in oil and herbs.
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes then remove lid and stir. Cover again and cook for another 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are softened. Add oil if needed to keep potatoes from sticking to pan.
- Right before serving, fold in cilantro and mango powder.
Amit Srivastava
Wednesday 25th of August 2021
You made crave for aloo gobhi. I couldn't eat it for months. I wish I could cook like you. I very poor in assessing ratio of spices. I have to cook of my own.