Happy New Year!

This is a perfect dish to make after all the feasting. On days when you want a quick side for rice or bread/roti/naan, Aloo Gobi is a quick and easy dish to make. It is a common dish in most Indian restaurants. This is also a dish made in most Indian homes.

Usually, this is a one-pan dish where you can fry the vegetables in the pan. This time, I tried roasting the vegetables first. This made sure that the vegetables were not mushy or overcooked and had a good bite. I did not have to stand next to the stove and watch the veggies. But you can directly add it to the pan and fry and I have done this many times too.

Ingedients

• 1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 large potatoes, diced 1 inch pieces
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil + 1 tbsp oil or ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, finely chopped or grated
• 2-3 big cloves of garlic (4-5 small sized cloves of garlic), finely chopped or grated
• 1-3 green chillies (depending on spice level), finely chopped
• salt to taste
• coriander leaves (cilantro) 1 tbsp chopped
• Masala (Spices) – 1/4 tsp asafetida
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2-1 tsp red chilli powder (depending on spice level)

Directions

• Once potatoes are diced, add to a bowl of water and let it sit till you are ready. This avoids oxidation of potatoes. Drain before use
• Heat oven to 425F
• In a bowl take the cauliflower and potato and toss with 1 tbsp. oil and salt to taste
• Spread the vegetables on a pan with parchment paper/aluminum foil and roast for 20 minutes
• You can avoid these step and start with the next step if you do not want to roast veggies first. Then use 2 tbsp. oil or (1 tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. ghee)
• Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp. oil or ghee
• Add cumin seeds. To this add onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies
• Sauté till onions are golden brown
• In a small bowl, add asafetida, cumin powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Add 2 tbsp water and mix
• Add this spice mixture to the pan and sauté for a few minutes
• Add potatoes and cauliflower and mix well
• If using roasted vegetables sauté for about 5 minutes on a low flame.
• If not roasting, add potatoes and cauliflower, mix and cover and let it cook on a low flame for 10-15 minutes.
• Add cilantro (coriander leaves), mix and serve hot
• Goes well with roti/ naan, rice or in a quinoa/ rice bowl. This will also go well with a side with meat (think meat and potatoes)
• Leave out the ghee and this dish is vegan
• ENJOY!