April 26, 2010

Aaloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem



Aaloo Gobi: the quintessential Non-Indian's Indian Food. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this dish referenced, ordered and reviewed by people who were not of any Asian background. And there's nothing wrong with that, except that I'm Indian, and I don't eat aaloo gobi. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've eaten aaloo gobi (years?) . But I can tell you how many times I've cooked it : zero. That is, until tonight.

Somehow or another we ended up with lots of cauliflower in the house and after many unsuccessful attempts to get the kids to eat it raw, I decided it was time to cook it up into something more exciting than the only other cauliflower recipe I have. And that brings us to the very first time I made aaloo gobi.


I know for a fact there are many versions of this recipe floating around. Do as you like, add more of one thing, less of another. All measurements are approximate as I rarely measure spices in any dishes, especially Indian ones. Just taste as you go and personalize to your liking. This goes best with warm parathas or naan, but rice will do as well.




Aaloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) 
(serves 2 adults)


1 potato, peeled and cubes
1/2 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut up
1/2 onion, diced
1 tblsp garlic and ginger paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder (I doubled this amount, as we like it hot around here)
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste


1. Saute onions in a couple teaspoons of oil until translucent. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, garlic and ginger paste. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.


2. Add cubed potato, turmeric, red chili powder and garam masala. Stir until coated. Add enough water to come up half-way up potatoes. Cover and bring to simmer. Allow to cook until potatoes are half-way cooked.


3. Add chopped cauliflower (remember to salt as you go). Stir to combine all ingredients and cook until everything is tender, about 10 minutes. Add water as necessary.

15 comments:

  1. Assalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmathullahi wa Barakaathuhu!

    Muslim Wife to the rescuueee ----> lol...I was wondering what to cook for lunch today...and hence the above saying..lol..

    BarakAllahu feek sis!

    P.S: Love the new look! Masha Allah the orange looks so luscious and real enough to just pluck it from the screen! yummY!

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  2. UmmA, I've missed you! I'm flattered I was able to "save" your day ;) Did ya make it? How'd it turn out?

    Glad you like the layout...took a while to decide on something I liked, I'm still growing into this!

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  3. Mae bi etna aaloo gobi nay kahti. Ok, so the urdo aint gonna work! Lol. I eat aalooo thooo! Haha. =D I think i should give this a tryyy! I think my sis would like the recipee, she usually adds some kind of vegi in the salan, counting gobii!. =D So, how did ya like itt? =)

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  4. That to me is the most fascinating aspect of Indian cuisine - there are so many varieties of the same dish. This is the first recipe I have seen with mustard seeds.

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  5. Muslimah93: We're not fans of cauliflower at all, yet we all were pleasantly surprised with the final result, alhamdulillah.

    Shaylah: I'm not sure how authentic the mustard seeds are, but we make a shredded cabbage dish with lots of mustard seeds so I guess this is supposed to mirror that flavor. Is your recipe pretty much the same sans the mustard seed?

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  6. Yes, the technique is the same. The spices also include coriander and tomatoes (or tomato paste).

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  7. Assalaamu alaikum,

    I can't believe this was the first time you made Aloo gobi - cauli and potato were made for eachother and make such a yummy combo when cooked with Indian/Pakistani spices! Yours looks scrummy masha'Allah!

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  8. UmmIbrahim: me neither! I guess its not a common dish from the region we're from. But that's no excuse, I loved it! :)

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  9. As salaam aalaykum I'm soooo cracking up here!!! But your dish looks yummy mine is not the same recipe and with any desi recipe you can tweek it. I was shocked the idli and sambhar turned out on my first attempt Alhumdulilah I didn't see mil make it when she was here. But yes mashAllah ur mom is an awesome cook! Thanks for posting the garam masala recipe I've never made my own will try next time though in shaa Allah

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  10. UmmY: ( I know its you! :)) You HAVE to make your own garam masala at home, its SOOOO much better than any boxed, pre-made stuff. Good job with the idli, masha'allah!

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  11. Sorry for my bad english. Thank you so much for your good post. Your post helped me in my college assignment, If you can provide me more details please email me.

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  12. asalaamualikum.. im new to the US and am having difficuty finding halaal (non alcoholic) food colours and flavourings.. can you please let me know which brands you use so i can try to locate them--i love baking n so does my hub n kids. ive been here almost a year now and really miss those colours on my frostings!!:) i will really appreciate a reply.. (ps i live in new york) jazakillah khair- umme muhammad

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  13. Hello,
    I really love to cook your recipies! Im Polish but my husband is Indian and is little picky for food. He loves the meals which I cook from your website including the Indian meals. Is it possible for you to share some basic dahl recipie?
    Thanks one more time!

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Tell me what you think! As always, feedback and reviews are appreciated...happy cooking!