1 to 1.25 teaspoons Ginger-Garlic Paste or 1 inch ginger and 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves crushed in a mortar-pestle
2 to 2.5 cups finely chopped tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch or ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
2.5 to 3 cups chopped cauliflower florets or 1 medium-sized cauliflower
2 to 2.5 cups diced potatoes or 2 medium-sized potatoes
2 tablespoons cream – whipping cream or heavy cream or 3 tablespoons light cream or cooking cream
½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed
¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala or tandoori masala powder
1.5 to 2 cups water or as needed
salt as required
Whole Spices
1 inch cinnamon
1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
2 to 3 green cardamoms
2 to 3 cloves
1 black cardamom
1 single strand of mace
Instructions :
Preparation – Recipe 1 For Aloo Gobi Curry (Restaurant Style)
First soak the cashews in warm water for 30 minutes. Then drain and blend them to a smooth paste with about 2 tbsp water in a grinder or blender.
Rinse and peel the potatoes and then dice them. Chop the onions and tomatoes finely.
Rinse and chop the gobi/cauliflower into medium sized florets.
Heat enough water with salt for the florets to be immersed in, on stove top or in the microwave.
Add the rinsed florets and keep them immersed in the hot water for 15 to 20 mins. This is to to get rid of the insects or worms that might be in the cauliflower.
Then drain the cauliflower and rinse once again with fresh water.
Note that the blanching of cauliflower is an optional step. Skip this step if you use a homegrown cauliflower or if the cauliflower does not have any insects or worms.
Making Aloo Gobi Curry
Heat the butter and oil in a pan and add all the whole spices or whole garam masala listed above. Saute till the spices become fragrant.
Then add the chopped onions and saute till they become golden.
Add the ginger-garlic paste. Stir and saute till the raw aroma of the garlic-ginger goes away.
Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté till the tomatoes become soft and pulpy. This takes about 5 to 7 minutes on a low to medium flame.
Add the cashew paste and all the spice powders one by one – turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder.
Stir and saute till you see fat coming from the sides of the masala paste.
The masala paste will start getting together and you will clearly see the fat leaving the sides. This process takes about 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium flame.
Keep stirring often so that the masala does not stick to the pan.
Add the cauliflower and the potatoes. Stir well. Then pour water and season with salt as required.
Do add water as required. Where we live, I get cauliflower which takes more time to cook. Thus I add more water. If the cauliflower takes less time to cook, then add less water.
Cover and cook the curry till the veggies are done but not falling apart. Stir for a few times when the veggies are simmering.
If the gravy (sauce) thickens too much then just add a few tablespoons of water and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Lastly add the garam masala powder, crushed kasuri methi and cream.
Stir and simmer the curry for half a minute without the lid. You can garnish with chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves if you prefer.
Serve the aloo gobi hot dotted with cream or butter and sprinkled with a pinch of garam masala, accompanied with rotis, naan or steamed basmati or cumin rice.
Recipe 2 – Dry Sautéed Aloo Gobi Sabzi
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons oil or ghee (clarified butter)
400 to 450 grams cauliflower or 1 medium sized cauliflower, florets removed and rinsed
300 to 350 grams potatoes or 5 to 6 medium size potatoes, sliced in wedges
1.5 to 2 inches ginger or 4 teaspoons chopped ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder (or deghi mirch)
salt as required
½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves for garnish – optional
Preparation – Recipe 2 For Dry Aloo Gobi Sabji
Directions:
First rinse 1 medium sized cauliflower in fresh water for a couple of times. Chop into medium-sized florets.
Boil water to which some salt has been added and take it a bowl or pan. Add the cauliflower florets.
Cover the bowl and blanch them in the hot water. I usually get cauliflower, which takes lot of time to cook. So I blanch the florets for 15 to 20 minutes. But you can blanch for a few minutes to 5 minutes.
After the blanching is over, drain all the water and rinse the florets once more if you prefer.
The step of blanching is optional and is only done if there are insects or worms in the cauliflower.
Meanwhile slice the potatoes in wedges.
Sautéing Potatoes
In a kadai or thick bottomed pan, heat oil or ghee. Lower the flame and add the aloo/potato wedges.
Stir the potatoes well and sauté them on a low flame or sim for 6 to 7 minutes. Stir a couple of times when sautéing them.
Sauté Cauliflower
Now drain the cauliflower of all the water and add them. Sauté cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes. Continue to stir often.
Add chopped ginger. Stir again very well. Spice up with turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt.
Stir again very well, so that the spices are mixed uniformly in the sabzi and coat the veggies also evenly.
Cover And Cook
Cover the pan with its lid tightly. Cook the aloo gobi 18 to 20 minutes on a low heat. Timing will vary with the size, depth and quality of the pan and flame intensity.
In between for a couple of times, remove the lid and stir well. Cover and then again continue to cook. Do not add any water. The steam inside the pan will help in the cooking of the veggies.
But in case if the vegetables starts sticking on to the pan then sprinkle some water. Mix and deglaze removing the stuck ingredients from the pan. Then cover with lid and continue to cook.
Once the potatoes and cauliflower have cooked, softened and fork tender, sprinkle garam masala powder and mix it with the entire sabzi.
Serve aloo gobi ki sabji with rotis or parathas and a bowl of curd or bread. The recipe also makes for a tiffin box brunch or lunch. If you want you can garnish aloo gobi sabzi with a few coriander leaves.
