Thursday, November 5, 2009
Aloo Gobi
So, the husband comes home the other day and asks to see the pictures.
What pictures, I ask him.
The ones you clicked of the aloo gobi, he responds.
(As you can seee, he has become very conditioned to this cooking-clicking-reviewing the pictures-then finally eating routine).
But I didn't click any, I tell him
Oh, aren't you going to blog about it, he queries.
Blog? About aloo gobi? No, not really, I tell him.
For one, it is the most basic of veggies. Everyone knows how to make this.
Ahem, he smiles. Everyone knows how to make it, he repeats.
For, a long time ago, aloo gobi was my nemesis. I'd never get it right - either the potatoes would be burnt or the gobi (cauliflower) would be mushy and over-cooked. But then, one learns!
So well, yes, I know that aloo gobi is one of the easiest of all veggies that one can make. That almost everyone has their own perfect way of making it. Here's mine.
Ingredients:
Cauliflower, broken into florets - 1 1/2 cup
Potato - 1 large, peeled and cut into cubes
Ginger - 1 tbsp, grated
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Dry masalas: cumin powder - 1 tsp, coriander powder - 1.5 tsp, turmeric - 1/2 tsp,
aamchur - 1/4 tsp, red chilli powder - to your taste
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Salt
Chopped coriander
Method:
Par-boil the potatoes with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil and fry the cumin seeds until they begin to splutter. Add the cauliflower florets and the ginger and stir on high heat for about 5 minutes.
Add in the par-boiled potatoes, all the dry spices and salt and stir till all the vegetables are evenly coated by the spices. Cover and cook on a low flame for a further 10 mins or until the vegetables are cooked, stirring frequently.
Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rotis.
Notes:
As far as possible, avoid adding any water when making aloo gobhi, else the cauliflowers will look quite wilted. If the veggies start sticking to the bottom of the pan, just sprinkle a few drops of water.
You could also add some green peas or carrots to make a more colourful dish.
I sometimes substitute the cumin SEEDS with kalonji or panch phoran to change the taste a bit.
The stalks and leaves of the cauliflower are edible and nutritious. If you have the time, combine these with some mushrooms, tomatoes, salt, garlic, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves to make vegetable stock. Freeze the stock in ice trays and use it to flavour your soups or to cook pasta.
What pictures, I ask him.
The ones you clicked of the aloo gobi, he responds.
(As you can seee, he has become very conditioned to this cooking-clicking-reviewing the pictures-then finally eating routine).
But I didn't click any, I tell him
Oh, aren't you going to blog about it, he queries.
Blog? About aloo gobi? No, not really, I tell him.
For one, it is the most basic of veggies. Everyone knows how to make this.
Ahem, he smiles. Everyone knows how to make it, he repeats.
For, a long time ago, aloo gobi was my nemesis. I'd never get it right - either the potatoes would be burnt or the gobi (cauliflower) would be mushy and over-cooked. But then, one learns!
So well, yes, I know that aloo gobi is one of the easiest of all veggies that one can make. That almost everyone has their own perfect way of making it. Here's mine.
Ingredients:
Cauliflower, broken into florets - 1 1/2 cup
Potato - 1 large, peeled and cut into cubes
Ginger - 1 tbsp, grated
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Dry masalas: cumin powder - 1 tsp, coriander powder - 1.5 tsp, turmeric - 1/2 tsp,
aamchur - 1/4 tsp, red chilli powder - to your taste
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Salt
Chopped coriander
Method:
Par-boil the potatoes with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil and fry the cumin seeds until they begin to splutter. Add the cauliflower florets and the ginger and stir on high heat for about 5 minutes.
Add in the par-boiled potatoes, all the dry spices and salt and stir till all the vegetables are evenly coated by the spices. Cover and cook on a low flame for a further 10 mins or until the vegetables are cooked, stirring frequently.
Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rotis.
Notes:
As far as possible, avoid adding any water when making aloo gobhi, else the cauliflowers will look quite wilted. If the veggies start sticking to the bottom of the pan, just sprinkle a few drops of water.
You could also add some green peas or carrots to make a more colourful dish.
I sometimes substitute the cumin SEEDS with kalonji or panch phoran to change the taste a bit.
The stalks and leaves of the cauliflower are edible and nutritious. If you have the time, combine these with some mushrooms, tomatoes, salt, garlic, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves to make vegetable stock. Freeze the stock in ice trays and use it to flavour your soups or to cook pasta.
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My hubby has no idea what i blog , the only things he says when he hear lots of click sound he tells she is busy with her hobby which fattens all of us :-)
ReplyDeleteBut then he do encoorage me when i biy pots etc for my blog.
Your hubby is righ there are ppl who don't know how to make this dish, i didn't know how years ago too.
Me too learnt aloo gobi recently only and yes,there are people who are still learning cooking,so definitely every recipe we post may help some one some day :)
ReplyDeleteAddin amchur powder is new to me,will try :)
Lovely dish, my all time favourite...gorgeous dish dear!
ReplyDeletehey AD,
ReplyDeleteAfter moving into our new house, one of the first dishes I tried out was ur recipe for baingan bharta...o ...yummy it was and a super hit it turned out to be..thanks!
Coming to aloo gobi, I've had my shares of burnt dishes of this one ;)neways...the pic says ur aloo gobi turned out fab!! looks cool!
tc
Mmm...delicious comfort dish!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you write, there are lot of people who don't know Aloo Gobi. Many things might be comfort food for one, but not all know these comfort dishes of a household and finally Aloo Gobi looks so delicious.
ReplyDeleteeasy simple recipe.....
ReplyDeleteI bet there is more people looking for a basic recipe.
ReplyDeleteEveryone learn from mistakes, my husb doesn't know what i blog or click neither follow my blog!
Pretty much the same way I do!
In my case, my pet peeve is my aloo gobhi is not the same as mom's. But then, nothing ever is :)
ReplyDeletelovely post and allo gobhi is my fav,..
ReplyDeleteLove gobi in all forms..luks tender and nice.
ReplyDeleteYou both are right. Some people don't know how to cook, aloo gobi or anything at all! I did not know how to cook your way. I usually cook the potatoes a little bit in the kadhai before adding the cauliflower. Never tried it with ginger but will give it a try since I love ginger in everything.
ReplyDeletehi,
ReplyDeletefirst time here...u ve a wonderful blog...all delicious recipes...if u ve time, do visit my blog!
I have this problem with Gobi too.. Either not cooked well or mushy...
ReplyDeleteIt takes practise or needs delegation (to hubby to do!).
Nice post!
HC, lol @ your husband's comment on your blogging hobby!
ReplyDeleteRak, same here - it is only now that I am confident about making aloo gobi.
Suparna, am I glad that you liked the bharta :)
Sanghi, Malar, Priyanka, Cham, Priya, Sailaja, S&M - thanks, you encouragement is so important!
Simran, you are spot on - nothing is ever as good as what mums make.
Jaya, I put ginger in almost everything, I too love the flavour it imparts.
Priya, thank you for visting, hope I can continue to engage you interest in my blog :)