Aloo Gobi

(originally posted on August 17th, 2004)

I was browsing the bonus material on the Bend it Like Beckham DVD recently (good movie, go watch it) and found a cool unexpected bonus: a recipe for my favorite Indian dish, aloo gobi. During this short 10-minute clip, the director of the movie (a British Indian woman) prepared the dish for us just like a cooking show. I prepared it, and it actually tasted very good…not bad for a recipe found on a DVD. Anyway here it is for everyone…

Ingredients

• Several tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, all chopped up
• Bunch of fresh cilantro (keep stalks and leaves)
• 2-3 small chilis, chopped
• 1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into medium-sized pieces
• 2-3 medium potatoes, cut into small pieces
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• Chopped garlic
• Fresh ginger, shreded
• 1-2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoons garam masala

Instructions

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the chopped onion and one tablespoon of cumin seeds to the oil. Stir together and cook until onions become golden.
3. Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt. Add chopped chilis (according to taste).
4. Stir tomatoes into onion mixture. Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly. Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few teaspoons of water, ensuring that the mixture doesn’t stick to the saucepan. Make sure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.
5. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
6. Add two teaspoons of garam masala and stir. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

Serves 4.