Aloo gobi is a delicious Indian dish served either as a vegetarian main, or a side dish with your favourite curry. It's made with potatoes and cauliflower which are sauted in spices with tomato and onions and takes only half an hour from pan to plate.
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Potato and cauliflower curry
Aloo gobi is a spicy Indian vegetable side dish that you can serve to complement your favourite curry. It goes particularly well with this chicken tikka masala or this beef madras curry.
It's a popular side dish in most Indian restaurants, and I always order either aloo gobi (this recipe) or saag aloo (potato spinach curry) whenever I'm out for a curry.
I love serving it at home too, because it's so quick to make. Once you've prepped the vegetables, you can have this aloo gobi cooked and ready to eat in half an hour.
The main thing to remember when making aloo gobi is that potatoes and cauliflower cook at different times. So to prevent the cauliflower from over-cooking and turning mushy, you should cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes before adding the cauliflower. That way, everything gets cooked at the same time.
Disclaimer - I'm not of Indian descent, so I can't lay claim to this being an authentic aloo gobi recipe. This is my version that I've made many times over the years, and it always turns out well. I hope you enjoy it too.
What you will need
Equipment
To make aloo gobi you will need a saute pan with a lid, which should be large enough to hold all the ingredients.
You will also need a sharp knife and a chopping board for cutting up the vegetables.
Ingredients
Depending on the size of your cauliflower, this recipe will make enough aloo gobi for 4 people as a main meal or 6 to 8 people as a side dish.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making aloo gobi on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Cauliflower - you will need a small head of cauliflower with the outer leaves and core removed, and separated into florets. You should find this will yield around 4 cups of florets.
Potatoes - peeled and cut into one to one-and-a-half-inch cubes. I used 4 potatoes - each about the size of a tomato. You could use 2 larger potatoes instead.
Onion - this should be peeled and cut into half-inch pieces. I used a small onion.
Spices - the spices for aloo gobi are turmeric (for the distinctive yellow colour), ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli flakes (or chilli paste), crushed garlic and ginger paste. You can use fresh garlic and ginger, but they should be very finely minced.
Salt - this is to your own taste. I like to taste and season once the aloo gobi has cooked.
Fresh coriander (not pictured) - you will need a small bunch of fresh coriander which has been finely chopped (roughly 3 tablespoonfuls). Some of the coriander will be stirred through the finished dish, and the remainder sprinkled on top for a garnish.
You will also need one to two tablespoons of sunflower oil for frying, and 1 cup of water. If you prefer, you can substitute the water with a cup of vegetable stock.
What to do
This is how you make my version of aloo gobi.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan (not too hot) then add the onions and spices and stir over a low heat until the onions start to turn translucent (about 5 minutes).
Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to stir until the tomatoes start to soften and break down.
Add the water (or stock) and the potatoes and cover the pan with a lid. Turn up the heat to a strong simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the potatoes are starting to soften, but are not fully cooked. The actual cooking time will depend on how large you cut your potatoes.
Stir in the cauliflower, replace the lid and continue to cook until the cauliflower is cooked. This will take between up to 10 minutes, once again depending on the size of your florets.
Stir occasionally to ensure the cauliflower is well coated in the tomato spice mixture.
If the potatoes and cauliflower start to dry out before they are cooked, top up with another splash of water or stock.
Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary.
Stir in most of the chopped coriander, then sprinkle the remainder on top for garnish.
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Aloo gobi FAQ
Yes, you can freeze leftovers, but they may become a little watery on defrosting, depending on how soft the cauliflower was cooked.
If you are making this dish specifically for the freezer, I would be inclined to undercook the cauliflower slightly.
In any event, this dish can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and then tip the contents of the freezer container into a saucepan and reheat until piping hot. Remove from the heat the moment it is hot enough so that you don't overcook the vegetables.
Potatoes take longer to cook than cauliflower. Cooking them first ensures the potatoes will be cooked through by the time the cauliflower is ready.
Aloo gobi translates from Hindi into English as potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi).
Save for later
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Other recipes
If you liked this recipe you may like to try some of my other Indian-inspired side dishes:
- Buttery garlic naan bread - the perfect accompaniment to a curry, made in only 15 minutes with 2-ingredient dough.
- Beef samosas with peas and potatoes - a spicy mix of peas and potatoes deep-fried in a crispy samosa pastry.
- Potato and onion bhajis - grated potatoes and onions mixed with spices and fried until crispy.
- Saag aloo - spinach and potato curry.
- Samosas with cheese and sweetcorn filling - grated cheese and sweetcorn mixed with spices and shallow-fried in a crispy samosa pastry.
📋The recipe
Aloo Gobi - cauliflower and potato curry
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 medium potatoes (or 4 small potatoes) peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 small onion peeled and diced (approx 1cm or ½-inch)
- 2 medium tomatoes diced (approx 1cm or ½-inch)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes or chilli paste
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (from a jar) or 2 large cloves of garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste (from a jar)
- ½ teaspoon salt or to your own taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower oil for frying
- 1 cup water or vegetable stock
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan (not too hot) then add the onions and spices and stir over a low heat until the onions start to turn translucent (about 5 minutes).1 small onion, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon dried ground coriander, 1 teaspoon dried ground cumin, ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes, 1 teaspoon minced garlic (from a jar), 1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, ½ teaspoon ginger paste (from a jar)
- Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to stir until the tomatoes start to soften and break down. This will take 2 to 3 minutes.2 medium tomatoes
- Add the water (or stock) and the potatoes and cover the pan with a lid, turn up the heat to a strong simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the potatoes are starting to soften, but are not fully cooked.2 medium potatoes (or 4 small potatoes), 1 cup water or vegetable stock
- Stir in the cauliflower, replace the lid and continue to cook until the cauliflower is cooked. If the potatoes and cauliflower start to dry out before they are cooked, top up with another splash of water or stock.1 small cauliflower
- Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary.½ teaspoon salt
- Stir in most of the chopped coriander, then sprinkle the remainder on top for garnish.1 small bunch fresh coriander
Notes
If you are making this dish specifically for the freezer, I would be inclined to undercook the cauliflower slightly.
In any event, this dish can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and then tip the contents of the freezer container into a saucepan and reheat until piping hot. Remove from the heat the moment it is hot enough so that you don't overcook the vegetables. Nutrition is based on the assumption that this dish will feed 8 people as a side.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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