Today, we’re going to make a common dish in Indian cooking, which is Aloo Gobhi (potatoes and cauliflower) in 10 steps! The secret to good sabji (cooked vegetable) is the time it takes to soften the vegetables. It’s not all that complicated, it’s mostly time-taking and needs attention, so if you put in the effort, it’ll taste amazing!
Side dish for: 3-4 people. Prep Time: 5 minutes. Cook Time: 30 minutes. Note: pay attention to whether recipe asks for seeds, powder, or leaves – it matters!
Ingredients:
- 1 cauliflower (cut into bite-sized florets)
- 3 potatoes (medium, diced, uncooked)
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1/4 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)
- 1/4 tsp jeera seeds (cumin)
- small pinch of hing powder (asafoetida)
- 1/2 tsp haldi powder (turmeric)
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya)
- 1/2 tsp amchur powder (dry mango)
- Optional garnish: a few dhaniya leaves (coriander)
The Process:
1. Prep: dice/cut the vegetables, take all the spices out of your cupboard. You can have them measured ahead of time for convenience later on.
2. Heat the mustard oil in the pan at medium heat (you’ll preferably want a kadhai, or a wok style pan). The jeera should be sizzling or fizzing a bit when put in the oil, so to make sure the oil is at the right temperature, take a few jeera seeds to try it out.
3. Once the oil is at the desired heat, add the methi seeds, jeera seeds, hing powder, and haldi.
4. Add all the potatoes. Stir fry the potatoes in the oil for a bit.
5. Add all the cauliflower, and mix with the oil and potatoes for a minute.
6. Add salt (put less salt initially, can put more later). Stir fry for a few minutes. Cover the vegetables for a minute with a lid. Pro tip: make sure you keep the heat at medium (too high will blacken the sabji, too low will bring out the water from the cauliflower).
7. Remove the lid and flip the vegetables so that all of the pieces are able to get the heat and none of them blacken. Repeat this step until the sabji is browned.
8. Once mostly cooked, add the dhaniya (tan-colored) powder. Stir some more and let the sabji sit for 30 seconds.
9. Finally put amchur powder (white colored) and stir fry until the powder is fully mixed in. Taste one cauliflower to taste-test for salt, and add more if needed. If the vegetables are not blackened and still a little hard, let them soften in the heat until they are well done.
10. Put in a decorative bowl, garnish with chopped dhaniya leaves (optional) and serve!
