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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
20 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
Aloo Gobi (in Hindi: Potatoes Cauliflower) is one of the simplest Indian dishes to cook at home. If I remember correctly, we ate it almost once or twice a week growing up. Though aloo gobi originated in the northern region of Punjab in India, it’s a popular dish across the country.
There are many different ways to cook this dish, some include flavoring the oil with curry leaves, while others might include the addition of fresh tomatoes to provide a more sauce-like base. On those nights when you want to cook something easy yet hearty and flavorful, this might just be the recipe you want to turn to.
I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to prepare aloo gobi, which also happens to be the way I loved eating it as a kid. For me, it’s all about adding the peas. Technically, this would now be called aloo gobi mater, mater being the Hindi word for peas. The peas not only add a spot of color to the dish, but they also bring a fresh sweetness to the vegetables.
Traditionally, this dish is served with plain basmati rice or some type of Indian flatbread such as roti or paratha along with a little bit of plain unsweetened yogurt on the side. —Nik Sharma
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Ingredients
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2 tablespoons
ghee or vegetable oil
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3
dried bay leaves
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1/2 cup
red onion or shallots, thinly sliced
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1 tablespoon
peeled and julienned ginger
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1/2 teaspoon
garam masala (you could go up to 1 teaspoon if you want a stronger flavor)
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1/2 teaspoon
ground turmeric
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2 cups
halved baby potatoes
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3 cups
cauliflower florets
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1 cup
peas, fresh or frozen
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1 teaspoon
fine grain sea salt
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1/2 teaspoon
fresh lime juice
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1 tablespoon
cilantro leaves, freshly chopped
Directions
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Heat the ghee in a large wok or skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, drop the bay leaves and allow them to sizzle in the oil for 10 seconds.
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Add the onions and sauté until they start to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the garam masala and ground turmeric and stir to cook for another 30 seconds.
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Fold in the potatoes and stir to coat them with the spices. Cook for 2 minutes with occasional stirring.
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Add the cauliflower to the wok and stir to combine. Cover with the lid and allow to cook for about 15 minutes on medium-low heat with occasional stirring, or until the cauliflower and potatoes are firm but just tender.
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Fold in the peas and salt and cover the wok with the lid and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, until the peas are tender. Remove the wok from the pan. Drizzle the fresh lime juice over the vegetables and garnish with the cilantro leaves. Serve hot with rice or an Indian flatbread such as roti or naan.
Nik Sharma is a molecular biologist turned cookbook author and food photographer who writes a monthly column for Serious Eats and the San Francisco Chronicle and is a contributor to the New York Times. His first cookbook, Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food, was a finalist for a James Beard Foundation award and an International Association of Culinary Professionals award. Nik resides in Los Angeles, California and writes the award-winning blog, A Brown Table. Nik's new book, The Flavor Equation will be released in October 2020.
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