Since knowing Piyush and his family, I have eaten–and grown to love–foods I swore I didn’t like. Foods I absolutely, positively hated. Foods like: cucumbers, chilies,tomatoes (unless they were served in a bottle clearly marked HEINZ–I love ketchup) and the oh-so-dreaded cauliflower!
On the (very) rare occasions that my mom prepared this unpopular–at least in my household–white vegetable, it was either served raw with ranch dressing (I hate ranch!) or boiled until it turned to mush. It smelled funny; and I didn’t like it.
I had completely banished cauliflower from my life.
That is, until I tasted aloo gobi.
Aloo Gobi: Indian Spiced Potatoes and Cauliflower
I don’t quite remember the first time I tried this dish, it was so long ago; but I can tell you that it changed my life.
It taught me that vegetables could–and do–have flavor. This simple–yet complex– vegetarian dish also helped me to realize that vegetables don’t have to be mindlessly tossed on my plate alongside a giant hunk of chicken.
Instead, they can shine on their own; as a flavorful and filling meal.
Aloo Gobi is an easy, and very inexpensive, dish to make on a busy evening. In it’s simplest form, it consists of potatoes, cauliflower and Indian spices. But Indians are very innovative, so you’ll find that every part of the country–and practically every household–has their own version; sometimes adding tomatoes, peas, curry leaves, or even a few squeezes of lime juice.
This is my basic version, but feel free to make the recipe your own. Add what you have on hand. Do you have some forgotten carrots in the back of your fridge? Are they sprouting little roots? Peel them, and toss them in! Personally, I think crushed peanuts would be a pleasant addition. Anything goes!…well, almost.
Toss in some slit chilies!
Aloo Gobi ( Spiced Potato and Cauliflower)
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Serves 4
This recipe will yield an incredibly delicious, but rather dry dish. If you would like to make this dish more like a curry, add a little water and some chopped tomato (about 1 roma tomato would be just fine). Aloo Gobi is delicious served with naan or rotis, and makes an excellent side dish!
Ingredients:
Directions:
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Indian spiced potatoes and cauliflower: Aloo Gobi
Tonight, because Piyush wanted something more than just the aloo gobi, I served it with some vegetarian momos. Momos are incredible, and if you haven’t tried them, you must! You can learn more about them, and find my recipe HERE.
Aloo Gobi with Vegetarian Momos
And now, because I’ve been talking about vegetables, I thought I’d share a few shots of stuff from my garden. This heat-wave we’re currently experiencing is causing my plants to struggle a little, but overall they’re doing pretty good.
…and I have to admit, no vegetable tastes better than one you’ve grown yourself. I feel so excited when I pull something out of the dirt! And so proud! 🙂
This shallot became an awesome raspberry vinaigrette! I’ll share the recipe soon!
Heirloom Amish Paste Tomatoes. This plant was almost dead, but it’s been coaxed back to life!
Basil! I have a giant basil plant as the centerpiece on my outdoor table. It’s thriving, and smells so good!
And because it really is amazing….
It deserves a close-up! 🙂
My Fancy Pantry 