Aloo Gobi

Aloo = potatoes and gobi = cauliflower. This dish and its variations are some of the most basic staples in my parents' house. By variations, I mean that the spices and the method of cooking stay the same, but the vegetables vary. You can use basically any vegetable you like (for example, the snow peas were a random addition because I had some leftover from another dish). The generic term for this kind of dish is "subzi", so if you want to use other vegetables but still sound exotic just say that :). The standard veggies I use are cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, romanesco broccoli (this stuff is amazing--the taste of broccoli, consistency of cauliflower, but better than either), okra, green beans, bell peppers, and--my personal favorite--tindola (it's sort of like a 2" cucumber, with the consistency of a squash. sort of. hard to explain, and hard to find in the US). If you add tomatoes, eggplant, onions, spinach, you can make it a little soupier and eat with rice (or kichdi, a mixture of rice and lentils--carbs and protein in one shot, yay!). But I'll save a post about that for another day...

Aloo Gobi
yield: ~ 2 small servings

1 small head of cauliflower (I use a head that's ~2-3: in diameter--something I've only ever seen at the farmers' mkt in Mt View--but feel free to scale up the recipe or only use ~1/3 of a normal-sized head)
1 large russett potato, peeled
10 snow peas (~a handful)
~1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1 Thai green chili (optional--if using this, be careful, it will be spicy! consider omitting the cayenne pepper)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns (you can use ground pepper too, but it will make the whole dish look darker--personally I like it bright yellow)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin-corriendar powder
1/8 tsp gaharam masala
1 tsp salt

Cut the vegetables into cubes/small pieces. Any size is ok, smaller pieces cook faster, so the size will be a function of your personal preference and how much time you have. Keep the vegetables segretated. Since different vegetables require different cooking times, you'll want to put them into the pan separately.

Heat vegetable oil and mustard seeds in a skillet over medium-high heat. Use enough oil to coat the pan generously (but doesn't have to be TOO generous). Stay close by, because the mustard seeds will begin to pop as they heat up. Allow to pop for ~30 seconds, and then add the garlic and ginger pastes and the chili pepper if you're using it. Stir to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. After ~30 seconds, add the remaining spices and the potatoes (or whichever vegetable takes the longest to cook), and stir to evenly coat the potatoes with the spices. If the potatoes seem to be sticking (as they will if you're using a non-nonstick pan), add a few tablespoons of water. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan. Stir the potatoes occasionally and if they seem to be sticking feel free to add more water (but just add a little at a time--if you add too much then you'll have to boil it off). Once the potatoes are about half done, add the remaining vegetables and stir thoroughly to get some of the spices onto the newly added veggies. Again, cover and allow to cook until the vegetables are done to your liking. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Garnish with cilantro (if you must--personally I can't stand cilantro haha) and serve with bread of some sort. My favorite is roti or paratha, but naan would be fine too. Serve it hot, but it will keep for a day or so.


My variations/recommendations:
-If I'm making this with okra or broccoli, I generally omit the cayenne pepper, turmeric, and cumin-coriendar powder and I do use a green chili.
- I like to use the combination of zucchini, yellow squash and a little bit of spinach.
- Potatoes are a standard addition to any other vegetable