Curried Cauliflower and potatoes
GOBHI ALOO SABJI
Recipe from Yamuna mataji
Potato spears and cauliflower flowerets are browned in spices over
strong heat to bring out their rich, deep flavors and are then gently
cooked to tenderness with tomatoes. Nether dry nor wet, this dish has a
succulent, moist texture that is somewhere in between. You can vary the
flavor with tomatoes, using green, Italian plum or ripe reds.
Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 5 or 6
2 hot green chilies, stemmed, seeded and cut length wise into long slivers (or as desired)
½ -inch (1.5 cm) piece of scraped fresh ginger root, cut into thin julienne
1 teaspoon (5 ml) cumin seeds
½ teaspoon (2 ml) black mustard seeds
4 table spoons (60 ml) ghee or a mixture or vegetable oil and unsalted butter
3 medium-sized potatoes (about 1 pound/455 g), peeled and cut into spears
2 ½ * ½ *1/2 inches (6.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 cm) long
1
medium–sized cauliflower (about 2 pounds/1 kg), trimmed, cored and cut
into flowerets 2 ½ * ½ *1/2 inches (6.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 cm) long
2 medium-sized red or green tomatoes (about ½ pound/230 g), quarted
½ teaspoon (2 ml) turmeric
2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground coriander
½ teaspoons (2 ml) garam masala
1 teaspoon (5 ml) Jaggery or brown sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons (6 ml) salt
3 table spoons (45 ml) coarsely chopped fresh coriander or minced parsley lime or lemon wedges (optional)
1.
Combine the chilies, ginger, cumin seeds and mustard seeds in a
small bowl. Heat the ghee or oil-butter mixture in a large nonstick
saucepan over moderately high heat. When it is hot but smoking, pour in
the combined seasonings and fry until the mustard seeds turn gray,
sputter and pop. Drop in the potatoes and cauliflower and stir-fy for
4-5 minutes or until the vegetables pick up a few brown spots.
Add
the tomatoes, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, sweetener, salt and
half of the fresh herb. Stir well, cover and gently cook over low heat,
stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are
tender. You may want to sprinkle in a few table spoons (45 ml) of water
if the vegetables stick to the bottom of the pan, but stir gently to
avoid mashing or breaking them. Serve with the remaining fresh herb and
garnish with lemon or lime wedges, if desired