Home-Style Aloo Gobi

I am getting ready to move, so I am faced with the familiar challenge of using up all of the contents of my refrigerator. I saw the head of cauliflower and remembered a recipe my mum used to make that involved turmeric, ginger, and onions. Here's a variation on that recipe including potatoes and some hot peppers. My mum's recipe came from this old 1970's cookbook on Northern Indian cooking by Madhur Jaffrey. In the recipe, MJ makes a huge deal about breaking apart your cauliflower florets consistently and trust me, it's completely worth it. Otherwise they just crumble apart and you're left with a sloppy mess. There are lots of variations on this dish, so feel free to get creative. Peas make a great addition. Serve this on rice or on it's own and take it to potlucks!

1 large yellow onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
3 cm X 2 cm piece of fresh garlic, about 2 Tbs. (peeled and chopped)
1 medium-large head of cauliflower (cut into 3 cm. florets)
2 medium-sized potatoes (peeled and cubed)
4 Tbs. olive oil
2 hot peppers (minced, optional)
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. salt
juice of 1/2 lime
fresh cilantro

In a food processor, chop the onion, garlic, and ginger until the pieces are very fine. Add a few tablespoons of water if necessary. Heat your oil in  a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the onion-ginger-garlic paste in the oil for a 5 or so minutes. Add the hot peppers if you choose to use them. Next add all of the dry spices and fry for a minute. Add your potatoes and a half cup of water and cover, allowing the potatoes to cook. After 10 or so minutes, add the cauliflower and the salt and some more water if necessary. Let cook until potatoes and cauliflower are both tender (another 10-15 minutes). Remove from heat, add some fresh ground pepper and the juice from 1/2  a lime and voila! Serve over Basmati rice or with some plain soy yogurt. Top with fresh cilantro.

Still eating dinner outside in Texas,
NRG