If there is a ubiquitous dish on the menus of Indian restaurants, both at home and abroad, this is
aloo gobi
.
Translated from Hindi;
potato and cauliflower.
A vegan delicacy, simple, tasty and inexpensive.
There are as many ways to make it as there are places to taste it.
It can be prepared with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, garam masala, asafoetida, ground mango, paprika and various peppers;
with curry, bay or fenugreek leaves;
with seeds of wormwood, coriander or cumin;
with coconut oil, ghee or butter;
with or without tomatoes, peas and nuts.
There are dried, creamy and even soupy aloo gobi and they are accompanied by basmati rice,
naan
or
roti
.
We have opted for a mix between the recipe of the Indian-British filmmaker Gurinder Chadha and that of Priya Krishna, author of the Indian-American cookbook Indian-ish.
Please, do not miss the video-recipe of the director of the film
Bend It Like Beckham
.
She prepares the dish in front of her mother and aunt.
It has no waste.
You will see that Indian midwives behave the same as Spanish midwives when their children cook in front of them.
Everything is open to criticism;
from the quantities of ingredients and the intensity of the fire to the order and cooking times.
There is also no shortage of classics such as "your countertop is a mess" and "the potatoes always have to peel."
How could it be otherwise, the mother ends up taking the frying pan by the handle, literally, and puts the daughter aside to finish making the dish herself.
Curiously, there is a scene in the film where the mother of the protagonist, a young British-Indian girl who aspires to be a professional footballer, insists that she learn to make aloo gobi and she snaps at him;
"Who wants to learn how to do aloo gobi when you can shoot like Beckham ?!"
From Priya's mother we have taken the idea of roasting the cauliflower and potato first before passing them through the pan.
In this way, they are neither greasy nor mushy.
Blessed mothers.
Difficulty
Easier than cooking in front of your mother without her criticizing you.
Ingredients
For 3-4 people
1 medium cauliflower
2 medium potatoes
1 clove garlic
1 small thin slice of ginger
1 small onion
1 medium ripe tomato
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of sweet, spicy or smoked paprika (according to taste)
1 small green chili (optional)
1 bay leaf
5 tablespoons olive or neutral oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 dash of lime or lemon juice
Coriander to taste
Preparation
Heat the oven to 200º.
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and cut into florets.
Peel the potato and cut it into wedges similar in size to the florets.
Line the baking tray with aluminum foil or baking sheet.
Put the cauliflower and potato on top, add three tablespoons of oil and stir with your hands without breaking up the florets until they are well soaked.
Spread the cauliflower and the potato in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven, stir carefully again and bake another 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and lightly toasted.
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic, ginger and onion.
Cut the chili in half, remove and discard the stem, the ribs and internal seeds with the tip of the knife.
Chop the chili very finely.
Separate the coriander leaves from their stems and chop the stems.
Cut the tomato in half, grate its pulp and remove the skin.
In a skillet, heat two tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.
Add the cumin seeds and sauté for a few seconds until they are lightly toasted, fragrant and start to sizzle.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the turmeric and paprika and stir for a minute or until the spices dissolve in the oil.
Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a few seconds or until they release their aromas and begin to sizzle.
Add the onion, green chili, bay leaf and coriander stems and fry for four minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Add the tomato, season, stir and cook for about eight minutes or until the tomato is reduced and thickened.
After 30 minutes in the oven, remove the tray.
Add the cauliflower and potato to the pan and mix carefully so that the florets do not fall apart.
Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally for five minutes or until the cauliflower and potato are fully cooked inside and have taken on the color of the spices.
Chop the coriander leaves.
Serve with a drizzle of lime and cilantro on top.
To serve.
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