Quick Indian Potato and Cauliflower Masala for Weeknights

TL;DR

Aloo Gobi means Potato (Aloo) and Cauliflower (Gobi) in Hindi, a language commonly spoken in Northern India.

This vegetarian spiced curry is a one-pot, quick, almost effortless dinner meal. Instead of using ground or whole spices, I chose to use a curry powder to flavor this dish.

Curry powder is a Western invention, and it doesn't exist in India. That said, in India they use other spice blends to make this type of dish, such as Garam masala.

Yet, I always came across curry powder in the West, but rarely did I encounter Indian spice blends, and therefore I chose to season this curry with curry powder.

The dish has bold flavors, but you won't encounter any unbearable heat. The aloo gobi is a great Indian food alternative for Western palates.

Ingredient Notes

• Potatoes — I like a quick cooking potato variety, which keeps its shape, is both waxy and starchy. A good choice is Yukon Gold.
• Cauliflowers — classic cauliflower florets. You can try using different seasonal cauliflower varieties, such as yellow or purple cauliflower, if you encounter some in your grocery store. They add color to the dish but taste the same.
• Onion — a purple onion variety is prepared, sliced.
• Tomato — fresh tomato diced.
• Green Chili Pepper — Commonly added to curries in India. You can skip that if you don't want heat or if you struggle to find fresh green chili peppers in stores. I don't recommend other chili pepper varieties, as they will change the flavor profile.
• Olive Oil — or a seed oil of your choice, such as sunflower or canola oil.
• Ginger + Garlic — Ginger and garlic are turned into a smooth paste that incorporates really well into the curry. As an alternative, you can grind fresh ginger and garlic. I prefer a ready-made paste. The paste adds flavor but also helps thicken the curry.
• Turmeric Ground — For extra flavor and bright yellow color. You can skip that if your curry powder is very yellow. Most curry powders are not that yellow and are instead brownish when added to the food.
• Curry powder — Use either a German, a British, a Thai, or an Indonesian curry powder.
• Salt & Black Pepper Ground
• Tomato Sauce — To build the curry sauce.
• Table cream, sour cream, heavy cream, or half-and half — for the sauce as well.
• Water or Broth — Broth adds extra umami flavor, but water does the trick too. The choice is yours. I, personally, tend to add water only.
• Cilantro — Fresh to garnish (I used culantro in the pictures).

Serving

• over plain cooked rice (basmati, parboiled, brown rice)
• with flatbread such as plain or ghee Chapati/Roti/Pulkha
• with bread
• with various Indian-flavored vegetable stir-fries.

Storing

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge. Reheat in the oven or microwave gradually or in a pan over the stovetop.

This dish can be meal prepped as well. Prepare a large batch and refrigerate for the workweek in smaller batches or freeze for another day.