Alu Gobi (Sautéed Cauliflower and Potatoes)

Today's post is a quick dinner curry for any weeknight. Alu Gobi is a simple stir fry of potatoes and cauliflower sautéed in spices.  Everyone(who cook Indian food) does alu gobi in their own way using different spices. Today's recipe is my way of doing Alu Gobi.

It goes well with any kind of flat bread or rice

Ingredients

1 medium sized cauliflower cut into florets
2 potatoes cut into cubes
1tbsp of green peas (Optional)

Spice Ingredients:

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste (Fresh one is better use 2 garlic cloves and small fresh ginger piece crush and make a paste using stone mortar and pestle(1/4th inch thick of the size of 1 garlic clove))
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp to 1tsp red chili powder (As per your spice level increase or decrease)
1/4tsp turmeric powder
Salt as per your taste

Tempering
3 to 4 tbsp oil for sauté
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4tsp mustard seeds
4 curry leaves (optional)
Pinch of hing/asafoetida

Garnish:
1/2 tsp Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Procedure

In a thick bottomed skillet/ cast iron skillet add oil. Once oil is hot add tempering ingredients. Once mustard seeds start splattering add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 1 mt.  Now add cubed potatoes and let it cook for 4 to 5 mts till they are cooked a little.
Note: I don't add both veggies at the same time since Cauliflower takes less time to cook. When I first made "Alu Gobi" I used to add both veggies at the same time and I always used to end up in mushy curry since cauliflower used to become mushy by the time potatoes are cooked. Learned from my mom that I should semi cook potatoes first then add cauliflower to get nice sauté veggies.

After potatoes semi cooked add cauliflower florets and all the spices and mix well. Cover it with lid and let it cook on medium heat. Periodically check and mix to cook veggies evenly with all the spices.
If veggies are sticking to the skillet then add few more drops of oil or few drops of water to cook. This curry will give nice texture if it is cooked in cast iron or nonstick pan.  Once veggies are cooked adjust spices and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with roti or rice.