A simple authentic recipe for Aloo Gobi (Indian-Spiced Potatoes and Cauliflower) that will delight your tastebuds. This easy stovetop method requires only one pan and is very simple to make. Serve it up with naan, fluffy basmati rice or roti! Vegan-adaptable and gluten-free.
Aloo Gobi is a simple yet delicious vegetarian dish from India featuring cauliflower and potatoes and fragrant spices. I could eat this every day!
We’re back from our three-week adventure in Northern India and I just couldn’t wait to share this recipe for Aloo Gobi with you. What I loved about the food on this trip was the incredible variety of veggies, delicious spice combinations and how it was all mostly vegetarian. Food heaven!
Simple ingredients, veggie-driven with incredible flavors. Pretty much my favorite way to eat. This recipe pretty much sums up the food experience, and I hope you give it a go! I think you’ll be happy. 😉
What is Aloo Gobi?
In Hindi, Aloo translates to potatoes and Gobi translates to Cauliflower. Aloo Gobi is a classic Indian (and Pakistani) dish that is vegetarian and varies slightly from region to region depending on where you are.
It’s a “dry” stir-fry of sorts, made with cauliflower, potatoes and spices- most commonly turmeric, whole cumin seeds and curry leaves.
Ingredients in Aloo Gobi
- ghee (or sub coconut oil or peanut oil– but ghee tastes best!)
- aromatics: shallot or onion, garlic and ginger
- fresh chili: serrano chile
- curry leaves (optional)
- salt and spices: teaspoon whole cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, ground turmeric powder, paprika (or red chili powder) asafoetida, ground coriander powder – or feel free to sub garam masala in a pinch!
- Fresh tomato
- Potatoes
- Cauliflower
- Garnishes: Cilantro or scallions
How to make Aloo Gobi
Saute shallot, garlic, ginger, and the serrano chili pepper in a large skillet with ghee (or sub coconut oil). Add whole cumin seeds, spices, curry leaves, and a diced tomato.
Cook this down until it is almost a paste. Add cauliflower florets, potatoes and a little water, and steam, covered for about 15 minutes.
Cut the cauliflower into small, uniform, bite-sized pieces.
Cook the spices and diced tomato down until it almost becomes a paste.
Here is where all the flavor comes from!
Add the cauliflower, potatoes, salt and water and cover and simmer until tender for 15 minutes.
Feel free to add other veggies here- green peas are good here too!
Once the cauliflower and potatoes are tender, uncover, and let all the liquid cook off, until fairly dry. Garnish with cilantro and, voila, it is done! Easy Peasy.
(Alternatively, you can roast the cauliflower and potatoes- but doing it this way( on the stovetop) saves a step and saves using an extra pan- so much easier!)
Uncover, then cook off any excess liquid. Give a taste and just heat level to your liking. If you want it spicier, and a little cayenne pepper.
Spoon it into a serving dish and scrape out all the goodness from the bottom of the pan, placing it over the top.
Garnish with fresh cilantro or scallions.
The tomato adds just the right amount of acidity. You can also try a pinch of mango powder if so inclined, or a squeeze of lime juice.
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or freeze for up to 3 months.
What to serve Aloo Gobi With?
- Emerald Dal
- Instant Pot Tikka Masala
- Palak Paneer
- Raita!
- Mint Chutney
- Indian Butter Chicken
- Basmati rice
- Naan Bread
- Authentic Chai!
- Chai Cookies!
And here you have it, tasty, delicious, easy… Aloo Gobi, straight from India.
xoxoxo
Print
Aloo Gobi Recipe (Indian-Spiced Cauliflower & Potatoes)
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: side, vegetarian
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Flavorful Aloo Gobi! Indian-Spiced Potatoes and Cauliflower with Masala Spices- an easy authentic healthy Indian classic that can be made on the stovetop! Vegan adaptable.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ghee (or sub coconut oil or peanut oil- but ghee tastes best!)
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 serrano chile, split down the middle, stem intact
- 8–10 curry leaves (optional)
- 2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika ( or chili powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
- 1 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 medium tomato, finely diced, with juices
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups diced potatoes ( 3/4 inch dice)
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into small bite-sized florets (about 5 cups)
- Garnish: Cilantro or scallions
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic, ginger and serrano chili and saute until fragrant and golden, about 3-4 minutes. Add curry leaves, cumin seeds and mustard seeds and saute 1-2 minutes.
- Lower heat and add remaining spices – turmeric, paprika, asafoetida, coriander- along with tomato with its juices. Cook the tomatoes down on low heat for about 4-5 minutes until they begin to break down.
- Add salt and water, give a good stir scraping up any browned bits.
- Add potatoes and cauliflower, toss to coat. Cover, bring to a gentle simmer over med-low heat and cook, covered until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and reduce, until all the remaining liquid is gone, stirring occasionally. You want this fairly dry ( the ghee will keep it moist).
- Spoon into a serving dish, scraping all the goodness out of the bottom of the pan over top.
- Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve with naan, basmati rice or roti!
Notes
Curry leaves and asafoetida can be found at Asian Markets and both really elevate the dish. Curry leaves can come fresh or frozen – so check the freezer section if you don’t see fresh. Be sure to freeze any remaining curry leaves for another use so you always have on hand! (A ziplock bag or mason jar works great)
Curry Leaves are completely edible after they are cooked, but feel free to remove them as they can be a bit “awkward” to chew on.
Ghee tastes amazing here, but of course, you can absolutely make this vegan.
Leftovers are twice as delicious, allowing potatoes and cauliflower time to absorb all the amazing flavor.
Alternatively, you can roast the potatoes and cauliflower in an oven until tender, then mix with the shallot-tomato-spice mixture ( leaving the water out).
Serve with Naan, basmati rice or roti.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 7.3 g
- Sodium: 664.8 mg
- Fat: 9.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.6 g
- Fiber: 7.4 g
- Protein: 6.7 g
- Cholesterol: 22.9 mg
So tasty! For this I always use olive oil, prepared mustard, kaffir lime leaves, a bit of cayenne to give it more of a kick and LOTS of fresh cilantro when serving. Just lovely over rice.
Thank so much Bowie, glad you are enjoying!
this was really easy and fast. I roasted the cauliflower and potatoes cut smallish in 25 minutes while I made the sauce (without the water and I forgot the chili and it was still really good, just not hot). I served it as a side dish to Indian Coconut Lentil Curry served over fresh baby spinach. With Roti as well – it was a great meal. thanks Sylvia
thanks Mert- glad you enjoyed this one!
This was amazing. Cooked it for my parents and they were a big fan. I went to the Asian market to get all of the spices which was a great experience!
Love it Brenna! Glad you all enjoyed.
Pretty good! Maybe not as flavorful as I was expecting. But I will definitely make it again since it was tasty and super fast. I did take a shortcut by using frozen sweet potato chunks and frozen cauliflower florets, which cut the cook time in half! Definitely a good weeknight meal when you’re about an inch away from baking a frozen pizza and decide to cook instead!
Wow, this was so tasty! I added Bella mushrooms; they worked well. I sautéed using small amounts of water rather than oil to cut down on fat. This worked well (learned to do this from forks over knives.com). The stew was still so flavorful. My daughter’s boyfriend said “Pam, this is soooo good! Is it really vegan?” I told him it was and he proceeded to tell me how good it was! Sylvia, your recipes are making me look like a superior cook—- Thank you! For this Aloo Gobi recipe, I made your mint & cilantro chutney and your avocado & cilantro sauce recipes. They were both outstanding and brought out the flavor of the Aloo Gobi. Both were so easy to make. I just love feasting at home.com!
Yay! So happy the recipes sare working for you.
Absolutely delicious!!
This was delicious! Love Indian cuisine, and this was very flavorful. Also subbed out the asafoetida for garlic/onion powder mixture. We will definitely make it again. We served with basmati rice and aloo naan.
This was such a treat! Did not have the asafoetida, (which I will be obtaining) however, read that you can use garlic and onion powder to somewhat replicate flavor so did that. Otherwise made exactly as recipe stated. Oh My Word! And if it’s better tomorrow?! I inhaled it! So delicious and authentic. Thank you, thank you Sylvia you never disappoint! Your site and recipes are getting me happily through the pandemic!
Thanks Connie!
Thank you Sylvia. Loved the recipe and cooked with some changes – added peas, part boiled potatoes beforehand and used 2 Thai chillies seeded as I didn’t have chile
Loved it! The seasoning is fantastic! I have always had a hard time knowing what to do with cauliflower. This is my new go-to!
Very yummy and easy!!
LOVED this recipe! It was so perfectly spiced and complex in flavor. We used roasted Romanesco in lieu of cauliflower because that’s what we had and it was just perfect. Thanks for another stellar recipe Sylvia
Perfect!
Asofetida blew my mind—I think it was the missing flavour element (that and old spices that I finally updated) in any of my Indian meals. Thank you for this! Best Indian food I’ve ever made.
Thanks- and yes asofetida is truly incredible!
Your Aloo Gobi was mouthwateringly delicious. It’s my new favourite curry dish. Thanks for your inspirational blog. I have shared it with friends and family.
Thanks Brenda, great to hear! 🙌
So delicious! I subbed jalapeno since that’s what we have in our garden. So flavorful and just the right amount of heat for me!
Perfect Diane! thanks so much!
Delicious, but not spicy! I ended up adding ground roasted dry chilis to the finished dish. I’m not 100% certain the Serrano chili pepper I used was not a jalapeño, because the store may have had them mismarked. I also had to use canned diced tomato, as my stores had no good tomatoes yet. I will make it again for sure, but likely will keep adding this chili powder because it means my husband and I can have different levels of spice!
Thanks,Maigen! Glad you enjoyed this!
Hi Sylvia,
I have made this recipe at least three times, and I love it. The first time, I made a mistake and it was so spicy!!! Really hot! But we ate it!
Since then, I have repeated it sometimes as I told you before, and every time it’s better.
So, thank you for sharing!!! And inspirying me, because, normally I don’t leave you any comment, but I have made a lot of your recipes, I love them all.
Best regards,
Awww, appreciate this so much Anabel!!! xoxo
Except for the fact that I burned the garlic on my first go-round and had to start again (sigh), this meal came together quickly and was very delicious. My 12-year-old son couldn’t get enough of it (“what is in this sauce?” as he shovels it into his mouth). My meat-loving teenager didn’t love it but admitted it “wasn’t too bad.” I will definitely make this again!
Awesome Molly!
So happy they liked it- sorry about your garlic, I do that too sometimes. ;(
Excellent! I roasted the potatoes and cauliflower.
perfect!
Just made this tonight and couldn’t be happier! Full disclosure my wife and I love Indian food and are familiar with aloo gobi and this didn’t disappoint! Thanks Sylvia
Great to hear, I’m happy you enjoyed!
I loved this, unfortunately my family didn,’t, I’m realizing they don’t like Indian flavors…uugghh
Oh shoot, sorry they didn’t like it. I think it is an acquired taste?
Yum! I made this last night opting to roast the vegies so they would get that crispy exterior. I think I will always do it that way. This was so so good with that added texture. It reminds me of hash and you could put a fried egg on it and call it breakfast! Also, I did not have the curry leaves or the asafoetida (not sure what that is!). I can’t imagine it could have been any better!
Tried this last night and the whole family loved it! Thank you, Sylvia.
Great to hear Anne!
Best version I’ve ever made!
Thanks so much for this recipe. Wonderful flavorful dish I will make often. I love your food combinations and presentation. Everything looks luscious.