Aloo Gobi (Indian Potato & Cauliflower Dry Curry)
Comforting, fragrant and bright — bite-sized potato and cauliflower florets spiced with cumin, coriander and a squeeze of lemon. A classic North Indian homestyle curry that's great with roti, rice or on its own.
Aloo Gobi is the sort of modest hero that turns up at every Indian family table — humble ingredients, big flavour. It’s a dry, spiced mix of potato and cauliflower where the spices should sing, not shout.
Make this when you want something cosy and vegetable-forward: it’s brilliant with warm rotis, plain basmati or even spooned over toast for an adventurous lunch. Little tips — parboil the veg, don’t mash them, and finish with lemon and fresh coriander for lift.
Ingredients
- 600 g cauliflower — cut into medium florets
- 500 g potatoes — about 3 medium, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 45 ml vegetable oil
- 5 ml cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) — optional
- 1 large onion — about 200 g, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic — minced
- 10 g fresh ginger — about a 2 cm piece, grated
- 1 green chilli — finely sliced, optional
- 5 ml turmeric powder
- 10 ml ground coriander
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml paprika — for colour — mild chilli powder is fine instead
- 200 g tomatoes — 2 medium, chopped (or 200 g canned chopped tomatoes)
- 10 ml salt — adjust to taste
- 75 ml water — approx — for steaming the veg
- 5 ml garam masala
- 15 g fresh coriander (cilantro) — chopped, for garnish
- 1/2 lemon — juice of half a lemon (about 15 ml)
Equipment
- large heavy-based frying pan or kadhai with lid
- saucepan for parboiling
- colander
- grater (for ginger)
Instructions
Prepare the veg: trim cauliflower into medium florets (roughly uniform size). Peel and cube potatoes into 2 cm pieces so they cook evenly. Finely slice the onion, grate ginger, mince garlic and slice the green chilli if using.
Parboil the potatoes: put the potato cubes into a saucepan, cover with cold salted water (about 1 cm above potatoes), bring to a gentle boil and simmer until just tender when pierced with a skewer (should offer little resistance but not fall apart). Drain and set aside.
Parboil the cauliflower: add florets to a separate saucepan of boiling water and cook 3–4 minutes until just tender; drain and transfer to a colander to steam-dry.
Heat a large heavy-based frying pan or kadhai over medium heat. Add the oil and when hot, add the cumin seeds and hing (if using). Fry until the cumin sizzles and becomes fragrant, about 20–30 seconds.
Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt. Sauté on medium-low heat until the onion is soft and golden at the edges, 6–8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, grated ginger and green chilli; cook for 45–60 seconds until fragrant. Then add turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin and paprika; fry the spices with the onion mixture for 30–45 seconds to wake them up.
Add the chopped tomatoes, stir and cook until they break down and the oil begins to separate from the masala, about 4–5 minutes. If using canned tomatoes, the same timing applies.
Gently fold in the parboiled potatoes and cauliflower florets. Sprinkle the remaining salt and pour in about 50–75 ml water (start with 50 ml). Mix carefully to coat everything in the spice mix.
Cover and cook on low–medium heat for 6–8 minutes to let flavours combine and finish cooking the veg. Check once halfway and give a gentle toss.
Uncover, increase heat for 2–4 minutes and toss gently to evaporate excess moisture and get a little colour on the potatoes and cauliflower.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle garam masala and chopped fresh coriander. Squeeze over the lemon juice, give a final gentle toss and serve hot.
Tips
- Parboil the potatoes and cauliflower separately and stop when just tender — that prevents a mushy final dish and helps you get a bit of colour later.
- If you want a bit of char on the cauliflower, finish on a higher heat, stirring gently so it colours but doesn’t burn.
- Fry ground spices briefly with the onion (30–45 seconds) — uncooked spice powder tastes raw.
- Make-ahead: the flavours improve after a few hours or overnight; reheat gently with a splash of water and finish with fresh coriander.
- To keep the curry dry (classic aloo gobi), use only small amounts of water; for a saucier version, add an extra 100 ml of tomato or water and simmer a bit longer.
Substitutions
potatoes → sweet potatoes (same quantity)
Noticeably differentvegetable oil → ghee (clarified butter) 3 tbsp
Stays closefresh tomatoes → 200 g canned chopped tomatoes (same quantity)
Stays closecauliflower → broccoli (same quantity)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 240
- Calories
- 6 g
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 350 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use frozen cauliflower?
Yes — thaw and pat very dry, then either fry straight in the pan to get some colour or steam briefly. Frozen cauli releases more water, so reduce added water and finish uncovered to dry off.
How do I make the curry spicier or milder?
For more heat, add another green chilli or 1/4–1/2 tsp chilli powder with the spices. To tame heat, omit the chilli and use mild paprika instead of hot chilli powder.
Can I cook this in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot?
Yes — sauté the onions/spices using the sauté function, then add veg and 50 ml water and cook on low pressure for 1–2 minutes. Quick-release immediately to avoid overcooking.
How long will leftovers keep?
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, 3–4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water.
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