Aloo Gobi – Potatoes & Cauliflower
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Make authentic homestyle Aloo Gobi with this easy step by step recipe. This is the kind of aloo gobi I grew up eating on everyday basis- made with simple ingredients, hearty and super comforting, especially when paired with a bowl of jeera rice and my favorite dal tadka. In my opinion, this Indian potato and cauliflower dish perfectly encapsulates what Indian home cooking is all about.
Aloo gobi (which literally translates to potatoes and cauliflower) must be one of the most popular vegetarian Indian dishes that’s made across the country. However, the point to be noted here is that there’s no one way to make it and every home has its own way of making it.
In my home, it was mostly as a dry sabzi (and that’s the recipe that I have shared here). But sometimes, mom also made it as a curry with plenty of sauce and we ate it with rice. The drier version is the most popular homemade aloo gobi especially in Northern India.
When I say everyone has their own way of making it, I mean not only in terms of whether it’s dry or with curry, I also mean in terms of what ingredients you put it in. Some make it with only onions, while others make it with onions, tomatoes and a whole bunch of spices.
Because it’s such a popular dish, it’s also cooked using different gadgets, I often make it in the Instant Pot, and I also do love how easy an air fryer aloo gobi is. Seriously, give it a try when you are in a rush.
Soggy Cauliflower in Aloo Gobi? Not Anymore with These Tips!
One common problem with aloo gobi is that when you cook it, the cauliflower becomes soggy, and you don’t want that. You want the veggies to be cooked and tender but not soggy. That kind of spoils the taste and texture of this dish. My mother is law makes a version where she deep fries the vegetables before adding them to the masala and while that helps in retaining the texture, we can’t deep fry vegetables for everyday cooking.
So, here’s how you can prevent that from happening.
- Half cook the cauliflower and potatoes before adding it to the onion-tomato masala. You can parboil the potatoes and cauliflower or bake them in the oven or do what I did – fry them in little oil until they are half cooked. This helps in retaining shape and texture and gives them more flavor. You don’t need to deep fry the vegetables (which you can reserve for festive cooking) but pan frying them in a little oil does the trick.
- Don’t cover and cook the cauliflower. I usually let the sabzi cook uncovered because covering generates steam and that tends to make cauliflower a little soggy. Cover and cook towards the end and remember to cook on flame.
- Add salt towards the end when the dish is almost done. Adding salt releases water which can further change the texture of the vegetables and make them soggy. Adding it towards the end when vegetables are mostly cooked helps in retaining the texture.
- After the sabzi is cooked, remove the pan from heat and let it sit covered for 5 more minutes before serving. This makes sure that the vegetables are cooked perfectly without getting overcooked.
Cut The Vegetables Thin & Small for Faster Cooking
To make sure the vegetables cook fast, cut them into small pieces and thin slices. The cauliflower needs to be cut into small florets. Similarly, if you dice the potatoes, dice them ½ inch thick or less and if you slice them, slice them ¼ inch thick. This way they cook quickly and evenly.
Does Cooking Oil Matter?
Honestly, you can make aloo gobi with any oil. But if you ask me, cooking aloo gobi in mustard oil gives it that raw and authentic taste. Mustard oil has a unique aroma and flavor which it imparts to the aloo gobi when you cook with it.
One thing to remember about mustard oil is that you need to heat it first until it’s smoking and then turn off the heat. Wait for it to cool down a little (because you don’t want the spices to burn) and then add the tempering. If you add the tadka/tempering while the mustard oil is just hot (and not smoking hot), your final dish will have that raw mustard oil taste which many people are not fond of.
Homemade Aloo Gobi
- Pan fry the vegetables first
To retain the texture of the potatoes and cauliflower, I like to pan fry them first in a little oil until they have some brown spots. You can also do this step in the oven, but I prefer doing it on the stovetop. Don’t steam the vegetables as that will make them soggy.
- Make the onion tomato masala
The base for this aloo gobi is made with onions, tomatoes and spices. Sauté the onions first for 2 to 3 minutes until they are translucent and then add the tomatoes and cook them until soft.
- Add the spices and cook the masala
Flavor the masala with coriander, turmeric, amchur, chili powder and then cover the cook the masala. Don’t add salt at this point.
- Toss in the potatoes and cauliflower
Once the masala is cooked through, toss in the pan-fried vegetables along with chopped cilantro and garam masala. Toss well using a spatula so that all the vegetables are coated with the masala. Now, let the veggies cook uncovered for 5 to 6 minutes on low medium heat.
- Add salt, cover and cook
Add the salt at this point and then cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, around 8 to 9 minutes on low medium heat. Keep stirring in between, you might need to add some water here, I did not add any. Once cooked, remove the kadai/pan from heat and let it sit covered for 5 more minutes. Serve hot!
Manali’s Tips
- I like using russet potatoes or gold potatoes for this recipe. Make sure to slice the potatoes into ¼ inch thickness so that they cook in the time mentioned above in the recipe.
- You may need to add some water to this recipe, I did not add any water but if you need to, add 1 tablespoon at a time, during the last step when you cook the vegetables covered with a lid on low heat. Add water only as needed. For me, the little water that generated from the steam after covering the lid was enough for the veggies to cook.
- If you do not have amchur (dried mango powder), you can squeeze in some fresh lemon juice at the end once the aloo gobi is cooked.
Authentic Aloo Gobi – Potatoes & Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons oil divided, I used mustard oil
- 2 medium potatoes around 240 grams sliced into ¼ inch thickness
- 1 small head cauliflower around 280 grams , measure after removing the stems and leaves, cut into small florets
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium red onion around 200 grams , finely chopped
- 1 & ½ teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
- 2 medium tomatoes around 240 grams , finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon amchur dry mango powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder add more to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro + more to garnish
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium size heavy bottom pan or kadai. Once the oil is hot, add 1 small cauliflower florets (cut unto small ½ inch florets) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add 2 medium potatoes (¼-inch slices) and pan fry on medium-low heat for 7 to 8 minutes until the vegetables have some brown spots over them. Remove the vegetables on a plate lined with paper towel.
- To the same pan, now add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Then add 1 medium onion (chopped) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often until the onions are translucent.
- Then add 1 & ½ teaspoons ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes or until the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away. Next, add 2 medium tomatoes (chopped) and cook for 2 minutes until they are soft and pulpy.
- Once the tomatoes are little soft, add the ground spices- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon amchur, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder. Stir and mix all the spices with the masala. Now, cover the pan and cook the masala on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Toss in the pan-fried potatoes and cauliflower along with ¼ teaspoon garam masala and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Mix well with a spatula, so that the vegetables are coated with the masala. Cook the vegetables uncovered on low-medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often.
- Now, add ¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste) and stir well. Cover the pan now and cook for additional 8 to 9 minutes on low-medium heat, or until the vegetables are tender but not soggy. Open the lid in between and stir every minute or two. If you feel the masala is sticking to the pan, you may add some water,1 tablespoon at a time. I did not add any. Remove pan from heat and let it sit covered for 5 more minutes. Uncover, garnish with more cilantro and serve aloo gobi hot with rotis!
Video
Notes
- Add lots of chopped cilantro leaves to your aloo gobi, it adds a lot to the flavor.
- You can even deep fry the potatoes and cauliflower till they are completely cooked and then add them to the masala. But deep frying = more calories so it’s not the way I make aloo-gobi at home regularly.
- Adjust spice levels to taste.
- You can also sprinkle some kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) on top for added flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks delicious 😋 I love Indian food❤️
This is my go to recipe. I thought I had it saved in my favorites and could not find it which caused me to was panic. Lol. This is a very versatile recipe and of course easy to adjust. Love it!! Better than the restaurants and money saved .
haha thanks Dana 🙂 glad you like it!
I used to never like cauliflower hence I never cooked but this recipe is marvelous. I liked it so much n it is so easy.
Thank u Manali.
Glad to hear Hufriz 🙂
How big is a medium potato?
I will say around 150 grams
Great recipe albeit a little short on oil for my taste
Best tip ever to saute the veggies first.
I really appreciated you advice not to cover the cauliflower. The texture was great. I can’t comment on the spice mix as I had to freestyle as I didn’t have any ginger or cilantro, which is really unusual but hey ho! It was really delicious served with dal. Thank you so much.
welcome!
Tasted good, but the timing is way off which was a bit unexpected and upsetting. I followed the recipe exactly, however the potatoes took a very long time to cook (~45min) whereas the recipe says 30min total. It was more like 1.5 hours total all in all.
Hi Daniel, you need to slice the potatoes thin, if you slice into thick pieces they will take time to cook. The thinly sliced potatoes should not take 45 mins to cook.
I’m with you on that Dan. Thought it was just me. Recipe says slices or cubes. I did 1.5 cm cubes. Maybe it should mention that difference in the recipe maybe I should have known. I cooked mine for what seemed forever to get the potatoes to an acceptable texture by which time the cauliflower was well over. On the plus side the flavours were intensified and all was well in the end. I’m not complaining the recipe is sound on flavour (for me I doubled all spices) just that as Daniel found I don’t think you are going to get a good result in the time quoted if you do cubes. Also I suggest this varies according to the variety of potatoes. I’ll know next time I’ll par boil the potatoes.
Thanks for your feedback Simon, definitely the cooking time will vary with the type of potato you use and how thick or thin you cut them.
I made your recipe but roasted the veggies at 450 degrees until tender. The seasoning is wonderful! Everyone should make this dish!
I precook my veggies for Indian dishes in the air fryer and then add them to the masala. That way they still have crunch.
Thanks for the recipe! Can you freeze this?
You can try, I have personally never tried freezing it but if you do, let me know how it turns out
Potatoes don’t freeze well, imo. When I froze soup containing potatoes, the texture of the potatoes completely changed. They were grainy. They didn’t retain the nice smooth texture that potatoes typically have.
Like Dawn says – floury potatoes like Maris pipers don’t freeze. But waxy potatoes do. Here they’re called baby potatoes but I believe Yukon gold are the same type. For more clarity – when boiled waxy potatoes hold their shape, they don’t become mash
I have just eaten some aloo gobi that has been in the freezer for about 3 months. It was just as good as fresh. I did deep fry the potatoes and cauliflower though and I suspect the additional oil helped keep the potatoes good.
Great recipe.
Are we able to follow the recipe without amchur? Pretty hard to procure where I currently live.
squeeze lemon juice in the end, should be good
I’ve made this receipt twice now once with tinned tomatoes & once with fresh I omitted the amchur as didn’t have it & didn’t have fresh cilantro so didn’t add that either however both times it has been delicious. my husband is Punjabi/Sikh so I’ve been trying out Indian cooking & I’ve got to admit it’s brilliant, fresh cheap, filling & so tasty thankyou 😊
glad to know Kirsty!
I made this recipe for the first time last night and it was delicious. I fried the potatoes and cauliflower for 5 mins and it shortened the cooking time considerably . Prob took 20 mins in total to make this dish and I will be making it again. Family loved it.
I don’t have fresh ginger for the ginger garlic paste. Will there be a big difference without it?
skip it! it will still be good!
I just made this! Thank you for your tips as this made all the difference!! Timing was right!
glad to know Leena!
Hi there. I love your recipes. But I can’t have tumeric. Is there another spice you might recommend ?
sorry no substitute for turmeric. You can skip if you want. add some paprika
Great one, the children loved it.
awesome!
Thank you. I starting cooking regularly because of your recipes!
Thanks Ara, that makes me happy! 🙂
Loved it! Totally delicious, simple and reasonably quick. Even without fresh coriander – which I can’t get in France easily, it was still yummy!
glad to know Ali!
I’m new to Indian cooking. Can I substitute something else if I don’t have amchur or just leave it out?
squeeze some lemon juice at the end
I made this just as described in the recipe, for me the timing was very accurate, and the resultant dish was delicious!
Thank you Andrew, I am glad to hear that!
Very good…but the timing is wayyyyy off. The onions themselves took 15 minutes to become translucent; the potatoes and cauliflower an hour. Give yourself a couple of hours to make this dish.
Ahh 2 hours to make aloo gobi? Hmm that never happens and I make aloo gobi so often 🙂 you only want onion to be soft and translucent which takes 2-3 minutes, not more. we are not caramelizing them. glad you liked it!
It’s never taken me 2 hours. less than an hour usually.
Loved it and easy, too.
I like to oven roast my cauliflower so it gets a nice char but it’s still got a little firmness. I usually use a jar sauce but I’m going to try this recipe very soon, thank you!
Hi Manali, thank you for sharing your recipe 🙂
A question, what would you substitute for moisture/liquid if you didn’t add tomatoes? I really want to make it, but can’t use them in my cooking. Thanks!
you can make aloo gobi without tomatoes. we make that way often. Just roast/air fry potatoes and cauliflower first. then add with spices, onion, ginger, garlic. This makes a nice side with dal. If you do want moisture, you can add some yogurt that will work here.
Delish! Made it for a dinner party. Followed your spice list and added the amount that felt right.
Definitely make it again soon.
Thanks!!
Best aloo gobi recipe I’ve found (and I’ve tried many). Sooooo delicious. I do deep fry the potatoes and cauli and don’t find they are greasy at all. I serve it with onion raita, kachumber and roti.
Thank you Manali.
glad to know Lynn! 🙂
I’ve made this 4 or 5 times in just a couple of months! It’s fabulous. Such authentic flavour. Thank you. A go to delicious meal. I serve it with parathas.
yum so good with parathas! glad you love it Kate!
delicious
Can this be made ahead and reheated
for sure!
Lovely,really quick and easy to make,we didn’t have any Amchur powder; not come across it before so instead put in 1/2 TSP salt,1/2 TSP sugar and generous squeeze(1 tablespoon) of lime juice after cooking, turned off gas put lid on and let it steam through.
Fab with Dahl and turmeric rice❤️👍😊
Ruth Williams: I have not come across the acronym TSP before, are you referring to a tablespoon (for which I’ve always seen T or tbsp) or teaspoon, (t or tsp)?
Thanx!
Hi.
Tsp = teaspoon
Tbls = tablespoon
Hope this helps
Ive made this recipe a few time’s and it is really good m.
I just have to make sure i dont overcook the veggies
manali – this is the best aloo gobi I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for a great recipe
welcome Lynn! so glad to know
I’ve made this several times and it’s very good. Adding fennel seeds gives extra flavor.
thanks for the review Matthew!
Came out great. I parboiled my potatoes for 10 minutes first because I used fairly big pieces. Followed the directions as written otherwise. One of my favorite dishes.
First time using a Manali recipe & I am soooo happy!! Having the mid recipe photos is everything I’ve ever needed!!!! Can’t wait to try more 🙂
awesome! please try more recipe 🙂
Lovely, easy recipe – thank you. I underestimated the amount of salt this needed, so will add more while cooking next time. I also wish I had added more spices, both for flavour and heat. Next time!
Great and easy. Added a little almond milk at the end since it looked a little dry. Yummy 😋
I’ve made this 4 times and I will make it many more. Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe!
glad to know Jaina!
Tasty!
This recipe is outstanding! Sooo good. We’ve made this a few times now and it’s a favorite. I buy medium potatoes and cut them into 8ths. The potato cubes cook perfectly as per your directions.
glad to know!
Just a heads up – I substituted a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes with chilis for the chopped tomatoes and it turned out pretty good (if I do say so myself)
Same. All I have is Ro-tel. 😂 Really good, though.
Hi I was just wondering is it very important to dry of the cauliflower and potato or can we leave it in the pot?
you mean after frying? You can leave them in the pan, I used the same pan so had to take them out before making the masala
Hi, FYI you mention Coriander leaves but don’t have them in the recipe.
hello, it’s there. I wrote this recipe when I moved to US from India many years ago. In India we call cilantro as coriander, it’s the same thing. hope this helps
yup, this was really good. I will definitely be making this again soon!
We really enjoyed this. My first time making it, thanks for including approximate cooking times for novices like myself. I cut the potatoes slices about 5 mm thick and they needed about 2 extra minutes at the end. Will definitely make this again.
Easy recipe with great taste … thank you!
This turned out yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Manali, Can I cook this a day or 2 before serving, or are the veggies likely to go too soft?
they will be fine!
What kind of potatoes? Russets or something like Yukon Golds?
Thanks!
both will work
Followed recipe; potatoes wrre massively undercooked. I don’t believe it can be done without adding another 20 minutes cooking time.
Hi Anon, sorry you had trouble, that can happen when you cut potatoes into big pieces or slice them very thick. If you slice then thin, it’s plenty time for potatoes to cook.
I avoid undercooked potatoes by cutting them into quarters and putting them in boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes before slicing them up and following the recipe.
Note: I did think afterwards that thinner slices would be betteer because they can pick up more flavour from the masala.