Aloo Gobi is a traditional, and flavor-packed one-pot Indian vegetarian side dish. It is basically prepared with simple ingredients like cauliflower, potato(aloo), and Indian spices/masala. This Aloo gobi is an easy-to-make stir fry dish that can be prepared either in dry or curry form. And all it takes is under 30 minutes to prepare this finger-licking side dish. Aloo gobi is an absolutely vegan-friendly dish that can be made in a pan or instant pot(pressure cooker) and tastes great with naan, roti, chapati, jeera rice, ghee rice, or other rice dishes for lunch and dinner.
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What is Aloo Gobi?
Aloo gobi is a delightful, and flavorsome Indian vegetarian vegan stir fry side dish. The word Aloo refers to potato and gobi stands for cauliflower. This dish is prepared with basic ingredients that are cooked perfectly to achieve great flavor and taste. Cauliflower potato curry is one of the common food that one could find in most Indian restaurants and households particularly in the North part of the country.
This dish is not only famous in India but also in its neighboring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. And of course, it also has a unique place in most foreign Indian restaurants and is often ordered as perfect comforting dine-in and takeaway food.
Overall, this side dish is a super simple and absolutely delicious dish especially when you are looking for something flavorful, hearty, and vegan. And this one definitely catches a favorite place in the easy lunch or dinner recipe list.
More Cauliflower Recipes:
Ingredients
Aloo gobi does not require any fancy ingredients and it could be easily available in most grocery stores. Let's see what you will need to prepare this flavorful dish below.
Indian spices
Even though I call it Indian spices, these spices can be easily available in most non-Indian grocery stores as well. I know, it makes the job pretty easy and you really don't want to make a trip to any Indian grocery stores.
Cumin Seeds - A yellow-brown color, oblong shape spice that gives an earthy, warm, and deep flavor to this dish. You can also substitute with cumin powder if the powder is not handy
Bay Leaf - Fresh or dried bay leaf gives a unique flavor and fragrance to the dish that is commonly used in most Indian cooking
Masalas
- Turmeric Powder - You could find it in most Indian dishes which gives a royal golden yellow color to your curries
- Chili Powder - Vibrant red color powder that makes the curry spicy. There is chili powder with an "extra hot" tag on the label which is usually very spicy and on the other hand, powder with "Kashmiri Chilli Powder" is very mild but gives a glowing red color to your dish. The chili powder that I have used in this recipe is regular chili powder which is mild to moderate in spice level.
- Coriander Powder - An aromatic spice powder that gives a nice flavor and taste to the dish
Other main ingredients
- Potato - Fresh potatoes chopped into cubes. I have used Atlantic potatoes for this recipe but you can also use russet, Yukon gold, and similar other varieties.
- Cauliflower - Fresh cauliflower florets work best for this recipe than the frozen ones. Usually, frozen cauliflower tends to turn mushy or soggy easily.
- Oil - Any cooking oil of your choice to saute the ingredients. You could also use ghee to achieve a rich flavorful dish
- Coriander/Cilantro leaves - Add finally to garnish the potato cauliflower masala that delivers a fresh aroma and flavor to the dish.
- Ginger-Garlic Paste - Gives unique taste and flavor to the dish and also helps in good digestion
- Ingredients like onion, tomatoes, and salt are also used here to flavor up the curry.
How to make Aloo Gobi?
The recipe I have shared here is a simple aloo gobi that yields to 3 people. Let us see how to make/prepare this dish easily at home.
To give a clear idea, the recipe involves two parts.
- Frying the aloo and gobi
- Preparation of aloo gobi
1. Frying the aloo and gobi
To fry, add the cauliflower and potatoes to a pan with medium heat and saute until it turns slightly crispy. This helps the cauliflower to retain its shape and avoid turning soggy during the cooking process in the next part with the masalas. Once they are crispy, remove and reserve them for later use. You could also parboil the potatoes and cauliflower in water to achieve similar results.
2. Preparation of aloo gobi
To make this aloo gobi, pour the oil in a pan and sizzle the cumin seeds and bay leaves in medium heat. Then add the onions and saute until it turns soft. Once they are soft, add in the ginger-garlic paste, salt, chili, coriander, and turmeric powder and mix well. Now stir in the tomatoes and saute until it turns mushy.
Once they are mushy, add water and allow it to cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Then add in the cauliflower and potatoes that are sauteed in the before step. Mix them gently and close the pan with a lid. Now turn the heat to low and cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
After the suggested time, open the lid and turn the heat to high. Roast the cauliflower and potatoes with the masala roughly for 2 to 3 minutes. Finally, garnish them with coriander leaves and switch off the heat. Now the delicious aloo gobi is ready for you to taste and enjoy.
How to make Aloo Gobi in Instant Pot?
For the instant pot aloo gobi, stir the spices, onions, tomatoes in saute mode for 2 to 3 minutes. Now add the fresh cauliflower, potatoes, and water. Seal the lid and cook in a manual setting at low pressure for 3 minutes. Once the instant pot beeps, use a cotton cloth or towel to release the pressure. Finally, garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves and instant pot aloo gobi is ready for you to taste and enjoy.
This dish is super simple, delicious and you can prepare it in under 30 minutes. It can be the best comforting dish for a busy weekday or weekend meal especially when you want to try easy Indian recipes. You can serve it over rice or wrap it with any Indian bread to make it even more satisfying.
Variations
Even though the gobi aloo recipe is one of the common dishes among Indian people, there are also a lot of variations to make the dish. Those variations are usually based on individual preference, tradition, and culture.
There are variations where people make this dish with onion and tomato while some make it without onion and tomato at all. The recipe I have shared here is kind of semi-dry aloo gobi where you could also make it in curry or gravy version.
The curry version is also easy to make and all it requires is an extra ½ cup of water to bring consistency. Some people also prefer to use yogurt for thickening and it can be substituted with coconut milk for a completely vegan-friendly curry.
We could also add matar/peas to make aloo matar gobi. In some variations, people also tend to use kasthuri/kasoori methi which gives a nice flavor and aroma to the dish.
This classical Indian aloo gobi is usually prepared in a pan and it can also be made in an instant pot to speed up the process.
Storage Suggestions
This aloo gobi stays good in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in an air-tight container. Even though I prefer to consume it fresh, this cauliflower potato masala also freezes for up to 2 to 3 months in the freezer. But if you are planning to freeze them, then I would suggest making it slightly gravy or saucy consistency which helps to avoid any food burn. But the only downside is the cauliflower may turn soggy or mushy while it is reheated.
Serving Suggestions
This Aloo gobi tastes amazing when served over basmati, jeera, or ghee rice. And it also tastes great with naan, Roti, Appam, or Rava Upma. To make a perfect vegan platter, serve this aloo gobi with Matar Pulao, and Stir-Fried Tofu. And it makes a lip-smacking South Indian meal combo with white rice and other veg recipes.
You could also find similar recipes below and more at Veg Curries, Vegan Recipes and Potato Recipes.
- Bhindi Masala
- Paneer Masala
- Paneer Tikka
- Chole
- Vegetable Korma
- Gutti Vankaya Curry
- Kadala Curry
- Baked Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
Planning to host a vegetarian buffet party or looking for what to cook for your next meal? Then you may love this collection of Indian Vegetarian Lunch Recipes to try and enjoy with your family and loved ones.
Aloo Gobi Recipe video
I have also shared a detailed video of this Aloo gobi recipe that I hope will help you to make a delicious side dish for your next meal. For a quick reference, you could also find the recipe in story format.
📖 Recipe
Aloo Gobi (Alu Gobi)
Ingredients
- ½ lb Cauliflower, gobi
- 3 Potato, chopped
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 2 Tomato, chopped
- ¼ cup Oil, additional 1 tsp for stir-frying
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1½ tsp Chili Powder
- 3 tsp Coriander Powder
- Salt, As needed
- ½ cup Water
- ¼ cup Coriander Leaves
Instructions
To Fry the Aloo and Gobi
- In a pan with medium heat, pour 1 tsp of oil and add the cauliflower(gobi) florets and aloo(potatoes) cubes and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until it turns slightly crisp. Remove them from the pan and keep them for later use
To Prepare Aloo Gobi
- In the same pan, pour ¼ cup of oil and sizzle in the bay leaves and cumin seeds
- Now add the onions and saute until it turns soft
- Add ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, chili, and coriander powder, and give a nice mix
- Now add the tomatoes and saute until it turns mushy
- Add water and allow it to cook for 2 to 3 minutes
- Now add the stir-fried cauliflower and potatoes and cook for 5 to 7 minutes
- Simmer the heat, Close the pan with the lid and cook the aloo gobi mixture for 5 minutes
- Open the lid and switch the heat to high. Stir the potato cauliflower mixture for 2 to 3 minutes and garnish with coriander leaves. Now the delicious aloo gobi is ready for you to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve this delicious aloo gobi with Naan, basmati rice, jeera rice, ghee rice, or roti
Video
Notes
- To get a perfect alu/aloo gobi, always fry the cauliflower and potatoes until it is half cooked in oil. Alternatively, you could also parboil the same in water before adding them to the onion-tomato mixture
- Adding cumin seeds and bay leaves gives a nice aroma to the dish and you could also add other Indian spices like cardamom, fennels seeds, kasoori methi, and cardamom for extra punch
- Make sure to close and cook the cauliflower and potatoes in low heat which helps in achieving non-soggy cauliflowers
- This aloo gobi is a perfect vegan-friendly dish that can be served as a side dish with Naan, roti, chapathi, white rice, jeera rice, or ghee rice
Nutrition
FAQ
Aloo gobi is a classical one-pot Indian side dish prepared with cauliflower, potatoes, and spices. Aloo and gobi are Hindi words that refer to potatoes and gobi respectively. It is one of the common dishes popular across India and its neighboring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. And it is typically served with Indian flatbread like naan, roti/chapati, and rice dishes like basmati, jeera, or ghee rice.
Yes, you can make this dish without onion and tomato. To make that, just skip the onion after sizzling the Indian spices and skip the tomatoes after sauting all the spices. Then add the cauliflower and potatoes as mentioned in the recipe card above.
Aloo gobi dish stays good in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container. And also freezes up to 2 to 3 months in separate air-sealed containers or bags. But if you are planning to freeze them, then try making the dish slightly in gravy or saucy consistency which helps to avoid food burn.
Yes, aloo gobi dry is an absolutely vegan-friendly dish that is prepared with only plant-based ingredients. But there are also variations where heavy creams, yogurts/curd are used as thickening agents in the recipe.
Aloo gobi masala tastes great with naan, or chapati/roti. It also pairs great with pulao, basmati, jeera, or ghee rice.
I really hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
Melissa Forde
This looks great! I'll definitely be trying this out. It looks like the onion is missing from the ingredients list. How much onion should be used?
Sangeetha Vel
Hi Melissa,
Glad you liked it and thanks for your feedback. You are right, the onion is missing from the ingredients list and thanks for pointing it out. I will add it. And I used one medium size Onion, chopped.
Anna
Tomatoes aren’t listed in the ingredients. How much tomato and what kind?
Sangeetha Vel
Hi Anna,
2 Tomatoes were used in this recipe. Thanks for pointing this out and I have updated the ingredients. You could either use Red beefsteak or Roma tomato. And if you get a chance to try this recipe, I will be happy to know how it turned out for you 🙂