Aloo Gobi

The first never-used cookbook I pulled off the shelf was international recipes from the parents and staff at my high school.  Yep, been forgotten for decades.  Not sure why it lasted this long, except that my mom's recipe for vichyssoise is in it.  It's slightly different than mine, and I feel like it makes way more than the 6 servings she posted.

I bookmarked over a dozen things I want to make.  Most of them are dinner party-worthy.  However, nearly all of them are meat-centric, and I was on my vegetarian rotation.  I settled on the sides for one of the Indian menus.

Being a self-published compilation, there was no recipe testing and minimal proofreading.  Since I don't go out for Indian food, I went online to double-check these surprisingly easy recipes, only to find out that a whole bunch of ingredients and steps were missing from both of the recipes I had chosen.  I'm still sticking as close to the original recipes as possible, but updating them for a more worldly type of home cook with access to a much greater variety of ingredients.  All the specialty items were right in front of me in the bulk spices at Sprouts, but you can substitute ground spices for whole.  Just use half as much.

*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 Tb grated fresh ginger
*1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
1/4 C finely diced onion
1 serrano pepper (optional)
2 Tb oil
1 large russet potato, cut in 1/2" dice
1 small cauliflower, cut in small florets
1 C water

1.  In a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder, grind together garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin into a chunky paste.

2.  In a large skillet or saucepan with a lid, warm oil over medium heat.  Add wet masala (spices), then the remaining dry spices and salt.  If going for spicy, slice serrano pepper and add to the mix.  Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add onion and cook until it has softened.

3.  Add potato and cauliflower to the skillet.  Toss the pieces to coat evenly in the spice mix.  That tiny bit of turmeric will make the whole dish yellow, so you can see that the spices are distributed.  Add 1 C water, cover, and lower heat to medium-low.  Steam for 25 minutes, until potato is cooked.  Remove lid and cook another 5 minutes to reduce the sauce.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)