Hedden Family Recipes

Adapted from the recipe of Nisha Vora on the Rainbow Plant Life website.

Aloo gobi

Ingredients:

For the vegetables

• 1 pound (450g) Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 small-medium head of cauliflower (500g of florets)
• 2½ tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the masala

• 2½ tablespoons olive oil
• 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick (or a 1-inch piece of one)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
• ½ tsp. ground turmeric
• ½ tsp. hing (asafoetida; optional)
• 1½ tsp. amchur powder (optional; or add more lemon juice)
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• ½ to 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 serrano pepper, slit down the middle just a little (optional)
• 2 Roma or plum tomatoes (about 8 ounces/227g), finely chopped
• 1½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. round black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fresh fenugreek leaves (methi) or use dried (kasuri methi, kasoori methi) (optional; or add more garam masala)
• ½ tsp. garam masala (to taste)
• 1 Tbsp. butter (optional)
• 1 big handful fresh cilantro
• 1-2 tsp. fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Chop potatoes into 1-inch chunks/cubes.
3. Put 1½ Tbsp. olive oil and ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ pepper into a large mixing bowl, then add chopped potatoes. Stir to coat the potatoes. Then, spread potatoes on a baking sheet.
4. Cut cauliflower into small-medium sized florettes. Put 1 Tbsp. more olive oil and ¼ tsp. more salt and pepper into same mixing bowl, then add chopped cauliflower florettes. Stir to coat the florettes, then, spread them on another baking sheet.
5. Once oven is hot, put both baking sheets in oven and roast 20-25 minutes, until potatoes and cauliflower are starting to brown in some spots and feel tender, but not soft. Since they are on separate baking sheets, they can be removed at different times depending on how quickly they cook.
6. While potatoes and cauliflower are roasting, prepare the masala.
7. Heat 2½ Tbsp. oil in a deep sauté pan and heat to medium high heat. Once oil shimmers, add cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. Toast 1 to 1½ minutes and stir until they darken in color and the cumin seeds start dancing in the pan.
8. Now add onions and cook 7 to 8 minutes, until golden brown.
9. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, and hing. Stir frequently for 1-2 minutes.
10. Stir in amchur, coriander, chili powder, serrano pepper (optional), tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Lower heat and/or add a little water as needed if the spices start to stick. Cook 4-5 minutes, until the tomatoes have almost melted into the masala.
11. Now, add in roasted cauliflower and potatoes.
12. Gently stir to coat the veggies in the masala. Cook for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure every piece is well coated and cooks evenly.
13. Crush methi leaves with your hands and stir them into the pan, along with garam masala and butter (optional).
14. Turn off heat and let the aloo gobi rest for 5 minutes.
15. To finish, stir in cilantro and lemon or lime juice. Season to taste with more salt and/or garam masala. Discard cinnamon stick and enjoy!