This simple Punjabi recipe of Aloo Gobi should have been one of my earlier posts. I wonder why it took so long for me to post a recipe that is a regular at home and also the husband’s favorite. I think, things we make everyday or see everyday, often get overlooked. As they say… the grass is greener on the other side. The everyday dal sabzi gets a miss while the bagels and burgers gets a lot of attention.
I do not know what is the authentic aloo gobi. I have had many different varieties of aloo gobi. This aloo gobi recipe is the way we make it at home. I have made different variations of aloo gobi too, like aloo gobi curry…. but this recipe is a regular.
This aloo gobi recipe is courtesy my mom-in-law. Its her specialty punjabi dish. Initially, when I used to cook this recipe, I just couldn’t get the gobi to get cooked. As a result, I would add some water and steam and thus the dish would become soggy and mushy.
After many trials and errors, I have mastered the art of cooking this aloo gobi dish. It just requires patience and slow cooking. Plus the gobi/caulifower and aloo/potatoes have to be sauted for quite some time before they are steamed.
For this sabzi, you do not need any other veggie besides aloo and gobi…. 
Also, you need to have 3 spice powders: turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder plus salt & oil. These spice powders are a regular at any Indian home. So, these are the only ingredients that you need to make for this aloo gobi recipe.
The aloo gobi sabzi derives it main flavor and aroma from ginger and garam masala. Its gingery…….. so if you like ginger then you may like this aloo gobi sabzi.
This is dry sabzi and goes very well with rotis. It can also be had as a side vegetable dish with the main course.
Lets Start Step by Step Dry Aloo Gobi Recipe:
- In a kadai or thick bottomed pan, heat oil or ghee. Add the aloos and saute for 8-9 minutes on a low flame.
- Add the gobi and saute for 8-9 minutes on a low flame. Continue to stir in between.
- Spice up the gobi and aloos with turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt.
- Saute for a minute. Then add the ginger.
- Mix everything well.
- Saute the entire aloo gobi sabzi for some 10-12 minutes more. Keep on stirring in between.
- Now, cover the kadai or pan with a lid and let the aloo gobi cook in steam for some 14-15 minutes on a low flame. Do not add any water. Also keep on checking the sabzi in between. Once the aloo gobi sabzi is done, sprinkle garam masala and mix it with the entire sabzi
- Garnish aloo gobi with coriander leaves. I garnished with methi leaves as I have a lot of them growing in my balcony.
- Your aloo gobi is ready now.
- Serve the aloo gobi with rotis or parathas and a bowl of curd/yogurt.
you might also love to check these gobi recipes:
dry aloo gobi recipe details below:
- 1 cauliflower (gobi), florets removed and washed
- 3 medium size potatoes (aloos), chopped or sliced
- 1.5 inch ginger, chopped or julienned
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ or ½ tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala powder
- a pinch of asafoetida (optional)
- a few coriander leaves for garnish (optional)
- 2 tbsp oil or ghee
- salt
- In a kadai or thick bottomed pan, heat oil or ghee. Add the aloos and saute for 8-9 minutes on a low flame.
- Add the gobi and saute for 8-9 minutes on a low flame. Continue to stir in between.
- Spice up the gobi and aloos with turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt.
- Saute for a minute. Then add the ginger.
- Mix everything well.
- Saute the entire sabzi for some 10-12 minutes more. Keep on stirring in between.
- Now, cover the kadai or pan with a lid and let the aloo gobi cook in steam for some 14-15 minutes on a low flame. Do not add any water. Also keep on checking the sabzi in between. Once the aloo gobi sabzi is done, sprinkle garam masala and mix it with the entire sabzi
- Garnish with coriander leaves. I garnished with methi leaves as I have a lot of them growing in my balcony.
- Your aloo gobi is ready now.
- Serve the aloo gobi with rotis or parathas and a bowl of curd/yogurt.
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Wonderful, less masalas recipe, simple flavors. I would add jeera to the oil though.
thanks jyoti
Dassana, I’ve been following your recipes for quite a while already, but this is the first time I’m commenting. First of all I’d like to thank you for your amazing website and your recipes.
I like this simple version of aloo gobi, but the absence of sauce and the long sauteeing make the potatoes prone to sticking to the pan. If I’d use a non-stick pan this would not be an issue, but I don’t want to use such a pan because they seem to lack durability. You mention “a kadai or thick bottomed pan” in this recipe, so I bought a thick-bottomed enameled Dutch oven. I’ve found that even with a adequate layer of oil, onions quickly tend to stick to the bottom of the pan, as do potatoes. It gets worse as more oil is absorbed by the onions and other ingredients. So an enameled pan seems wholly unsuitable to cook a dish like this.
So my question is, what kind of cookware do you use? Non-stick, steel or cast iron perhaps? And what kind of cookware would you recommend for this recipe in specific? I, and probably other readers as well, would appreciate it if you could give some advice on cookware and kitchen equipment in general in some sort of FAQ page.
thanks alexander. simple recipes liked these which do not have any sauce, are best made in a kadai or wok. i use the iron kadai which i have. even a good sturdy steel kadai makes the job easier. dutch oven is best used for making gravies or sauce based dishes or a biryani or pilaf. when i make this dish, after all the sauteing is done, i cover the kadai and cook. so the steam helps in cooking. a sprinkling of water also helps at times. a kadai or a shallow frying pan does not have much depth as compared to a dutch oven. the there should not be too much of space between the lid and the food. a smaller space helps the steam to condense and cook the veggies quickly. you can use a frying pan too. just cover the veggies tightly with a lid.
btw i haven’t used onions in this recipe. but as you mentioned, the onions do absorb a lot of oil if using such pans. i suggest you to go for a very good iron kadai or a sturdy steel kadai. the kadai should be heavy. if its light, then the food gets stuck. you don’t need to season them if you use them often. they are also good for making halwa or puddings like carrot halwa or semolina halwa and even for deep frying like pooris or samosas. you can make any dry veggie dish in the kadai. there are different sizes available. best is to buy yourself rather than buying online. non stick is also good. but not everybody uses non stick.
i will be considering your suggestion. i have got a few more suggestions from readers and will try to add them in the blog.
Thank you so much for your detailed answer Dassana! I’ll go shopping for a good pan.
welcome alexander
Excellent recipe. Suggest write tips on how to cut and clean Gobi since it sometimes has worms in it which have to be carefully seen and washed away.
usually i add these things, but have not done in this post. thanks for the suggestion.
Wat is sabzi?
sabzi is hindi word for vegetable dish.
Planning to try soon
no body at home simply i thought of doing dinner at home itself
for my bro ,dad and my baby khushi …i felt so
easy to do it …..thanks….
welcome
This is how i always wanted my aloo gobhi to be, but could never get it, till i tried your recipe. What can i say, you are my new favorite person. Thanks for posting this.
thanks a lot, neha.
Hi, Thanks for this recipe. I have been a vegetarian all my life and I simply love Aloo Gobi(I love aloos and my mum gobis!). I am definitely going to try this tonite… I will certainly update you on the results… Hopefully it turns out well. Well, gotta go out and get my hands on some good gobi! Do continue to give us lots of no-onion, no-garlic recipes. Thank you again.
thanks ambeca. this recipe is a bit tricky. so if the gobi does not cook, then just add some water and cover the pan. the gobi will cook faster. also use a heavy based pan or kadai so that the veggies don’t stick at the bottom.
Hi, I tried this vegetable for dinner for the first time. it came out very well and tasty. it was simpleto make. pls post some more veg subzi recipes..
thank you
thats nice to know sam. there are a lot of sabzi recipes already posted on the blog. you can find them on this link: http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipes/indian-vegetable-recipes/
I tried making the sabzi this way but it got all mashed up with the aloo. The pieces started breaking. What am I doing wrong?
i think the cauliflower must have got overcooked. once the cauliflower and potatoes are cooked… thats it, switch off the fire… if you cook more than the cauliflower will get mushy. it also depends on the quality of veggies. i have had made aloo gobi with cauliflower which took ages to cook.
another way to cook the aloo gobi is too not to cover the kadai or pan at all. in this case you have to stir the sabzi for some times so that they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. this method takes a longer time than the one in the above recipe.
Too verbose. Simple and great recipe, you should try to write simple and short as well. Too many words.
dear sheela…. this is my way…. can’t help it…
Simple and excellent recipe. Loved it and cannot wait to try it. Thanks again for sharing this great recipe.
thanks katie.
Picture itself tempted me to try this recipe… thanks a lot for the wonderful recipe.
Wow !
I have never seen a more beautiful looking Aloo Gobi – the colors are captivating. Very Inviting.
I don’t know whether to admire the camera or the camera Person but the dish is certainly worth admiring and worth trying.Thank you and your mother in law
-Jagan
Long Long back in human history it was said
” The way to a Man’s Heart is through his Stomach ”
Seduction of Man through food is an age old practice.
I was only elaborating that point a bit.
Sorry you found parts of my remarks dis tasteful.
Your editing was crisp.
You should be made a Film Censor board member.
-jagan
i deleted part of your comment, because it would have been offensive to many readers from india.
while maintaining a website i have to consider many factors. i am glad you have understood my position.
Yummy! I am loving it!
wow real good i prepared it just today
hey thats so mouth watering…gobhi was that vegetable which was out of my list….but now will surely try it…thank u
fantastic…nd simple…….m gng to try it soon
This is the first time I am cooking Aloo gobi and I found your recipe closest to how my mom, my grandma and my sisters made when I was growing up. Thanks for keeping it simple to cook and not add unwanted ingredients.
What a refreshingly simple twist on a classic. I always mush up my gobi too much, but will try with more patience the next time
i used to mush up this recipe very much in the beginning and would never get it right. I did not have the patience to cook it then and it does require a slow process of cooking.
I have just found your blog through tastespotting and it’s great!! I am adding you to my blogroll
We love aloo gobi – thank you for sharing this recipe!