Aloo Gobi Mattar: Potato, Cauliflower and Pea Curry

Last night I really needed some comfort food. There must be something about potatoes that sets off a chemical comfort explosion in my brain, because I knew immediately that's what I wanted. So I cooked up one of my favorites - Aloo gobi mattar, an Indian curry with potatoes, cauliflower and peas in a rich blend of spices. My recipe is a slightly more "saucy" adaptation of aloo gobi, which traditionally tends to be a dry curry.

I generally make this as a vegetarian dairy dish, using ghee and vegetable broth (I keep gluten-free bouillon cubes on hand). While you can make this dish vegan/pareve by using olive oil, ghee dramatically enhances the flavor. Serve this dish over basmati rice with naan or chapati. The flatbreads pictured were my second attempt at making gluten-free chapati. After my initial failure I threw together a slighly more palatable version which I spread some tamarind sauce on before using them to scoop up the curry. The recipe is not good enough to share with you all yet, but I'll post it when I've tweaked it a bit.

ALOO GOBI MATTAR (POTATO, CAULIFLOWER & PEA CURRY)

1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 large onions, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 "- 3/4-inch chunks
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
4 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated (including juice)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium hot green chili peppers, minced (seeds included)
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large wok, karahi, or deep nonstick pan over high heat. Add onions and cumin seeds, and cook until onions are translucent. Then add the minced garlic, chunks of ginger and chili pepper. Sautee for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add all remaining spices, including salt. Stir well.

Immediately add potato to pan. Stir until coated in oil and spices. Turn heat down to medium and sautee potato for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add chicken or vegetable stock, then put lid on pan, lower heat to medium-low and simmer for around 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower florets, grated ginger and lemon juice. Stir well. Replace lid, turn heat to low, and let simmer for about 10 minutes. If the ingredients are sticking to the pan, you can add a bit more stock or 1/4 cup of water at this point.

Add frozen peas to pan, and stir ingredients. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Turn off heat. Add half of the fresh cilantro, and mix thoroughly. Replace the lid, then allow to rest for 10 minutes before adjusting salt to taste and serving dish over rice. Garnish with remaining fresh cilantro. Makes about 6 generous servings.

I like this picture because of the piece of cilantro that looks like it's balancing precariously
on top of a cauliflower stalk... Careful, don't fall!