Aloo gobi (from Punjabi), also spelled alu gobi, or aloo gobhi (from Hindi आलू गोभी) is usually a "dry" Indian curry, i.e. it often does not have a liquid sauce. It is a popular combination of aloo (potato) and gob(h)i (cauliflower) with spices. It is yellowish in color, because of the use of turmeric, and occasionally contains onion seeds and curry leaves. Other ingredients that are also used in variations include garlic, ginger, onion, coriander stalks, tomato, and cumin. A number of variations and similar dishes exist, but the name remains the samePreparation video coming soon
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 pinch asafoetida powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pinch ground turmeric
- 3 tomatoes, chopped Or canned tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 potato, cubed
- 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
- 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 pod garlic
- salt to taste
- Heat oil over a medium-high heat. Toss in the mustard seeds; when they start spluttering, add the asafoetida, followed by the cumin seeds, turmeric powder . Add ginger; garlic stir and saute for a few minutes.
- Add the cauliflower florets, sugar and salt; stir well and cook until the cauliflower are tender yet crunchy.
- Its a good idea to boil the potatoes seperately and just add it 5 minutes before you finish cooking the cauliflower so that they do not get too mashed up with the cauliflower
This dish has a prominent role in the movie Bend It Like Beckham—the film's DVD contains a featurette titled How to cook Aloo gobi., with the film's director making the dish. This led to the pickup line 'Why cook aloo gobi, when you can Bend It Like Beckham".Some other aloo gobi recipe links
The History of RecipesFood historians have tracked the existance of recipes back into antiquity, at least as far back into history as the ancient Egyptians, and maybe further still. Interesting though that is, generally, these ancient recipes were just very basic pictorial instructions for meal preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe found, according to experts is a collection of stone tablets in Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`.
As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled a few documents describing recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his works, Apicius recounts how the meals were separated into starters, main course and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Additionally, he tells us how the cooks of his times were skilled in the use of many different herbs, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens for example bay, fennel and parsley.
Later, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods, spices and herbs from Arab cooking, including coriander, parsley, and basil. These new spices and herbs was responsible for an increase in recipe books, some of which are now in private collections.
During the succeeding few centuries, the rich and powerful families of Europe competed with each other to lay on the best banquets, and as a consequence, the best cooks and their recipes were much in demand. Even so, it was during the nineteenth century that cookery and recipe publications became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to collating, verifying, and recording the recipes of their peers.
Like it or not, the introduction of TV brings us cooking programs and the spin-off recipe books.
Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everyone to access massive numbers of recipes like those on the site you are now reading.