Aloo-Gobhi UP style

When I was a kid, I had neighbours who hailed from UP. Their food was simply lip-smacking. I found out later that the secret to their food was tadka and a generous use of oil. They used different tadka for different vegetables unlike our home where Mom seasoned everything with either rai or jeera or a mix of both. When I was getting married, I sat with my neighbor and jotted down a few recipes.

This is a recipe which has won accolades whenever it has turned out to be right:) So much so, that my father-in-law, who is a staunch believer in eating only freshly cooked food, asked if this sabji was left over.

I say 'right', because there are four prerequistes to get this recipe right.

 

One, the pieces of gobhi and aloo should be big. Like really big. 

Second, the pieces should be dry.

Third, no skimping on oil. It's not for the weak-hearted, literally! 

And last but not the least, the mix of masalas, their soaking time and consistency. 

As this recipe is high on oil, I cook it quite rarely.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 medium

Potatoes - 2 medium

Ginger - 2 inches, finely chopped

Green chillies - 1 medium with medium sharpness

Coriander - Fistful, finely chopped

Masalas:

Coriander powder - 3 tablespoons

Chili powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder- 2 teaspoons

Salt - according to taste

Hing - a pinch

Jeera - 2 teaspoons

Amchoor - 1 teaspoon

Garam masala- 2 pinches

Oil - 3 tablespoons

Mix coriander, chilli, turmeric powder and salt in a cup and add enough water to make a paste. Let the masalas soak for at least 15 minutes. The masala paste should look swollen up and moist.

Way to Go:

1. Break cauliflower into big chunks. Wash them nicely one hour before you want to cook. Put to dry. This is very important for the recipe to work well. (You can run the pieces in air fryer too. It will serve 2 purposes - drying and making them tender.)

2. Cut potatoes in big chunks. Make 4 parts of a medium potato.

3. Check the soaked masala. It should not have dried out. If it's dry, add a little more water.

3. Pour oil in a pressure cooker. Add hing, jeera when the oil is hot enough. Add ginger and green chilies. Sauté for 1 minute.

4. Add the soaked up masala. Fry at a low or medium flame for 3 minutes or so.

5. Add gobhi and aloo pieces. Make sure that they are dry.

6. Mix it well, coating gobhi and aloo pieces well with masala. If at this point you feel that oil is not enough, add a little more and sauté for a couple of more minutes.

7. When everything is well coated, put the lid.

8. Set the gas on low and wait for one whistle. Immediately after one whistle, remove the cooker from heat. Remove extra pressure and open the lid. Be careful to open the lid away from you.The potatoes and gobhi would have become soft now but not mushy. 

9. Add amchoor, garam masala and loads of coriander and mix carefully a couple of times. Do not mix too much or too vigorously, otherwise the pieces will break. If the cauliflower pieces were small and if they had water, the sabzi will turn out to be mushy. Better luck with following instructions next time!

10. Relish with hot chapatis or parathas and bless me!

I've gotten quite a few compliments on this recipe - that too, from UP wallahs, no less! 

Tips:

1. You can wash and leave the gobhi overnight to dry. 

2. Sometimes, the masala is found stuck at the bottom of the cooker. To avoid this, in step 4, fry the masala in a small pan. Add oil in cooker and sauté the potato and cauliflower pieces for a couple of minutes. Then add the masala from top and coat all pieces well.