Just Like Mama's Aloo Gobi (Potato & Cauliflower Curry)

Pakistani Aloo Gobi Sabzi is a simple vegetarian curry made of potato and
cauliflower cooked in spices with tomatoes. This authentic Aloo Gobi
recipe is my mother’s, and it’s bold balanced flavours remind me why Aloo Gobi is such a classic dish.

It is so hard to cook like someone else, but for people like me who grew up only eating their mothers cooking so much of our sense of what food ought to taste like comes from mama.

Most of my Pakistani recipes are if not hers, then inspired by her. I love the idea that through them I am continuing a version of my family's tastes and traditions.

My mothers Aloo Gobi is spicy, tangy with tomatoes, salted just right and with the mellow undertones of turmeric. It gets a hit of freshness from the lemon and cilantros at the end and smokiness from that little bit of pepper. With a hot chapati and some cold thick yoghurt there's nothing quite like it.

Sabzi Awards: best kinds of Veg for Aloo Gobi

I've experimented widely with the different varieties of tomatoes, potatoes, and onions available here and these are the ones that work best for Pakistani food.

• Best Onions for Pakistani Food: Yellow cooking onions. They have a milder flavor and cook down faster than red onions, but red onions work too.
• Best Potatoes for Pakistani Food: Yukon Gold or Yellow flesh, hands down. Their firm yet creamy texture holds up to and perfectly absorbs Pakistani spices and flavors. White potatoes aren't absorbent enough with an almost waxy textures while russet are more suitable for baked potatoes.
• Best Tomatoes for Pakistani Food: Roma tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes are my favourite. They have a robust flavour closest to the always in season tomatoes in Pakistan. If those are unavailable then hothouse tomatoes work as they break down easily. However, they don't have quite the same richness of flavour (IMHO).

A Tip for making the quickest Aloo Gobi

For the longest time I would cook my potatoes for a while before adding the gobi in, but then I realized that this simple Pakistani Aloo Gobi recipe doesn't need that. Providing the cauliflower florets aren't kept large they cook in the same time as the petite potatoes.

Insider tips for cooking sabzi

• heat your pan before your add oil for faster heating
• NEVER heat it on high, stick to medium high to avoid damaging the pan and to avoid the oil getting too hot and burning spices
• golden is key. when your edges turn colour your onions are ready and that's what's going to make them flavorful but not sweet in a taking over the sabzi kinda way. .

• ratios of sizes are important: don't make your potato chunks huge if your cauliflower isn't. I am not just saying this because my grandma told me it doesn't look pretty otherwise. They also won't cook at the right rate
• Cook the veggies low and slow, adding water only if absolutely necessary because the veggies that cook in their own steam are always more flavorful!
• Seasoning. It is all in the seasoning. Taste, adjust, always.

Use homemade or frozen ginger and garlic paste or fresh ginger and garlic for maximum oomph. The jarred stuff often has vinegar in it and that is so noticeable in sabzis.

Looking for more Gobi (Cauliflower) Recipes?

• Gobi Chicken
• Gobi Gosht
• Whole Roasted Cauliflower
• Cauliflower Fritters

Hope you enjoy this simple home style dish as much as we do! Do rate the recipe below!