The Cooking Streak Continues: Aloo Gobi

Last night's dinner was a little too simple to truly enjoy thanks to my penchant for multitasking and stressing myself out. If I was going to extend the cooking streak to three days, I was going to need something to properly wreck my kitchen and double as my exercise for the night. Given my love of all things Indian (see: The Triple C, Vegetarian Korma, and Robin), I knew exactly how to complicate dinner to perfection. I would make my favorite bhendi and garlic naan to go along with newcomer aloo gobi and stress my tiny apartment kitchen to its limits (I'm quite ready to have the house full time).

Aloo Gobi
Adapted from Love and Lemons
Servings: 4
Time: 35 minutes

Poor tofu had to wait all alone for so long

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup firm tofu, drained well and cubed
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 small yellow potatoes, chopped into small cubes
3 tsp curry powder (plus more for tofu)
1 tsp cardamom (plus more for tofu)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp grated ginger
1/3 cup water
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 handfuls spinach
Juice of 1 lime
Cilantro
Red chili flakes to taste
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Just one of 3 pots I had going at once all for myself.

1. Sear the tofu in the olive oil over medium heat with a mixture of salt, pepper, curry powder, cardamom and red chili flakes.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side until a light crust forms. Set aside.
2. In a large pan, saute the onions in coconut oil over medium heat until tender and translucent.
3. Stir in the curry powder, salt, black pepper, cardamom, and cumin and coat well.
4. Add in the ginger, garlic, and potatoes. Stir once then let cook for 3-5 minutes without stirring.
5. Pour in the water, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let simmer 10-15 minutes until the potatoes become tender and the water is evaporated.
6. Mix in the cauliflower and cook until tender 5-8 minutes.
7. Add the coconut milk, peas, spinach, and lime and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the cilantro and tofu to warm it back up. Adjust the seasoning and serve with naan.

So many things going on, but all of them working perfectly together for awesome veggie overload.

Aloo gobi was a fantastic compliment to the spicy bhendi and warm, comforting garlic naan. The potatoes, tofu, and cauliflower add much needed heartiness, while the peas and coconut milk bring just the slightest bit of sweetness. The curry and cardamom fuse it all together for a dish that tastes just as amazing as it smells and holds its own in the inevitable mixing of all components that is essential to any good Indian meal. 

Okra: an all-star in Cajun, Indian, and BBQ.

Stay tuned to see if I can extend the streak to four- a feat unheard of since the good old unemployment days of yore.

It's so pretty, multiple angles were required.