What is aloo gobi you ask?

For those you aren't familiar, aloo gobi is an Indian potato and cauliflower curry that is often served as a side dish (well, in the rather heathen UK it is - I'm sure in various parts of India it's a main dish in its own right). I made a version of it on Sunday night to go with a small portion of chicken curry that I was also making (as well as wholemeal chappatis). I'm sure that an authentic Indian chef would have a hernia looking at my recipe, but this is what I did and it was really good (better the next day if you can have some self-restraint!):

Aloo Gobi Jess-Style
(makes enough for one large portion or 2 side dish portions)

1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cm piece of ginger, julienned (I like the pieces of ginger this gives but by all means grate it if you can't be bothered slicing)
1 chilli (I think small green chillis would be more authentic but I had red ones in the freezer so I used a whole one with seeds), finely chopped
2 small potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks (about 2 cm?)
1/4 head of cauliflower cut into similar sized chunks to the potato
1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup (or so) water
handful of chopped fresh coriander
(optional: half a bag of baby spinach thrown in at the end to wilt is really nice)

Mix the ground spices (coriander, tumeric and pepper) with 1 tbsp oil. Heat the rest of the oil and add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli to soften. Add whole cumin seeds. Once they start popping, add the spice paste and fry for half a minute or so until it smells fragrant. Add potato and cauliflower and salt, mix together so the vege is all coated then add the water. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 15 mins. Remove the lid and cook another 5 mins or until the vege are cooked and the curry is looking quite dry. The vege should be coated in a thick paste more than a sauce. If you want it a bit 'looser' you can add a bit more water at the end. Taste and adjust seasonings (it could need more salt - a splash of lemon juice might also be nice). I also stirred in the half bag of spinach and let that wilt before adding the coriander leaves and serving.

Lovely with a blob of plain yoghurt with rice and Indian breads. Good as part of an Indian meal but also a lovely super-cheap main in and of itself. And great for lunch the next day!