Baked Aloo Gobi (Baked Potatoes & Cauliflower)

Aloo Gobi, perhaps is the most popular dish of India. I guess its a staple of Indian, specifically north Indian cuisine. Originally hailing from Punjab, Aloo gobi gained international popularity ,thanks to Gurindar Chadda's film, Bend it like Beckham. Here in London, where Indian dishes and restaurants are popular,Aloo gobi is one of the most popular vegetarian dish.
Now, me being a South Indian, this dish was not a staple at my household. But whenever we used to go out to eat and rarely(since in calicut, famous for calicut biriyani,when going out, we never thought of going for a veg options)if we have to make a choice for north indian dishes, it was always paneer butter masala and aloo gobi

So when I tried to make aloo gobi at home, initial attempts were not that good. It was either soggy or way too oily. So i just dropped making it altogether. Its silly, to say, this dish being the most simplest one to make, somehow I never got it right. Then one day when we decided to make it AGAIN, Danny offered to help/improve this dish and we baked the veggies before sauteing it. And it was a tremendous improvement from earlier versions and since then we have been making baked aloo gobi regularly.

Baked Aloo Gobi/Baked Potatoes&Cauliflower 1. Potatoes – 4- 5 medium to marinate with       turmeric powder – ¼ tsp       chilli powder – ½ tsp       garam masala – ½ tbsp to 1 tbsp       salt – to taste      oil – approx 1-2 tbsp 2. Cauliflower – 1 medium head to marinate with       turmeric powder – ¼ tsp        chilli powder – ½ tsp       garam masala – ½ tbsp to 1 tbsp       salt – to taste       oil – approx 1-2 tbsp 2. Onion, finely chopped – 1 medium 3. Ginger, finely chopped – 1 tbsp 4. Garlic, finely chopped – 1 tbsp 5. Tomato, chopped – 1 medium 6. Green chilly, finely chopped – 1 7. Coriander leaves, finely chopped – small bunch 8. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp 9. Oil – about 1 tbsp 1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400 F. 2. Marinate potatoes and cauliflower separately with spice mixture for about 10 min. 3. Line two baking sheets with aluminium foil or grease paper. 4. Bake cauliflower for 15 -20 min until its done. 5, Bake potatoes for 20-25 min until its done. 6. Remove from oven and set aside. 7. Heat a saute pan over medium – high heat and once its hot add oil and cumin seeds. 8. When cumin splutters, add onions and saute it till its translucent. 9. Now add ginger, garlic, green chilly and saute for 5 more min. 10. Add tomatoes and saute till tomatoes are nicely cooked and mashed down. 11. Now add baked potatoes and cauliflower and mix well.  12. At this point, if its too dry, add 1-2 tbsp of water to make it a bit soft. 13. Add coriander leaves, close the lid of the pan and keep for 5 more min on stove before setting aside. Baked Aloo Gobi is ready to serve. Notes to Remember * Baked potatoes and cauliflower should be bit crispy outside and soft to bite. * Adjust the green chilly to suit te individual spice levels. * Adjust the salt again at the end of the preparation, if needed.

 That said, let me tell you , this is NOT the authentic/original way its been made. There are a lot of recipes for original versions, if we browse the Internet. But this is the way we love making it and now its going to be in my recipe book/blog.