Cauliflower Potato Coconut Curry

Inspiring by the North Indian dish 'Aloo Gobi'

I have a weird obsession with Cauliflower. I love it in any and all forms (roasted, baked, steamed, fried, drowning in sauce, you name it). My favorite though is the North Indian dish called Aloo Gobi which translates to Potato Cauliflower, a dry scrumptious curry.

One evening I was craving some cauliflower. I am aware that I might be only person in the world who actually craves it. But I wanted something more warm and more fatty than the standard Aloo Gobi. I started to browse my pantry and found a can of coconut milk and felt compelled to combine it with the cauliflower for a soupy curry.

The workflow for this dish followed My basics for simple and easy North Indian-style cooking with minor variations (some omissions).

I chopped up onion, garlic, ginger, cauliflower (including the stems), and potatoes. Chopping vegetables is basically my favorite activity in the kitchen. The feel of whole foods, the symmetry of the chopping, and the picturesque combination of ingredients is very soothing and almost meditative for me. I have often wondered if I would enjoy working in a restaurant, especially for Mise en place. I’m still thinking about this but I worry that the sheer volume of what I would need to chop might take away the joy I feel doing it for my handful of dishes per day. No verdict on this yet, I’ll continue to ponder.

Ok back to the dish. Cooking this was super simple. I sautéed cumin seeds in hot olive oil and then added onions, garlic, ginger with a sprinkle of salt and let those soften. Next, I added just two dry Indian spices (coriander powder, turmeric powder), let them roast for ~30 seconds, added the cauliflower and potato, and mixed everything. I added half a can of coconut milk along with water and salt, mixed, and simmered on low-medium heat until the cauliflower and potatoes softened (I think this took ~15 mins but I checked tenderness periodically with a fork).

If you read my basics for Indian-style cooking, you’ll notice that I am missing the finishing touches (aka garnishes) of any kind. I basically didn’t have any of those ingredients. Oh well.

I paired this dish with steamed basmati rice, which is what I usually have on hand. Jasmine rice would’ve been the more appropriate choice. Oh well.

This dish hit the spot and met my craving head on. The warmth of the spices and the silky smooth fattiness of the coconut milk became the ultimate comfort bite.

Dish Debrief:

• Is this my winner or disaster? leaning towards a win

• How would I rate this dish out of 10? 8 out of 10

• What would I change next time? Maybe turn this into a Thai style dish with addition of Thai curry paste, use garnish like cilantro and/or lime, eat with jasmine rice

• Would I make this again? Most likely