Aloo Gobhi
A healthy, delicious potato and cauliflower curry made with aromatic spices in under 10 mins in an Instant Pot!
A healthy, delicious potato and cauliflower curry made with aromatic spices in under 10 mins in an Instant Pot!
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 plum tomatoes (diced)
- 4 cups cauliflower florets (big 2 inch pieces)
- 1 medium potato (peeled and cut into wedges i use russet potatoes)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon mild kashmiri red chili powder (less if using a s
- 1 tablespoon cumin-coriander powder (spice blend)
- 1-1/2 teaspoon garam masala (add 1/2 for a medium
- cilantro (for garnish)
- Carbohydrate 0.227012083333333 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 6.87313041666667 g
- Fiber 0.0654083338578542 g
- Protein 0.0611675 g
- Saturated Fat 0.889110041666667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (7g)
- Sodium 0.507916666666667 mg
- Sugar 0.161603749475479 g
- Trans Fat 0.339360666666667 g
- Calories 62 calories
Step-by-step
- Turn Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Once display reads "Hot", add oil and cumin seeds. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add onions and mix well. Cook covered with a glass lid on for 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes, mix and cook covered for another minute.
- Add turmeric, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well.
- Add potatoes and cauliflower florets. Add 1/4 cup of water. Mix well.
- Put Instant Pot lid on with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual at high pressure for 3 minutes. Cook for only 2 minutes if you like cauliflower to be more firm.
- When time is up, quick release the pressure, open the Instant Pot and stir gently. Garnish with cilantro.
- Serve hot with naan, paratha or toasted pita bread. Enjoy!
Beyond the Spice Rubric
Spices like turmeric, cumin, and Kashmiri chili powder carry centuries of South Asian culinary tradition, functioning historically not just for flavor but for preservation and digestion. Understanding these ground aromatics requires blooming them in hot fat to release their fat-soluble compounds before introducing moisture. Thinly slicing the onions ensures they break down rapidly during the sauté phase, forming a cohesive base sauce rather than remaining discrete pieces.Navigating Textural Doneness
Evaluating doneness in a pressure cooker relies entirely on visual and physical cues rather than temperature. Piercing a potato wedge with the tip of a paring knife provides the definitive test; the metal should slide through the center with zero resistance, yet the edges must retain their structural integrity. Cauliflower florets cut to a uniform two-inch size cook evenly alongside the potato wedges, preventing the vegetable matter from turning to mush during the three-minute high-pressure cycle. Shortening the cooking time to two minutes yields a firmer crunch if preferred.Adapting Yields Safely
Scaling pressure cooker recipes requires careful attention to liquid volumes rather than just multiplying spice quantities. Doubling this recipe does not require doubling the added quarter-cup of water, because the cauliflower and onions release substantial moisture during heating. Retaining a minimum pressure-releasing threshold prevents scorching at the bottom of the stainless steel insert.
