Janisha’s Aloo Gobi

I had this potato and cauliflower curry a couple of times from the restaurant (called Janisha’s) attached to the beach hut village we stayed in as Palolem beach in Goa. It was really good and since the staff there were pretty friendly I decided to ask them for the recipe. Since the chef didn’t speak very good English, one of the waiters acted as a go-between; he wrote it down on a waiter’s pad and went through it with me. Although the language barrier was a hindrance, and his spelling wasn’t too good (he is Indian after all) I managed to get the gist of it. There were no quantities mentioned, only a list of ingredients and the general method. I have basically made up the quantities, based on what I think would make a nice balanced curry. Unsurprisingly, I haven’t had a chance to test it yet, so if anyone fancies giving it a go, I would love some feedback!

Janisha’s Aloo Gobi (serves 3-4)
The dish is simply potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi) added to a sauce. To make the sauce: Very finely dice 1 medium onion (or use a blender) and coarsely grate 400g of ripe fresh tomatoes (or put peeled tomatoes into blender with onion). Take 2-3 tablespoons of cashew nuts and grind to a pulp in a pestle and mortar (or add to blender). Now, in a medium sized saucepan heat 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable or sunflower oil, then add the tomatoes, onion and cashew nut pulp. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes with the lid partially on. Add to the pot 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of asafetida powder (try experimenting with different quantities of these spices). Set aside. Peel about 250g of waxy potaoes, chop into bite-sized pieces and boil in water for about 5 minutes to part-cook them. Add 1 or 2 medium tomatoes, quartered, to the sauce and add the drained potatoes. Add a little water if it looks a bit too dry. With the lid partially on, simmer gently for about 20 mins, or until the potato is nearly cooked. Add 200g of cauliflower florets and cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Just before serving, sprinkle over a handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves, and a generous pinch of garam masala. Serve with white rice, or roti.