September 24, 2013

Gobi makhani à la Richa — gluten-free


Whenever I go to an Indian restaurant, I take forever to peruse the menu, trying to decide what to order. Everything sounds so enticing. I study the ingredients of one dish after another, imagining the wonderful flavors and aromas, and then I order aloo gobi. Every time. Every single time. I have on occasion tasted other dishes, but the truth is I love aloo gobi best — cauliflower and potatoes in a spicy sauce are perfect companions. If they could just add some chickpeas in there, I'd love it even more.

When I cook Indian food at home I'm a little more willing to experiment. I want to try different dishes. But, if I find one that contains cauliflower and/or potatoes, all the better. I saw a delicious-sounding recipe for cauliflower and broccoli with mahkani gravy on Richa's blog. The gravy came from another post she did on a most spectacular-looking whole-cauliflower dish called gobi musallam. The gobi musallam is a centerpiece dish for a special occasion, so I filed it away for a possible Thanksgiving dish, but the cauliflower and broccoli seemed like the perfect thing to make right away.


Sadly, my broccoli was decrepit, and had to go to the compost, but I had plenty of cauliflower plus everything else in the recipe, so I made my version with just cauliflower and peas. However, since I was in charge of ingredients, I also added my beloved chickpeas. And was it good? Oh, yeah. Go make some.

Mofo comes through again with inspiration to spare.

22 comments:

  1. I'm laughing because I have the same experience at Indian restaurants, except for me the final destination is always chana masala!

    Richa's recipes are awesome. I definitely bookmarked that gobi musallam too.

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    1. It's not just Indian restaurants, I seem to have a favorite at every restaurant. It's so hard to try something new when the thing you like is just so good!

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  2. I do miss the creamy dishes from the Indian menu; this looks like it could fill the void. But, I'm shocked you didn't add potatoes! Richa's recipes are ridiculous; I wish she'd just open up a restaurant already instead of taunting me with her recipes. But I'd miss her blog; it's awesome in so many ways.

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    1. Her recipes, complimented by her gorgeous photos, are always tempting.

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  3. That looks so good! Too bad about the broccoli :( Richa's recipes really are stellar.

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    1. Poor broccoli. I hate wasting food, but it was just beyond use. It was unequal to the recipe at hand.

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  4. I love Richa's recipes. Almost as much as I love aloo gobi - seriously, I have the same problem. I can't not order it. Sometimes I push the boat out and go for chana masala, but only if I can aloo gobi on the side!

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    1. Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets fixated on a particular food. But, aloo gobi — who can resist the call?

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  5. Such a yummy looking dish! Lately, I've been trying to order different dishes just to try something new. But somehow I always end up back at the same dish. I do the same thing when I cook at home. :-)

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    1. Gobi mahkani was a new dish for me, so I am branching out at home — a little.

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  6. super cool! i am so glad you madeit.. chickpeas or anything really work with that gravy!
    i think aloo gobi is the safe bet. almost all indian restaurants have it and they keep it vegan. :) i get frustrated at indian restaurants, coz i really dont want to order chana masala or aloo gobi there, but then the other curries are not vegan. pfft.

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    1. My friend told me about a new Indian vegetarian restaurant in Bellevue with lots of vegan options. http://www.bombayhousewa.com/index.html
      I haven't tried it yet but she said it had good reviews. It's always tricky to avoid dairy in most Indian restaurants, but this one has the vegan dishes clearly marked.

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  7. All of the awesome cooking inspiration is what I love most about MoFo too! Richa's recipes always blow me away.

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    1. I agree that they are pretty spectacular.

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  8. That is my kind of dinner! Ordering the same thing every single time sounds like something I would do if I wasn't such a germaphobe who never eats out. You are right, aloo gobi should always come with chickpeas.

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    1. The gravy was very luxurious and tasted even better the next day (and the next). You should try it — and add some chickpeas!

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  9. I love wet Indian curries that have cauliflower and/or potatoes (yummm!) but my stomach cannot handle dry curry dishes. I remembered eating these dry curries in Fiji or Malaysia, and I couldn't digest very well. Funny, I also take forever to peruse the menu, sometimes I would go for ingredients involving my favorite veggies - cauliflower, potato, peas, or chickpeas. Richa's gravy sounds so yummy, too! What a hearty and delicious dish!

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    1. I think the gravy would be perfect with cauliflower, peas and potatoes. I was out of potatoes or they probably would have been included.

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  10. I love Indian food, but I am always too scared to make it myself. There's an Indian super market near my new house, plus this post, makes me want to try it!

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    1. You should try it. Richa's blog has so many tempting recipes. Modern Indian cooking is not as hard as you think.

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  11. That looks so saucy and delicious! We order a variety of things when we go to our favorite Indian restaurant, but I know how tough it can be to stray from the tried and true! David is in love with coconut curry vegetables, and we get it almost every time.

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    1. Coconut curry is a great choice. I really enjoyed making the cauliflower dish from Richa's blog, and if I could order it in a restaurant, I probably would get it every time.

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