Pantry Friendly Aloo Gobi from The Faux Martha

The practical art of making more with less. It’s the tagline of my book. It’s one of my favorite things to think about and implement into my life. I like to talk about it, too. You can listen to this podcast with Robyn of Real Food Whole Life. Throughout our conversation, Robyn asked me to break this idea down and break it down again. To be honest, it’s a complex, multi-faceted thing to break down. While this idea is intuitive for some, it’s counterintuitive and confusing to others. Many would think, if I pare down my kitchen, for example, then I’ll only be able to make basic, 5-ingredient recipes. Aside from Marcella Hazan’s brilliant 5-ingredient tomato sauce (you can see my version here), not a lot of recipes come together in so few of ingredients. At least not many you’d want to make again and again. That’s why this whole less-is-more thing is so incredible. Stay with me.

Pantry Friendly Aloo Gobi from The Faux Martha

Muir Glen
This post was created in partnership with Muir Glen Organic. Muir Glen harvests organic tomatoes at the peak of ripeness. Tomatoes go from field to can in 8 hours or less. When I shop for canned tomatoes, I stock my pantry with Muir Glen. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep this site running.

When you pare down, you learn how to use the things you own really well. You learn how to configure and reconfigure the same set of tools and ingredients into an entirely new creation. You become less of a recipe regurgitate-er and more of a critical cooker, a resourceful dinner maker, using what you have. A by-product of this method is a kitchen that stays intact. Not one that is bursting at the seams with each new recipe. If this all sounds a little overwhelming (it was for me once too), check out The Minimalist Kitchen course, or stay right here. I’ll break down this abstract idea further into practical application by using this recipe for Aloo Gobi, a delicious little teacher.

DIY Garam Masala from The Faux Martha

Let’s take the spice cabinet, for example. In the process of paring down my kitchen, I pared down my library of a spice collection to around 20. And then one day I wanted to make Aloo Gobi, a vegetarian and vegan Indian dish made with cauliflower and potatoes (Aloo Gobi). The recipe calls for garam masala, a spice I don’t stock. Garam masala, however, is a spice mixture, like pumpkin spice, Italian spice, curry, etc. It is composed of cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. These are all spices I keep stocked. Great news! I don’t have to pass on this recipe. I can assemble a similar spice mixture, which you’ll see below. What you’ll also see is a long list of ingredients. But wait, aren’t you a minimalist? That list is sooo long. Well, yes. (This is the counterintuitive part.) I’ve pared down, but now I can use what I have to its very fullest. And that’s the beauty of this idea and recipe.

Pantry Friendly Aloo Gobi from The Faux Martha

And now on to tools. I have 4 pots/pans, 1 Dutch oven, 1 nonstick pan for eggs, and 1 cast iron skillet. I know which one to grab for the occasion, how to cook with it, and how to properly care for it in hopes that I can get a lifetime (or a long time) of use. One such pan I grab for daily is the cast iron skillet, a surface that people either love or hate. This particular skillet conducts heat so well. It heats fast and maintains heat long after it’s left the heat source. Which is so very important to know. Things cook faster in this pan compared to the stainless steel pan. Because of that, it’s necessary to adjust cook times. This pan, too, can tolerate really high heat, something that would ruin a nonstick pan and take a lot of elbow grease to clean if using a stainless steel pan. Best of all, when maintained well, it can be passed down generation after generation.

And then there’s the pantry staples. Over lots of time, I’ve whittled our stocked pantry ingredients down to the ones we use the most, and from there, to the ones that perform the best. One such beloved ingredient is the can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Muir Glen to be exact. They’re organic, low in acidity, and consistently full of flavor. I load up when they go on sale, always buying diced, even if a recipe calls for crushed. And then I pull out my Vitamix to blend the tomatoes to the desired consistency. You’ll see this play out in the recipe below.

Pantry Friendly Aloo Gobi from The Faux Martha

Are you feeling this less is more thing? When you pare down, you naturally figure out how to use your belongings to their fullest potential. And it tastes a whole lot like Aloo Gobi. So very good.

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Pantry Friendly Aloo Gobi from The Faux Martha

Pantry Friendly Aloo Gobi


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  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 3-4 1x

Description

Aloo Gobi is a delicious Indian dish that is naturally vegetarian and vegan (unless you add the yogurt like we do) and perfect for the weeknight. If you like Tikka Masala, you’ll also enjoy this dish. It’s a touch sweeter in flavor from the garam masala spice mixture, which I’ve made from spices I keep stocked. Note: Turmeric is not in garam masala but it is in the dish. You can also add a touch of nutmeg and cloves if desired. To add natural sweetness, I’ve added carrots and frozen peas to this recipe, two ingredients I always keep stocked. Then finished the dish with a short squeeze of honey to bring all the flavors together quickly. Traditionally, this dish is made with fresh ginger. Feel free to sub in a thumb tip size of minced ginger in with the garlic, omitting the ground variety.


Ingredients

Scale

Rice:

  • 1 c. rice
  • 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Spice Mixture:

  • 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 3/4 tsp. cumin
  • 3/4 tsp. coriander
  • 3/4 tsp. turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. cardamom
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Filling:

  • 1/2 large sweet onion, roughly diced (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 large carrot, roughly diced
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
  • 1/2 tomato can of water (1 scant cup)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus a pinch
  • 2 c. cauliflower florets
  • 2 c. russet potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 c. frozen peas
  • drizzle of honey

Optional Garnish:

  • chopped cilantro
  • whole milk yogurt

Instructions

Make the rice. In a small saucepan, make rice according to package instructions, adding salt and butter.

Assemble spice mixture. Stir together all the spices and set aside.

Make the filling. Roughly chop the onions and carrots. We’ll pulse them in the blender shortly, so don’t spend too much time here. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, heat pan to medium-low. Once warm, add the oil, onion, and carrots plus a pinch of salt, and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and spice mixture and toast for 30 seconds more. Stir in the canned tomatoes, 1/2 a tomato can full of water, and salt, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and pour into the blender, pulsing until it resembles a crushed texture, not a puree.

Pour sauce back into the pan, adding the cauliflower and potatoes. Stir to coat and bring to a simmer. Cover and steam for 15 minutes at a low simmer, stirring occasionally.

Test the potatoes to make sure they are cooked through. Then remove the lid, and add in peas, plus a drizzle of honey. Cook until peas are just warmed through and still bright green.

Serve Aloo Gobi over a bed of rice. Add optional garnishes as desired.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
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Giveaway

I’m teaming up with Muir Glen to giveaway one of my favorite pans to one lucky winner, the aforementioned Lodge Cast Iron 10-inch Skillet. To enter, leave a comment below with the name of your favorite pantry friendly recipe. Giveaway closes January 17, 2019 at 11pm CST. Open to US residents only.

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