Sunday, May 2, 2010

aloo gobi with flavors of nigella.......



Nigella seeds have become my favorite tempering spice lately...thanks to two of my bong friends.......i have been using this tempering in many ways since i started using it to make hot n achari style preparations.......

First came this fish fry...mirchi waali..

and the prawns in nigella n green chilly sauce..

then came mushrooms with spring onions

and then....turmeric soaked tofu n spinach stir fry

Being quite comfortable with this seasoning now i know how to handle it to develop new flavors..........

When you have cauliflowers this fresh.........right from the plant , you need to do justice to the freshness .....


You guessed right , fresh gobi meets nigella and some more seasonings of course to make this wonderful stir fry........i used the tender leaves and stems of the cauliflower too as they were so fresh and i don't want to waste the produce of my garden....my own hard work.....

I have posted a few recipes with this nigella tempering and turmeric red chilly seasoning earlier too but this one includes some more ingredients and as expected , it takes that seasoning to a new level........the hot spice mix paired with fresh n flavorful cauliflower florets make a stunning burst of flavors......


I made this stir fry about a couple of months back and it was repeated many times , the cauliflowers available in this season are good too ( the end of winter gobi is horrible ) and the stir fry turned well with them too......

ingredients...

to chop..
cauliflowers separated into florets 400 gm
one big onion chopped finely (i used my chopper)

to make a paste...
an inch piece of ginger
5 cloves of garlic
3-4 red chillies
turmeric powder
cumin seeds 2 tsp
black pepper corns 2 tsp

for tempering..
nigella seeds 1 tsp
fennel seeds 1 tsp
fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
mustard oil 1 tbsp

preparation.....

heat oil in a thick base pan and throw in the tempering spices..

as soon as the seeds crackle add the chopped onions with  pinch of salt and fry till a few of the onions get browned.......not all of them.

add the paste and fry on medium flame till the oil separates and the spices get cooked and aromatic...

add the stems and tender leaves of the cauliflower if using ......and cook for a couple of minutes........

now add the cauliflower florets , salt to taste ....... mix well and cook on a very low flame ........let the florets get browned and cooked ............do not overcook and it should remain firm and a bit crunchy..........


It can be a side dish or a main dish according to the kind of spread you want..........good with rotis or with dal chawal.......quite a hot subzi and very very different from any punjabi style gobi........has a hint of bengali preparations but not completely bengali..........i loved it and so did everybody else......a balanced blending of flavors .......fusing a punju n a bong gobi subzi.....it was fun.

12 comments:

  1. Hi sangeetha,

    Thank u for stoppıng by my blog and for leavıng a very encouragıng comment as well. Been lookıng through ur recıpes and found so many of my favourıtes. I enjoy rotıs and subzıs but strangely never trıed at home, other than south ındıan sambars and currıes. Aloo Gobı looks too delıcıous. I am also a health freak but reserve ıt only to myself and ındulge my famıly though.Vısıted ur ayurvedıc blog as well.. It ıs very ınformatıve. Sure i wıll be stoppıng by often from now on...

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  2. Wow, that cauliflower right in the plant, looks so fresh. It looks like I need to plant cauliflower :) and amazing recipe :)

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  3. Nigella seeds sounds very interesting dear...I have never cooked with it, do we get this in regular Indian stores? Cauliflower looks superb :)

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  4. Thanks all of you..

    Gita ...nigella seeds are called kalonji in hindi n 'onion seeds' too sometimes , but these are not onion seeds ...i hope you should find it in Indian stores by these names ..........it is a part of panch phoron ( a bengali spice mix) and punjabi achari masala.

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  5. Aloo gobi must be great with Nigella seeds. Yum combo masala for sure!

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  6. Awesome gobi, very fresh, neat & clean..... Very rare I find such gobis here.... But yes! when I do... I pounce on them..... Because that is one thing I would not wanna miss..... This prep looks very tempting.... & awesome looking captures....

    Ash...
    (http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  7. Lovely combo. Cauliflower looks so fresh. Yummy and delicious dish. Wonderful presentation.

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  8. Never tried nigella wit the cauliflower...looks soo inviting...between a food blogger fm down under.
    Ur presentation is applaudable.
    will be bk.
    Chao,
    Chetana
    www.myrecipegalore.blogspot.com

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  9. Dear Sangeeta
    This dish is very nice, never tried this way ( i.e with onion and garlic) . The typical Bong vege one I cook is just green chili, Nigela seasoning, lot of haldi and star fry.
    I shall try this one.

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  10. Oh this is my favorite! I always order this at Indian restaurants! Yum!

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  11. Inviting one dear! hope you someday invite me to your home to eat..
    ;
    ;
    ;
    I decided this after seeing your recipe for prawn and fish

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  12. you are welcome any time Deva....

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