Note: When stirring the curry, I suggest you use a flat wooden spoon.
1. Wash and peel the potatoes.
2. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. Wash. Cut into small/medium florets.
3. Slice the potatoes into thick-cut chip (fries) size.
4. Boil both until tender- a slight bite to both is good. REMEMBER TO REMOVE FROM STOVE! Drain.
5. Whilst the potatoes and cauliflower are boiling, peel and slice the onions into rings and mince the garlic.
6. Heat a tiny amount of oil in a large non-stick frying pan (or wok).
7. Fry 2 to 3 teaspoons of cumin for a few minutes, and then add the garlic. Don't allow the garlic to burn.
8. Add 3/4 of the onion. Fry for a few minutes. Add 1-2 teaspoons of turmeric. If you have mustard seeds or fenugreek, add a teaspoon of both.
(AT THIS POINT, CHECK YOUR POTATOES & CAULIFLOUR!)
9. Keep frying until the onions soften, adding tiny amounts of olive oil to the frying pan to stop sticking/burning. Add a few pinches of chili powder. Place 3 teaspoons of this mixture aside for the curry sauce, with the rest of the onion.
10. When your cauliflower and potatoes are ready (and drained) hook out about 4 medium florets of cauliflower and 2 pieces of potato. Add the rest to the frying pan and coat with the turmeric/onion mixture. Use a flat wooden spoon to carefully mix until covered. If necessary, add a little more turmeric to ensure vegetables are coated. Continue to fry over a low-medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of garam masala. Mix well.
12. THE SAUCE: Open the can of tomatoes and pour their juice into a blender. Add the onion, cumin-onion mixture and the spare cauliflower florets and potato. Remove the stalks from the tomatoes, and add the tomatoes to the blender. Blend until you have a very pale looking, thickish tomato soup (add some water & blend more if clumpy). This is your sauce.
13. Pour the sauce into the frying pan and stir gently, covering the potatoes and continue to cook over a low-medium heat. If you want to keep the recipe more traditional, use just enough sauce to coat the mixture in the frying pan. For a more curry-style dish, use all of the sauce.
14. Heat through and do a taste test: if too bland, add a pinch of chili powder, salt or garam masala.
15. You can either serve when the potatoes and cauliflower are soft and heated through, or remove from heat and leave for a few hours to ensure the potatoes and cauliflower absorb all the flavors (Recommended).
Serve with rice, or with chapati.
Notes:
This is a variation I created from Aloo Gobi. Normally, a large amount of oil is used in this recipe. By parboiling the cauliflower & potatoes, and using the vegetables to make the sauce instead, you save so much oil & calories.
Try adding a stick or two of celery or some diced green pepper (bell pepper) to the sauce when you blend it for extra taste.