It is, by any measure, an odd thing to crave curry when it's pushing 35°C outside. But that's what living in rural Andalucía does to you – the heat becomes so normalised that your appetite stops paying attention to it and just gets on with wanting what it wants. Tonight it wanted aloo gobi.

If you're looking for an aloo gobi recipe that actually tastes like the real thing, the answer – as with most good Indian cooking – is patience and properly cooked onions. But we'll get to that.

The backstory starts in India. In 2015 I spent 32 days travelling by rail across the subcontinent – and it was in Delhi, of all places, that I stopped eating meat for the rest of the trip. I walked into a butcher's shop. It wasn't deliberate. It wasn't a statement. It was just one of those visceral moments that quietly reorganises your appetite.

The happy consequence was that I ate some of the best vegetarian food of my life, including my first proper introduction to Dishoom's onion and tomato masala. By the time we reached Goa for a few days of R&R, I had developed a daily aloo gobi habit. There was a beach hut within walking distance of our hotel – the kind of place that has no obvious right to produce food as good as it did. I had their aloo gobi most days. It was, by some distance, the best version I encountered on the entire trip.

Eventually I asked the young guy running the hut how he managed to cook so well in what was essentially a shack. He answered a little sheepishly that his mum had made it the previous day and he simply reheated it at the hut.

Which tells you everything you need to know about aloo gobi: it is better the next day. Cook it this evening. Eat it tomorrow. Or, if you lack the willpower – and I generally do – eat it tonight and accept that tomorrow's portion, if there is one, will be even better.

Back in rural Andalucía, June 2026. No beach, no butcher's shop revelation, no young man with a sheepish grin. Just me, a courtyard, Issy on the cool tiled floor inside, and a kitchen that happened to have everything I needed except fresh coriander. A squeeze of lemon does the job well enough.

If you like the cauliflower and potato pairing, my Baked Spicy Cauliflower with Carrot & Potato Patties takes it in a different direction — same core veg, patty form instead of curry.

The Aloo Gobi Recipe

Serves: 1 hungry person (or 2 as a side – and better the next day)
Cooking method: Hob

Ingredients

• 200g new potatoes, halved or quartered
• 250g cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 2 fresh ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 green or red chilli, finely sliced (or ½ tsp chilli powder)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ lemon, juice only

Method

1. Put the potatoes in cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook until just tender – a knife should go in with a little resistance. You don't want them falling apart. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 20–25 minutes until deeply golden and sweet. Don't rush this – it's the foundation of the whole dish.
3. Push the onions to the side, turn the heat up slightly, and add the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant and beginning to pop.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 2 minutes. Add the chilli, turmeric, ground coriander and ground cumin and stir everything together for another minute, coating the onions well.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for 8–10 minutes until completely broken down and the mixture is thick and almost paste-like. The oil should begin to separate slightly at the edges – this is what you want.
6. Add the cauliflower florets raw – they'll finish cooking in the spice base and pick up better colour and texture than if par-boiled. Add the drained potatoes. Stir everything together to coat thoroughly in the masala.
7. Add a small splash of water (3–4 tbsp), put a lid on and cook over a low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the cauliflower is tender but still has some bite. Remove the lid for the last few minutes to drive off any excess moisture – this should be dry, not saucy.
8. Sprinkle over the garam masala and squeeze over the lemon juice. Taste for salt. Serve with rice or a warm tortilla.

Cook's notes

This aloo gobi recipe is endlessly flexible. No fresh coriander? A squeeze of lemon at the end does a similar lifting job. A small swirl of kefir or plain yoghurt on top works beautifully – the tang cuts through the spice. And if you can resist eating the lot tonight, it really is better tomorrow.

This aloo gobi recipe scales easily — double the quantities and you'll have lunches sorted for two days.

If you're building out a full vegetable curry spread, my Master the Art of Cooking Fresh Okra Without the Slime makes a great addition to the table.

Find more recipes in my Curry Hub and Potato Hub.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef