Non-Mushy or Soggy Aloo Gobhi (without frying in excess oil)

Non-mushy, no sogginess, and absolutely delicious aloo gobhi (cauliflower and potato vegetable). It is not deep-fried or shallow-fried in excess oil but it still has got that same texture and taste. It has got that grilled and roasted flavor which makes it even tastier especially when paired with some steamy hot chapatti, bhakri, or simply with some comforting dal-rice. And guess what – it is made with just 2 Tbsp of cooking oil. Waaaaatttt!!!

Story Time

Aloo Gobhi vegetable (sabzi) has a love-hate relationship. You either love it or just can’t stand the smell or the taste of it. Some people don’t like the sogginess and mushiness of it once cooked. That’s kind of obvious. We both love aloo gobhi but don’t enjoy it when it is soggy. It happens because cauliflower contains a lot of moisture which releases when you slow-cook it. To prevent that, most people deep-fry gobhi or shallow-fry it in excess oil. It creates a nice layer of oil on top and cooks the cauliflower florets at the same time. Jatin always had it that way but not me. My mom never preferred to deep-fry or shallow-fry it except for when we have some festival and wanted to make it extra delicious and rich.

After marriage, I also made it without frying just like my mom. Sometimes it turned out just perfect but sometimes it became soggy. Jatin always asked to make the fried version for him because he loved that one a lot. It is his favorite vegetable. So, I made him happy when I am in no mood of eating anything. His happiness was beyond explanation 😀 But we make aloo gobhi almost every week and I can’t cook it in so much oil every time. So, I decided to find another way to get that same texture – Baking! I even use this method when I want to make the party-style aloo gobhi and trust me, no one can tell the difference.

Why should we bake cauliflower and not shallow-fry?

If you are someone like me who doesn’t like deep frying food unless it is very much necessary for the recipe like when I am making chhole poori or bhaturas. I saved my deep-frying quota only for these couple of recipes. Otherwise, I prefer non-fried methods.

Here are the reasons I don’t deep-fry or shallow-fry (until necessary):

1. Fried food feels heavy and oily after eating them.
2. The oil becomes unhealthy after reaching the temperature of deep-frying. We are not supposed to use the oil again for cooking. But obviously, we can’t even discard the oil. So we consume it. That’s where switching to a non-fried method helps.
3. The baked method is much easier and hassle-free and gives you a very similar taste and texture.
4. It saves a lot of oil in cooking. This recipe is made with just 2 Tbsp of cooking oil. Now think about how many Tbsp of oil you use when you deep-fry or shallow-fry your vegetables.

How to make the cauliflower non-soggy or mushy?

Cauliflower contains a lot of moisture and that is why it turns soggy or mushy while cooking. To prevent that, we often deep-fry or shallow-fry them. But you can also try baking them with NO OIL at all. You get a nice texture and a delicious taste too.

But you need to take care of the following:

1. Cutting the cauliflower florets: Cauliflower releases a lot of moisture while baking and hence reduces in size. That is why keep the florets bigger in size. Also, avoid cutting the florets in half rather simply take out the florets as a whole. If adding potatoes, cut them into bigger pieces.
2. Oven Temperature: Don’t hurry in baking the vegetables by keeping the temperature high. It will give you that brown, grilled surface on top but will still have a lot of moisture inside. And then it will become soggy and moist when you season it in a pan. Keep the temperature at 180°C, grill-fan setting (or top-bottom). Grill mode gives you that nice grilled texture and at 180°C, it cooks slowly and releases enough moisture too.

Can we bake cauliflower in the microwave?

Yes. It can be done even in the microwave. You just need to preheat the microwave to 180 or 200-degree celsius. Use the convection mode (or grill mode) and then bake until you get that golden brown color on top. You can follow this recipe video to try that.

Is this recipe vegan?

Yes. All the ingredients used in this recipe are vegan (or vegetarian) and plant-based.

Can we store this vegetable?

You can refrigerate the cooked vegetable for 2 to 3 days. Reheat while serving.

Easy Swaps

1. Seasonings: Use any spice of your choice – sabzi masala, garam masala, amchoor (dry-mango powder), cumin seeds, etc.
2. Mustard Oil: Use any cooking oil instead.

How to serve aloo-gobhi sabzi (cauliflower & potato vegetable)?

You can serve it with the following:

1. Chappati or Bhakri
2. Moong Dal
3. Dal-Rice
4. Radish Leaves Parathas
5. Spring Onion Parathas
6. Green Chilli Instant Pickle

More recipes – just as good

1. Aloo Beans Sabzi
2. Paneer Bhurji Gravy
3. Chana Dal Pulao

Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this delicious, non-mushy aloo gobhi sabzi at home. It is perfect to make in winter because the taste of cauliflower is just amazing in this season. You can make it for lunch or dinner too and enjoy a comforting homemade happy meal.

If you try this recipe and like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Love

Richa