Ever since moving to Vancouver Island, we’ve been in luck with some superb Indian restaurants around us. We love the cuisine because it’s loaded with flavor and spice and it is great for cold nights. Our go to dishes always seem to be butter chicken and aloo gobi: the spicy creaminess is unforgettable in the butter chicken and the aloo gobi is deliciously packed full of fried curried potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes and spices. But everything that is delicious comes at a high calorie price…or does it? I have been on a quest to create the ultimate healthy combination of butter chicken and aloo gobi.
I’ve finally developed my own version of homemade aloo gobi butter “chicken” mash up over the past few months. Since I am basically pescatarian I decided to load this recipe with veggies! One of the biggest tricks I found to get the “fried” veggies texture to match traditional aloo gobi, is to bake them in the oven. Baking them makes them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Get your taste buds ready because I’m going to take you a ride aboard the flava train!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon of Truvia or Stevia (you can also sub 1 tablespoon of regular white sugar)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup of water
1 cup chickpeas
Vegetables of your choice (I usually put in yam, butternut squash, carrot, peas, broccoli and cauliflower)
Instructions
Bake vegetables in oven at 400 degrees with olive oil and pepper for 15-20 minutes (just until crispy and slightly soft).
Sauté chopped onions in oil until softened and just starting to brown.
Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes on medium heat.
Add tomato paste, spices and salt and sauté for 1 minute, stirring frequently to make sure the spices don't burn.
Add yogurt and water and mix well.
Add vegetables and chickpeas to sauce and mix until covered. Turn down heat and cover – let simmer for 3 minutes.
If the sauce is a little dry, add more water as needed and stir well.
Serve on top of rice with a side or roti or naan.
