Ever since watching Bend It Like Beckham , I’d had a vague desire to learn to make aloo gobi myself. I didn’t actually know what it was then, but it sounded so satisfying, especially when Jess’ mother pronounced it. But I was cooking for small kids at the time and the most adventurous we got was chicken korma. Back in 2011 I was researching some Indian recipes for a client and found several mouth-watering recipes begging to be tried out including this one for aloo gobi.

We loved it, even the then fussy kids not noticing that they were eating the dreaded cauliflower. Deep spice flavours add intensity to the bland vegetables but still allow the creamy nuttiness of fresh cauliflower to come through. The recipe I use is authentically Indian asking for asafoetida or mango powder, which I still haven’t yet found and tried. So I leave them out and use a squeeze of lemon juice to add a touch of light acidity instead of the mango powder.

This is a vegan recipe without even thinking about it. Serve alongside some daal and rice for a well-balanced plant-based meal. Or as a vegetable accompaniment to a meat curry dish.