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One of my favorite dishes at the local Indian restaurant is aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower). As much as I love it, I tend to pack on pounds when I consume potatoes.

In this recipe, I replaced the potatoes with chickpeas (channa) to trim down the dish. The chickpeas also add additional protein and fiber to the dish.

The spice mix for this dish varies across recipes. I found a mix of cumin, coriander, tumeric and garam marsala came closest to the flavor profile at my local restaurant. I added plain fat free yogurt to the dish at the end that gave a nice creamy texture to the dish.

I often serve gobi channa as a side dish with tandoori chicken. This recipe also works well as a main dish. Just increase the portion size and serve it over rice or with a side of naan and raita. Gobi channa can be used as an ingredient to stuff bell peppers or zucchini. When served as a main dish it makes an excellent meatless Monday dish.

Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.

Ingredient Round Up

  • Head of cauliflower
  • Can of chickpeas
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Fresh Ginger
  • Plain non fat yogurt
  • Cumin
  • Tumeric
  • Coriander
  • Garam marsala
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Olive oil

Making the Gobi Channa

  • Breakdown the head of cauliflower and separate the florets. Rinse and pat dry. Microwave briefly to partially cook them and then set aside.
  • Measure out all the spices into a small bowl and set aside.

  • Slice the onion then cut the onion slices into quarters. Finely chop the garlic and ginger.

  • Sauteé the onions in olive oil until they are translucent and tender. Add the garlic and ginger and sauteé briefly until they soften and become aromatic.

  • Add the spice mix to the skillet and briefly sauteé until they are aromatic.

  • Add water to the skillet and the cauliflower florets. Toss until they are uniformly covered with the spices. Let cook until fork tender. Add drained and rinsed chickpeas to the skillet and toss to mix and uniformly cover them with the spices.

  • Add the yogurt to the skillet and stir until it is incorporated into the dish and heated through.

  • Remove the skillet from the cook top.

  • Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers.

Serving Ideas

  • Gobi channa can be served as a side dish with tandoori chicken or saag chicken.
  • It’s great served over rice or with naan.
  • Gobi channa makes a great stuffing for bell peppers or zucchinis.
  • Serve this recipe in a wrap or flour tortilla and top with raita.

WW 0 pt per 3/4 c, 1 pt per 1.5 c

Gobi Channa

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Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 101.2kcal

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Chef knife
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • skillet
  • Wooden spoon

Ingredients  

  • 1 small head cauliflower, yield 1 lb 5 oz of florets
  • 1 can garbonzo beans
  • 1 small onion
  • 3 large cloves garlic
  • 5 slices fresh ginger root, 1" in diameter
  • 1½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1½ tsp tumeric
  • 1½ tsp coriander
  • 1½ tsp garam marsala
  • ¾ tsp salt or to taste
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • ¾ c water
  • 1 c plain non fat yogurt

Instructions

  • Breakdown the head of cauliflower. Separate the florets then rinse and pat dry. Place in a casserole or on a plate and microwave on high for 1½ to 2 min. You are looking for the florets to be partially cook. Set aside.
  • Measure out the spices into a small bowl and set aside.
  • Slice the onion then cut the slices into quarters. Finely mince the garlic cloves and peeled ginger root slices. Set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauteé until it is translucent and tender.
  • Add the minced garlic cloves and ginger root to the skillet and sauteé for about 30 - 60 sec as you stir it until it is aromatic.
  • Add the spice mix to the skillet and sauteé it for about 30 sec as you stir it until it is aromatic.
  • Add the ¾ c of water to the pan and give it a stir. Then add the cauliflower florets to the skillet. Stir them until they are evenly coated with the spice in the mix and take on a yellow hue from the tumeric.
  • Add the rinsed and drained can of chickpeas to the skillet. Stir to incorporate them in with the cauliflower. Add the salt a ¼ tsp at a time and stir to incorporate it. Taste as you go and continue to add salt until you are satisfied with the taste. I ended up using ¾ tsp of salt.
  • Continue to cook the veggies until the water is reduced by half. The cauliflower should be fork tender by this time.
  • Add the yogurt to the skillet and stir until it is fully incorporated forming a gravy. Heat until it is hot and then remove the skillet from the heat.
  • You can transfer the gobi channa to a serving bowl or serve it directly from the skillet. Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate the leftovers.

Notes

I use Trader Joe canned chickpeas as they are the lowest in sodium at 110 mg per 1/2 c. You can further reduce this by cooking dried chickpeas.
 
You can further reduce the sodium by reducing the amount of salt you add.
 
I serve 3/4 c of the gobi channa as a side dish for 0 pt. (8 servings) The nutritional info for 3/4 c serving is at the very bottom of the recipe card.
 
I serve 1.5 c of the gobi channa as a main dish for 1 pt (4 servings) The nutrition data is below:
cal 202.3 kcal | fat 3.4 g | sat. fat 0.4 g | carb. 32.2 g | fiber 8.9 g | tot. sugar 6 g | protein 12 g | sodium 655 mg
 

Nutrition

Serving: 13/4 c | Calories: 101.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.1g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 327mg | Fiber: 4.4g | Sugar: 3g
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