Anjali's Food Kaleidoscope

Gobi keema matar / Minced cauliflower stir fried with peas

This recipe though quite a common one appeals to me as I can skillfully disguise the cauliflower into a beautiful mince because my son just hates cauliflower, he removes the florets from any vegetable or pulao that I make and obviously I have not yet revealed to him that this mince is of cauliflower.

        But besides catering to my surreptitious cooking method it is also an excellent dish for a main course if you have guests for dinner. Yes it takes a little more time than the usual aloo gobi and the whole process needs constant monitoring unlike some prepartions where in you can tumble in the chopped vegetables, cover with a lid, give an occassional toss and the sabzee is done.

    I have added some stir fried cashews to make the recipe more glamouros , but they can be skipped in case you haven’t any right now with you or want to give it a miss because of the calories they have.

Ingredients:

1.  One medium cauliflower about 400 to 500 grams

2.  One marge onion

3.  Two medium tomatoes

4.   ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

5.   ¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder

6.   1 teaspoon coriander powder

7.   ½ teaspoon garam masala

8.   A few cashews ( I have used quarter of a cup)

9.   Half a teaspoon kasoori methi powder ( you could garnish \with fresh coriander leaves chopped fine or parsley)

10.  Mixed spices – a few cloves, one star anise ( optional), two black cardamons and one inch cinnamon stick

11.   Pure ghee / clarified butter about five to six tablespoons ( you could even use vegetable oil instead)
12. half a cup frozen peas or you could boil the fresh ones till soft
13. one teaspoon ginger garlic paste

Method:

1.   Grate the cauliflower and stir fry with two tablespoons desi ghee / pure ghee on medium flame till slightly browned.This would take you about ten to fifteen minutes. I prepared the rest of the ingredients while giving a stir to the mince in between to save on time. Honestly, I am not too convinced of grating the cauliflower in the food processor for this recipe as we dont need too fine a mince, but if that’s convenient for you , go ahead and do it.

2.   Stir fry the cashews in a tablespoon  of ghee till golden brown.

3.   Remove the cashews and in the same pan add two tablespoons more of the ghee and the whole spices.

4.   The moment they change colour , add the finely chopped onions and stir fry till golden brown.

5.   Puree the tomatoes in a blender and add to the browned onions along with a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste.

6.   Stir fry the mixture on medium flame till it begins to leave oil on the sides.

7.   Add the coriander , turmeric and red chilli powders, give a stir to let the masalas cook for a few seconds.

8.  Tumble in the cauliflower mince along with the frozen or boiled fresh peas toss them to mix them well.

9.    Sprinkle some salt and  garam masala  , turn the gas off and then season with any seasoning of your choice ( I have used kasoorui methi) and give another gentle toss .

10.  Tumble in the stir fried cashews and serve hot with pooris, plain paranthas or simply rotis. Dal and boondi raita will go well with this dry preparation.