Tickling Palates: Vegetarian Keema Matar

Being a vegetarian does not necessarily have to mean that one has to avoid going through non-vegetarian recipes altogether. I believe that any non-vegetarian dish can be successfully converted into a vegetarian dish without compromising on the taste once we figure out on the perfect vegetable which would suit that dish well. I had already tried it once in the form of Kothamalli Channa Curry and had great success too. This is also once such recipe that I tried converting into a vegetarian recipe which had minced meat aka. keema as the main ingredient. This recipe is from the book which came along with the oven that I had drooled upon umpteen number of times.

The picture that was displayed next to the recipe looked so alluring and so perfect that I knew that I had to make it some day and had been in mind for quite a long time. The perfect timing came when there was no other vegetable available in the fridge except for a lone cauliflower and some fresh peas. The first thing that came to my mind was to make Cauliflower peas Kurma but ever since the cauliflower season started I had made them so many times and wanted to make something different. And thus this recipe was born. I had a great time making this as the final outcome remained a total mystery. Try this and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Vegetarian Keema Matar

(Print this Recipe)
You’ll need:

Cauliflower – 1, big
Peas – 1/2 cup
Onion – 2, big
Tomato – 3, big
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Garam Masala powder – 1 tsp
Bay leaf – 1
Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tbsp + few tbsps for shallow frying

Method:
Wash and clean the cauliflower. Break the cauliflower into big florets. Grate the cauliflower finely and spread them over a thin clean cloth and let it air dry for at least 1/2 hour.

Grate or pulse the onions in a mixie and keep aside. Puree the tomatoes and keep aside. Parboil the peas and keep it ready.

Heat a kadai with 3-4 tbsp of oil. When it is really hot add the grated cauliflower and keep sautéing over medium flame till it becomes dark brown like shown in the above picture. It should not get burned. You can also do this step in batches for easy handling. Once browned, remove on a plate and keep it aside.

In the same kadai, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add bay leaf, cinnamon and roast till the aroma arises. Add the cumin seeds, once it changes color add the grated or pulsed onion, ginger garlic paste and sauté till it changes to a light brown color. Add the tomato puree, red chilli powder, par boiled peas, salt and cook till the raw smell disappears over low flame. This will take about 4-5 min.

Now add the shallow fried cauliflower, garam masala powder and water to the consistency you prefer, preferably less than 1/4 cup and cook covered for 2-3 mins over low flame. Serve hot with Rotis or Naan along with a lemon wedge if you prefer.

If you do not like cauliflower do not attempt this as the smell of the grated cauliflower will not be pleasant.
Take care while shallow frying the grated cauliflower as it tends to burn quickly. Keep alternating the fire between high and low to get a good result and for a smoky flavor too.
You can cook it any way you want by adjusting the amount of water. The gravy got settled in the bottom here, so it looks like a dry subzi.