June is here! Dating back childhood times, June (read Monsoon) was usually the time to say goodbye to dear old Spinach! I never knew why but my mother strongly believed that eating leafy veggies grown during the Monsoon is the root cause for many stomach infections! And it was actually true! Sigh!! But thanks to super-market shopping, things have changed around quite a bit and laying your hands on a packet of bagged baby spinach or already separated Methi is a maha-boon in Monsoon (and hey I can rhyme :P)!!
Monsoon is usually the best time to indulge in crunchy, deep-fried, forget-about-calories kinda snacks!! I realized over the years of yo-yo dieting, while going on and off various diets (of coz for weight-loss, what else!!) that the amount of weight lost in Summer equals double the weight gained during Monsoon!! It’s the perfect time to laze around at home, biting away into fried pakoras and vada pavs while you wash it down with a cup of extra sweetened masala chai, usually watching a down-pour from your window-sill (ahh!! I vote this hands-down “one of the best luxuries in life”)! So as I was saying, over the years I have learnt that Monsoon can create havoc to your eating patterns and an adverse effect on your weight-loss plans (the one’s wanting to gain weight, enjoy!!), but I usually don’t give up so easily! I started researching for recipes that will satisfy my craving for junk-food but equally have great nutrition value. I went over a few hundred salad recipes (honestly salads work best in Summer), another thousand soup recipes (which again work best in Autumn or Winter), Monsoon yells out for fried food :P!! I tried a lot of savory baking, trust me baked Samosa is nowhere close to the real thing!! And never mind the numerous failed baked pakora experiments, you can never get the same crunch that you get from deep-frying (bliss!) :D.
Last Monsoon, while my experiments continued the entire season, on one particular rainy day in July, I happened to visit my dearest friend Zed, for a veggie lunch made by a hard-core non-vegetarian! (which he promised to cook from scratch for me!). I was obviously going with heavy amounts of prejudice, of how the food is gonna suck and I’m gonna have to pick up Vada Pavs on my way back home!! Some miracle transformed in Zed’s kitchen that day, he not only changed my opinion about his cooking skills but about the limitations of Cauliflower! :)
For the first time in my life, leave alone tasting this new dish, I couldn’t envision that Cauliflower could be altered into this binge-friendly, awesomness-filled, finger-licking good Kheema! Kheema being a non-vegetarian terrain, as a vegetarian I have tried and tested it with Paneer, Soya granules and Tofu. But to think of using Cauliflower to make Kheema, hats off boss! While I was going ga-ga over this recipe, Zed informed me that I had washed off the whole batch of Cauliflower Kheema he had made and left nothing for our other friends (oops :P)! Well, it’s not like I couldn’t conceive the recipe, once I knew the ingredients, but I really wanted to eat more, so Zed and I made another batch of Cauliflower Kheema for all of us!
Let me put all your wonderment to rest and explain to you what really happened that day! It was pouring cats and dogs as usual, and I had resolved to not put another fried stuff in my mouth the entire season (sigh sigh sigh!! Damn you resolutions!). Zed promised me he would cook me something really tangy, flavorsome, and nutritiously whole-some, piping-hot that could be eaten with Pav, and he assured me I would forget all about my fried food cravings. Zed’s Cauliflower Kheema did all that and more! It was bursting with flavor; it was like a match made in heaven for Laadi Pav! And a sweetheart that he is, he ordered Multigrain Pavs for me, so that I wouldn’t crib and cry after I over indulged. While he kept his promise to the T, I discovered my secret weapon to craving times during the monsoon. I couldn’t believe I was missing this all these years! I probably made Cauliflower Kheema every time it rained last year, and never got fed up of it, thanks to a zillion experimentations again!
Ironically, just a few days back, I happened to see Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor’s show on FoodFood and he demonstrated the same Cauliflower Kheema on his show…now I really doubt Zed’s creativity and the source of his recipe (which he said was original) is quite questionable! :D
Zed’s recipe has been altered quite a bit by me, I had to cut down on a lot of ghee and make it absolutely guilt-free snacking! Here’s the recipe~
Cauliflower Kheema
Ingredients:
½ kg cauliflower
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
4 – 5 garlic pods, finely chopped (optional)
4 – 5 green chilies, finely chopped
A pinch of hing (asafetida)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
Water as required
1 Tbsp Ghee (or use oil if you prefer)
Salt to taste
Chopped Cilantro and Lemon Wedges to Garnish
Laadi Pav as accompaniment
Method:
1) Wash and stem Cauliflower. Grate it finely and keep aside.
2) In a wok or large Kadai, heat ghee. When hot add cumin seeds, followed by fennel seeds.
3) Add hing, followed by onion green chilies and garlic (optional). Let the onion cook until it is translucent.
4) Add turmeric powder and stir well. Add tomatoes, chili powder, coriander powder and half of the garam masala powder and salt to taste. Sautee will until ghee separates from this mixture. (about 5 minutes).
5) Add Cauliflower and stir well. Add sufficient water (2 – 3 cups if you want a thin gravy or 1 cup if you want to keep it dry). Add the remaining garam masala powder, adjust seasoning, simmer and cook covered for 5minutes.
6) Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges. Serve piping hot with Laadi Pav, Rotis or Bread!
Note: Do not over cook the Cauliflower as it becomes mushy, which destroys the Kheema like texture!
I have experimented with a lot of different options using Cauliflower as my main Kheema ingredient. Ihave used mixed veggies, used only peas, I have used Paneer, Soya granules and Tofu again in combination with Cauliflower. But each time I come back to the original, it tastes best made on its own! Try it this Monsoon, or any time of the year! (BTW in Bombay best Cauliflower is available in Winter)…brewing an idea for Cauliflower Chili this Winter, topped with sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese....drooolll!! :P
Did you know Cauliflower is actually the flower of the Cauli plant?? On that note leme grab my Wheat Pav and burrow into the rest of the Kheema, while you start cooking!
Photo Credit: mydiversekitchen.com
Happy Cooking :)
