Vegetarian Kheema (Minced Vegetable Curry)

Yes, it's been a while since I last posted. Almost a year, actually, and that's a little bit ridiculous. This year has just flown by. I remember going out on New Year's Eve like it was just yesterday. Over the past year, I've managed to keep up the cooking and experimenting, but haven't done a very good job of documenting all the various recipes and taking pictures of them. I did take a few pictures with my not-so-great but passable iPhone camera, so until I resume taking pictures with my fancy dSLR, we'll have to make do with these. 

As is probably true with most people, my admiration and interest in home cooked food(especially my Mom's style of cooking) has grown exponentially as I've grown older. I find that my taste has developed to appreciate simplicity and minimal ingredients. I still have my sweet tooth, but I tend to be a little more discerning with my choices. Not to mention, it's also a conscious effort to develop a taste for healthier options. I used to believe that taste was mostly inherent. As in, either I liked x, y, and z or I didn't. I envied other people's healthier proclivities but didn't believe that taste could be adapted to. In just a few months of healthier eating, I find myself naturally gravitating toward salads, fruits and lots of veggies. Which, for me, is a HUGE sign of encouragement!

Coming back to the Kheema, I found that it's a pretty simple no-fuss curry to be eaten with chappati or naan. I actually like eating just the curry without anything to necessarily go with it, but I suspect that might just be me. 

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 medium sized Cauliflower cut into small bits
3-4 carrots thinly shredded
1/2 can tomato puree or 2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup peas
4 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 cup yogurt
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

1. In a saucepan, sautee with cauliflower and carrots with about 2 tbsp oil for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are somewhat cooked. Set aside.

2. In the same saucepan, sautee the onions and garlic in another 2 tbsp oil until the onion is soft and browned. Add the chili powder and turmeric powder and sautee the mixture for another 5 minutes or so. Add in more oil, if needed.

3. Add the diced tomatoes to this onion mixture and cook for another 5-6 minutes under med to high heat. Throw in the ground cumin and ground coriander seeds.

4. Blend the yogurt into the onion and tomato mixture and stir for a minute or so. Add the cauliflower an carrot mixture with cooked peas to this and let cook for about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.

5. After the vegetables are cooked, garnish with the fresh coriander.