Indian Keema Recipe with Gobi | Cauliflower Recipes
Keema is an immensely popular dish in India made usually with Lamb. The term "Keema" means to mince. My introduction to this dish came during my college years at our canteen. A friend of mine who is a non-vegetarian always used to order chicken this and chicken that. Though I did not mind sitting along with the rest of our meat eating gang, I did not appreciate interchanging of such spoons and the general "sharing" that people in that age group are wont to do. I was in the minority of being the ONLY vegetarian and so it inevitably happened that everyone (and we had a gang of 7 with 4 of them being boys!) happily shared my dish. Of course, they "generously" offered to share their dish too, accompanied by a huge grin. Needless to say - I always got up from the table just half full!
Indian Keema Recipe with Gobi | Cauliflower Recipes
On this particular day, this guy orders "Keema" and when it arrives, shares it with everyone. During the hustle bustle of college talk, he suddenly points at my plate, with a shocked face, shouts - "OMG! She is eating Keema!". I look down and sure enough there is some keema on my plate. I did not notice it there earlier and it still had bits of "Keema" thingies on it with the rest mixed in my food. I was nauseated and literally threw up, vowing to disown such ruthless and callous "friends". Well, after all that drama, it turns out that though it was indeed Keema, it was not the meat kind. It was Gobi Ka Keema (Mince/Keema made from cauliflower). And yes, they all had a non-stop-tears-from-the-eyes-rolling-on-the-floor laugh at my expense and did not fail to repeat to the point of boredom of how "My mind was the enemy not my tongue" and some $#%^$#^%.
I am sure if those guyz are reading my blog, they would laugh their hearts out till today and I pray/curse that their kids play some dirty tricks on them too!. Anyways, with nostalgic memories, I present to you my version of Keema Muttar Curry. I have used the spices that's normally used for making Keema but used cauliflower instead of Lamb. I don't know if it looks or tastes like a regular kheema but this dish sure is a wonderfully aromatic and well spiced with the peas providing color. It tastes even better the next day - trust me.
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 4 people
  • Yields: Makes around 8 cups
Ingredients
  • 500 grams Cauliflower
  • 3 tbsp Ghee, divided - see Tips
  • 1 large Onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves Garlic, or to taste, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp grated Ginger
  • 2 large Tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup Green Peas, see Tips
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon ground
  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
  • 1/8 tsp Cloves ground
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder, or as per taste
  • 2 tsp Cumin-Coriander powder
  • 2 tsp Garam Masala
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Few sprigs of Cilantro
Tips
1. Ghee: Ghee imparts a delicious rich flavor that it needs to compensate for some of the absent fat from its meat counterpart. To make this Vegan, you can replace it with regular cooking oil or coconut oil or any other medium available to you. You can also reduce the amount of fat in the recipe without life shattering results although I am going to recommend using it :)
2. Peas : I am using fresh peas hence I boiled it on the side before adding it to the recipe. But you can omit that when using frozen.
Method
1. Grate the cauliflower.
2. In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp Ghee and saute the cauliflower for around 10 minutes
3. - or until it gets toasty and brown.
4. Set aside.
5. In the same skillet, add the remaining Ghee and saute the onions, garlic and ginger along with salt for around 5-6 minutes - or until its aromatic and onions are soft and slightly browned.
6. Next add the chopped tomatoes and bay leaf
7. and cook for around 5-8 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and get mushy. Add the turmeric, saute for a minute
8. and add about 1-1/4 cups of water. Let it come to a boil. Now add the rest of the spices
9. and cook until it comes together into a thick gravy. Takes around 5-6 minutes.
10. Add the boiled (or frozen) peas
11. and let it cook for another 5 minutes. I close the lid for the flavors and aroma to remain intact.
12. Add the toasted cauliflower
13. and combine well. Keep on medium flame for another 5-6 minutes for the flavors to mingle well.
Serve hot, with a garnish of cilantro.  It goes well with rice based dishes and also with Indian flatbreads. We enjoyed it with plain whole wheat Kulcha. I usually enjoy any leftovers (they taste even better), stuffed in a toasted Pita bread with a side of yogurt. Filling and hearty :) Indian Keema Recipe with Gobi | Cauliflower Recipes

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3 Member Reviews

By Jayeeta on Jan 29, 2014

I added some crushed garam masala in the oil before frying the onion (the usual way we make regural KEEMA). I also sprinkled some ground garam masala before garnishing it with cilantro. Thanks for the awesome idea. (Somehow my picture is not getting uploaded \"sad\" . Would have loved to showoff my creation.)

By devnandan on Apr 20, 2013

Made this dish as suggested here. Pretty easy to make, took me less than 20mins to make it. Very very tasty, even though i did not use ghee to sautee. I am sure it would have been even tastier had i done that. I by mistake added a little extra tomatoes and hence was slightly on the tangy side, but it was not too big a factor.  Even though we grate the cauliflowers, the amount  we get is pretty good. I made 1 whole cauliflower and it served 3-4 people. This i think is a great plus point of making this.

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28 Comments

By Cauliflower keema | copycat recipes on Dec 10, 2014

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By Anusha Pavitran on Jan 27, 2014

Thank you so much for this recipe. .. tried it..me n my husband loved it.. your recipes n their pics are so enchanting that anyone would want to try them out... I am a regular follower of your site... keep rocking n waiting for more n more recipes. .. cheers.. :)

Thank you so much :) --DK

By devina on Jan 23, 2014

Tying the ghobi kheema recipes for lunch tomorrow

By Punita on Jan 22, 2014

I grew up eating gobhi keema as during winters in north India gobhi used to be in plenty. As kids we would get fed up of eating the gobhi cooked in the same punjabi style version so mom devised this dish for us. Infact she would put top home made pizzas with gobhi keema and then grated cheese on top and we would devour those pizzas without any fuss. Now I make the same for my kids as well.

By Around the World in 80 Recipes {and More!} – Part 3 | Discovering the Extraordinary on Nov 3, 2013

[...] Gobi Keema – Grated Cauliflower dish {India} I have found a new meatless main dish, with the yummy [...]

By gaurav on Aug 21, 2013

I tried this one tonight. It turned out to be less spicy (and less hot) I think I needed to add more spices and have less than 500 gms gobi. But this is a minor thing, the most impt thing is that its really a creative dish. Thank you DK.I never thought Gobi would also taste like this!!

By Reno622 on Aug 6, 2013

Recipes looks great, i cannot wait to try it.. Is 500 grams of cauliflower about one full head?

Hard to say that given that the size is pretty varied (depending on the area you live in). But mostly an average would be around that. Removing the stalks will make it a bit lighter but that shouldn't really matter for such recipes. --DK

By Kirti on Jul 23, 2013

I tried this recipe today and it came so well. Me and my hubby both loved it. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

By Christy on Jun 26, 2013

Your recipes are the best! Sarah , loves them all. I made this , it came out so well. The best thing about your recipes is that they come out very well from the first time we make them. As I wrote earlier, variations are not necessary. Plus the measurements are so forgiving that a lil more or a lil less doesn't hurt the taste. Your recipes have redefined my culinary skills, come to think of it I am not a bad cook at all as I have been made to believe..I have been just a good cook with bad recipes. I love the child in you and the woman in the child..I wish I had discovered your blog long ago, so a lot of damage to my family by way of trying out (or in the pretext of doing so) new recipes from lot others , has already been done to my family. You are a great saviour now in my kitchen..usually when a new recipe is round the corner, my family conspires a take away meal, as a back up.. but it's no longer goes like that. My kitchen is no more a dreadful place for my family, all thanks to your wonderful wonderful recipes..you are the new star in my beautiful kitchen. Thanks and loving you lots..for making my once deserted kitchen populated and aroma filled. CHRISTY

It takes a beautiful person inside out to take this time and effort and make the other person feel special. Appreciate every second that you took, to pen down these extremely bounteous words for me and my work. I am indeed very grateful that you chose to let me into your kitchen and be part of your dinner time.At the end of the day, it was YOU, who made my dishes taste good for your family. So, thank YOU for that :) --DK

By aishwarya gulati on Jun 25, 2013

i made this for my kids and husband today.very tasty and easy to make.

By aishwarya gulati on Jun 25, 2013

i made this recipe today for my husband and children.very tasty n easy to make

By Help! I have braces and need soft food. - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community Food Talk And Fabulous Finds on May 18, 2013

[...] been wanting to make this: http://chefinyou.com/2013/01/gobi-keema-curry/ [...]

By Aarthi on Apr 17, 2013

I made this today for the dinner at home. Tasted it at lunch...Was delicious !!!! The simplicity of the dish totally won me over. Thanks so much for this recipe :-D

By malathi venkatesh on Mar 19, 2013

usually there are lot of small insects insidethe cauliflower so to remove it we usually put the cauliflower in warm water for a few min. can i do the same withe grated cauliflower too. pl respond because the receipe look yummilicious.

I guess you can. Worth a try --DK

By Nithya on Mar 14, 2013

Innovative Recipe.. Nice Clicks..

By archana das on Mar 13, 2013

i made this gobi keema ! it turned out wonderful. initially i was a bit doubtful to make it as we r non-veg people , but it turned out delicious. thank you!!!

By Niti on Feb 10, 2013

Loved the recipe- not a big fan of alu in gobi alu, so this let me get my gobi fix with beloved mattar too! Just found your website, and made your mooli parathas with mustard greens last night to rave reviews, also. First time in my life where I made my own dough and the parathas came out perfect! Agree with multiple other reviewers that your pictures look professional, too. Thanks for your fantastic website! Can't wait to make more recipes. :)

By Food Lover on Jan 28, 2013

Yummy, this dish looks delicious, did you know they have this word keema in Turkey too I think it has the same meaning as you mentioned? Also they use it in Libya it means ground meat!

By Shaheen Shaikh on Jan 25, 2013

:lol: i try ur recipes they r really simple and easy to make and tasty.

By malini on Jan 25, 2013

colourfull and nice easy recipe. thank u. :wink:

By Steve on Jan 24, 2013

Hey DK, While this is a great dish that I will give a try (though when I saw lamb I ignored it, no problem with lamb, just a vegetarian for 25 years) I wanted to say something else. Your images are remarkable. We do this for a living (you may have noticed our logo) great composition, color and you know how to set the scene. Hat tip, from one pro to another. Peace!

"though when I saw lamb I ignored it, no problem with lamb, just a vegetarian for 25 years". I have been a vegetarian all my life and know no other, so no recipe from this site will be non vegetarian, trust me :). As for your comment about my photos, I am pleasantly surprised to put it mildly. I am no pro and posses no real knowledge about photography. Though I have tried to learn in the past, I realized my passion lies more in the food than in the techniques of photography. My aim as a photographer is to make sure that the food I have in front of me translates to the reader exactly the same way. So given that, to hear this, I am so grateful. Thank you for the motivation. --DK

By chhavi on Jan 24, 2013

:-P i have just read ur 2-3 recepies and i really liked ur way of explaining things with personal touch .it felt as if a friend is telling !!!great!!!

By Swedhana on Jan 23, 2013

Believe me or not, I was searching the exact recipe in your site yesterday. and since I could not find it, I made a version of my own :wink: , which was more or less similar to yours minus the peas. Only that I used the kheema as a spread to my masala dosa. 8)

By Priya on Jan 23, 2013

Droolworthy gobi kheema curry, an excellent pair for rotis.

By Lakshmi Venkatesh on Jan 22, 2013

My children also luv Gobi Kheema. Looks nice. And would have been very flavorful with all those masalas, isn't it.

By Nilesh on Jan 22, 2013

Hi, my wife happened to look at my laptop over my shoulder at this recipe....she intruded on my privacy...made me show her (and read) the entire recipe. Now unless I try out this delicious looking recipe ASAP, the vegetable cauliflower will be replaced by yours faithfully. Jokes apart....I not only try out your recipes, but also notice and love the humour in your presentation and write up. All the best wishes, do keep it up! Warm regards Nilesh Ashar

By Natasha swain on Jan 22, 2013

Thank u for easy recipe I will try it soon.

By padmini on Jan 22, 2013

totally new recipe i have cauliflower in my fridge cant wait to try this recipe thanks for the easy recipe