Walnut Keema

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons ghee or butter 
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 1 star anise flower 
• 2 cloves 
• 3 cardamom pods slightly crushed 
• 1 cup prepared tadka 
• 1/2 cup thick plain yogurt (dahi) 
• 1 cup grated cauliflower 
• 3 cups walnut meat – made from 2 cups of whole walnuts 
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup hot water – as needed. 
• 1 tablespoon deghi mirch or paprika 
• 1 tablespoon garam masala 
• Chopped cilantro for garnish 

 
Directions: 

• Start by soaking your walnuts for a minimum of 4 hours (or overnight if time permits). 
•  Prepare the walnut meat by draining the walnuts and pulsing them gently in your mixer. Don’t chop them, pulsing will create a more meat like texture. More details in this recipe. 
• Add ghee to a pan on medium high heat and toast the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and cloves for 90 seconds, until fragrant. 
• Add your prepared tadka. For this recipe, I like to add extra heat with Kashmiri red chilies to my tarka. Walnuts hold up really well to the spice, however, you can limit it if you prefer.  
• Once your tadka is heated through, drop the heat of your stove down to low and add the dahi slowly. Before you add the dahi, whisk it lightly to prevent curdling.  
• Once the dahi and tadka are combined, add your cauliflower and walnuts. Stir well and cook on medium for 5-7 minutes to soften the cauliflower and walnuts. At this point the mixture may thicken up. Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of boiling hot water to create a slight gravy consistency. Now taste for seasoning and adjust salt if needed. 
• Add degi mirch and garam masala, combine well and cook for another 2 minutes.  
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Hot Tip:

If you are reheating the Walnut Keema, you may need to add a little hot water to loosen things up.