| 4 | medium yellow onions, minced finely |
| ghee or olive oil |
| 2 | T jalapeños, seeded and minced (approximately two medium peppers) |
| 6 | medium garlic cloves, minced |
| 4 | tsp fresh ginger, minced |
| 2 | T garam masala |
| 2 | tsp cumin |
| 2 | tsp coriander |
| 4 | tsp turmeric |
| 1/2 | tsp cinnamon |
| 2 | lb. ground beef or lamb |
| 1 | tsp pepper, to taste |
| salt, to taste |
| 6 | Roma tomatoes, diced |
| 2 | T tomato paste |
| 1 | package frozen spinach (16 oz) |
| juice of one lemon |
| 1 | cup fresh cilantro, chopped (a large bunch or two) |
| 1 | cup frozen peas (optional) |
| 1 | package of tater tots |
| 1 | cup plain Greek yogurt (optional) |
| 1 | cup coriander chutney |
| Bonus chaat toppings |
| minced raw onions |
| sweet tamarind chutney |
| sev (crunchy Indian chickpea noodle snacks) |
| a sprinkle of chaat masala |
| chana masala |
| 1. | Using a big stock pot or Dutch oven, fry onions on medium heat, stirring frequently until they start to caramelize. Then add ghee or oil to the pan and give them a pinch of salt or two and cook until they are a medium golden color. Be patient - this can take a little while but it really lays the groundwork for all the layers of flavor in this dish. |
| 2. | Clear a space in the pan, adding more ghee or oil there. Throw in the jalapeño, ginger and garlic and fry for a minute or two until fragrant. Then stir to combine. |
| 3. | Add the garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cinnamon and stir to coat everything. It'll be a dry mixture at this point, but that's normal. |
| 4. | You'll probably need to brown the meat in two batches even with a very large pot, so remove about half of this masala-onion mixture and set it aside. |
| 5. | Add half the ground meat to the pot, sprinkle with salt/pepper and brown as you combine it thoroughly with the onion mixture. Repeat with the remaining meat and masala-onions. |
| 6. | Preheat the oven to 350 F. |
| 7. | Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and sprinkle with a little more salt. Simmer on low, covered, about 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes kind of melt into the stew, stirring occasionally. |
| 8. | Stir in the frozen spinach, lemon juice and about half of the chopped cilantro. |
| 9. | Turn off the burner. |
| 10. | Taste and adjust spices, salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the frozen peas, if desired. |
| 11. | Transfer the palak keema into a 13x9 (3-quart) casserole dish. Top with a single layer of tater tots. |
| 12. | Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the tots are crispy and golden brown. |
| 13. | Serve with the rest of the fresh cilantro, plain yogurt, coriander chutney and whatever other bonus chaat toppings. |