Keema (Minced Meat Curry) | Beginner’s Attempt

Keema (minced meat curry) is one of the tastiest meat dishes across South Asian cuisine. It is flavoursome, comforting, and incredibly versatile. Not only does keema pair well with flatbread, toast, and rice, but it also works as a delicious filling in pies, pasties, and even grilled toasties!

What is Keema?

Keema is an Urdu and Hindi word meaning ‘minced meat’. The term usually refers to a dish of minced meat that has been cooked in a masala (spice blend) and mixed with peas, potatoes, or other complementary vegetables.

Various types of meat can be used to make keema, such as chicken, beef, or mutton.

For this recipe, I cooked mutton keema mixed with green bell peppers.

The masala for this curry includes onions, garlic, tomatoes, salt, red chilli, turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, and garam masala. We also add yoghurt to make the curry creamier and mellow out the sharpness of the spices.

As minced meat takes longer to cook than the other ingredients, we add it to the pan straight after the onions have turned golden brown. Then, once the water released from the meat has evaporated, we continue to add the remaining ingredients for the masala.

How I Learned to Cook Keema

Preparation

First, I sliced the yellow onions and chopped the green bell peppers.

Then I ran cold water over the minced mutton to wash off any residue on the surface of the meat.

Starting the Masala

In a cast-iron pan on medium heat, I sautéed the yellow onions until they turned golden brown, deglazing the pan when needed.

Cooking the Minced Meat

I then added the minced mutton and cooked it on high heat until the water released from the meat evaporated, stirring frequently to ensure even browning.

Once the water had fully evaporated, I added the remaining ingredients needed to complete the masala.

These were the tinned tomatoes, crushed garlic cubes, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ground coriander, and ground cumin. I also added Greek yoghurt and lemon juice.

I mixed and combined these ingredients with the meat and allowed it to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

Next, I added the green bell peppers I chopped earlier and continued cooking on medium heat for 10 more minutes.

Then I added garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander leaves, small green chilli peppers, and water and mixed. Once combined, I covered the pot and cooked on low heat for 15 minutes.

I lifted the lid and stirred the meat every 2-3 minutes to prevent burning.

Serving

Keema can be served with flatbread, toast or rice. It works especially well as a filling in pastries and toasties!

What Has Keema Taught Me?

This recipe was much easier to learn than others because I could clearly see what was happening to the minced meat while it was cooking.

For example, I could see exactly when the meat started to release water. Once the water had completely evaporated, I knew it was the appropriate time to add the other ingredients.

Additionally, because I was using minced meat, I didn’t have to worry as much about it cooking unevenly.

To see other meat dishes I have learned to make so far, look into my chicken salan (chicken curry) recipe. If you have any tips or feedback, feel free to put them in the comments!