A detailed illustration of Pakistan's most loved ground beef and potato curry AKA Aloo Keema or Keema Aloo recipe. In this post, I discussed two methods of making this mince curry with the same ingredients. Both methods are famous. I can bet if your mom or granny is desi she must be using both methods to her convenience.
Updated: 15 October, 2020 ( added method 2 and new photos.)
What is Aloo keema?
Aloo means potato in Urdu and keema is mincemeat or ground meat. Aloo keema, sometimes also called keema aloo is a mince curry staple in every Pakistani home. It is ground beef or lamb curry with potatoes. It is super simple to make like any other everyday cooking recipe. This recipe is particularly easy, (1st method) and yields great tasting mince curry..
Sometimes, when I'm really busy with household chores, I just buy readymade roti or bread and this keema (1st Method) requires very little active time in the kitchen so it's again a convenient food.
Tips to make Mince curry
- Wash ground meat or not?: This is a debatable question. If meat is coming from an unreliable or unhygienic source giving a quick wash in water in a strainer is ok. However, it loses some of its nutrition in the process. If you wash meat first and grounded it at home at the reliable and hygienic butcher. No need to wash. (I use a meat grinder to ground beef and lamb, and I highly home grinding for hygiene and nutrition.)
- Get rid of beefy smell: If beef or lamb is freshly grounded with less than 20% fat, it should not smell bad. If using frozen ground beef, it might develop a stinky fat odor. Open the pack and air it out. This recipe uses a number of spices to over-shadow fat odor. Try to use low-fat premium ground meat to avoid bad fat odor.
- Searing on high or Bhunnofying: Keema needs some browning on high heat. First, you burn all the water in ground beef then sear on high heat for a rich roasted taste and lovely color.
- Oil is good: To sear keema well, you need to use extra oil (that oil layer can be discarded before serving.)
- Use a wide-bottomed pan: You need to cook in a wide pan that provides enough surface to dry excess water quickly and sear easily.
- Size of potato matters: Smaller bite-size potatoes cook quickly than large pieces. After peeling and cutting, dip potato pieces water to avoid blackening.
What to do with leftover aloo keema leftover
Leftover keema never goes wasted as there are a hundred ways to use it like a rotisserie chicken. Here are a few suggestions.
- Keema Sandwich: Mash keema and mince together and make sandwiches with cheese, sauces, cucumber and tomato slices.
- Omelet: Add mash mice and potato to the omelet mix and you have delicious keema omelet.
- Bread Lasagne: You some leftover keema in this bread lasagna and skip the chicken.
How to make Aloo Keema AKA Ground Beef and Potato Curry
Both method gives slightly different taste and texture. I use both method.
Method 1: My mother in law’s easy peasy keema recipe
Cooking time is a bit longer than usual since we are slow cooking but I find it really easy to manage. As, I just need to put all ingredients in a pot and let it slow cook while simultaneously, I can cook rice and then roti. Afterward, I remove the lid of keema and let it simmer with frequent stirrings here and there till water dries simultaneously doing dishes and clean up. After adding potatoes to the mince, I set the table and make Kachumber salad. So, with a little management, a hearty meal that everyone loves is ready. The whole process would take around 60 minutes.
This method is also best for pressure cooker or instant pot. For this method use onions and tomato cut in large chunks, avoid fine chopping.
- Put all list 1 ingredients in a pot and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat with the lid covered. When all ingredients are soft, mix well.
- Now cook for 25-30 minutes on slow heat with the lid tightly covered. (You can also pressure cook for 10 minutes.) Just stir well and onions and tomatoes will melt away as shown in step 2.
- Keep cooking for another 5-7 minutes on medium to high heat with frequent stirring. Cook till water dries, then sear on high heat for 5 minutes until the mince is lightly browned and oil separates on the sides of the pan. (Bhunofy) Keep scraping the sides of the pan with a spatula to avoid burning. You might need to add 1-2 tablespoons of extra oil for searing depending on the fat content of ground beef.
- Now add potato and water. Mix well and make sure all potatoes are pushed below the gravy for even cooking. Adjust the consistency of keema by adding less or more water. Cook for another 7-10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Aloo Keema Recipe Pakistani is ready.
- Garnish with green coriander, ginger, and lemon wedges.
Method 2: Regular Method
This is more popular method in which you make typical onion tomato gravy and then searing ground meat.
- Fry chopped onions until lightly golden.
- Add the spices and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Pour in tomato puree, and cook until tomato water dries and oil separates on the side of the pan.
- Mix in ground meat (lamb or beef) and cover the pot. Cook until keema is tender and water dries. Then sear or bhunnofy keema for 5-7 minutes until browned.
- Add potatoes and water. Mix well and make sure all potatoes are pushed below the gravy for even cooking. Adjust the consistency of keema by adding less or more water. Cook for another 7-10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Aloo Keema Recipe Pakistani is ready. Garnish with green coriander, ginger, and lemon wedges.
We love keema! Check more recipes
- Keema Curry
- Aloo Keema Patties
- Keema Matar
- Lagan Seekh (ground beef and potato pie)
- Keema hari mirch (kachi pyaz keema)
Aloo Keema Recipe
Ingredients
LIST 1
- ⅓ cup oil, or more depending on fat in mince
- 2 medium onions, see notes
Spices
- 2 tablespoon green chilli paste
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 8 black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ tablespoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 big cardamom, slitted
- 4 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon
- Salt, to taste
other
- 3 medium tomatoes, see notes
- 500 grams ground beef or lamb
LIST 2
- 2-3 potatoes, cut in large chunks
- 1 cup water, less or more as per gravy required
For garnish
- Handful fresh coriander / cilantro, chopped
- 1 inch ginger, julienne slices
- 1-2 green chilli, deseeded and sliced
- 2 Lemon wedges
Instructions
Method 1: Recommended for pressure cooking (no fine chopping needed)
- Cut onion and tomatoes in large chunks. Put all ingredients of list 1 (spices and other included) in the pot. Mix well and cover tightly. Cook for 30 minutes on low flame. (Or pressure cook for 10 minutes).
- Remove lid and cook for 5 minutes with frequent stirring until gravy is dry. Then sear on high heat until oil separates on the side of the pot and ground meat is lightly browned. (This is called bhunna.)
- Now add potatoes and water. Cook for another 7-10 minutes on medium heat until potatoes are tender and desired consistency is reached.
- Garnish with ginger, coriander, and green chilli slices. Serve with lemon wedges.
Method 2: Regular Method
- Fry chopped onions until lightly golden.
- Add the spices and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Mix in pureed tomato, and cook until tomato water dries and oil separates on the side of the pan.
- Add ground lamb or beef), cover, and cook until keema is tender and water dries. Then sear or bhunnofy keema for 5-7 minutes until browned and oil separates clearly on sides of the pan.
- Add potatoes and water. Mix well and make sure all potatoes are pushed below the gravy for even cooking. Adjust the consistency of keema by adding less or more water. Cook for another 7-10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Garnish with green coriander, ginger, and chilies. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- We need onion and tomato cut into large chunks for method 1.
- For method 2 use finely chopped onion and tomatoes. You can use pureed tomatoes as well.
Naseema says
I want step by step recipe of dabba gosht.
Recipe 52 says
Sure, request noted. ?