Dum Ka Keema

5 from 4 votes

Make this delicious dum Keema with just 20 minutes of cook time. Serve it with Paratha or with lip-smacking rice and chutney plater.

Course Dinner Recipes

Cuisine Hyderabadi, Pakistani

Keyword dum ka keema

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 424kcal

½ kg ground meat lamb or beef, use finely ground meat (that is minced twice or just process regular ground meat in a food processor for a fine texture).
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon green chili paste
1½ tablespoon raw papaya paste or use meat tenderizer as directed on the packet.
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
½ tablespoon red chili flakes or less
2 teaspoon coriander powder preferably roasted and grounded
2 teaspoon cumin powder preferably roasted and grounded
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon red chili powder skip for less spicy
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili for color, optional
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon black cumin optional
¾ teaspoon salt

Take all ingredients of marination in a bowl.
Mix all and marinate overnight (8 to 32 hours) the in fridge or at least 2 hours on the counter in a cool dry place. Cover the ground meat with a thin cloth or mesh to allow air circulation.
Heat oil in a pan fry chopped onions until until golden brown.
(Protip: You can also use crushed and fried onions to save time.)
Add marinated ground meat. Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. As the keema begins to cook, it will release the juices and it will get easy to stir. Give it a good stir and break the lumps.
Now you need to sear (bhunna) the dum ka keema for about 5-7 minutes until oil separates on the side of the pan.
Add gram flour to ground meat and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes then remove from the heat.
Heat at least 2 inch peice of thick charcoal. It has to be red hot. In a wide pot place the coal on the keema as shown in above picture. Drizzle oil and cover the keema tightly. Smoke for 10 minutes.
If you like keema to be juicy add ¼ cup water and let keema simmer on low for 5 minutes until you see the oil separating on the sides of the pan.
Dish out the keema and add a small dollop of butter in the middle. Garnish it with loads of juliene ginger, fresh mint, and sliced onion salad.

Ground Meat: You may use beef, mutton, or lamb mince to make this recipe. We want finely grounded meat so ask your butcher to process it through the machine twice.
Gram Flour: Gram flour is easily available in Indian stores, you can substitute it with chickpea flour too. You may skip it altogether.
Black cumin: Black cumin has a rich aroma so it is recommended. But you can easily substitute it with regular cumin.
Raw Papaya paste: The raw hard green papaya has the capability to emulsify meat protein so it helps tenderize the meat. You can use any meat tenderizer powder as well. Meat tenderizer powder quickly tenderizes meat compared to papaya. So it is a good option if you have little marination time.
Oil and ghee: Keema tastes best when cooked in ghee. I find a mix of butter and ghee also tastes great.
Onion: I used fresh onion in this recipe. You can also use fried onion. You'll need about ⅓ cup of crushed fried onions.