Pakistani Keema Matar Recipe
A dhaba style keema matar that tastes great with garlic naan or zeera rice.
Servings 4
Calories 578kcal
Ingredients
- 450 gm ground beef or lamb
- ⅓-½ cup oil less or more depending on the fat in the ground meat.
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced or ½ cup fried onions (see note 1)
Spices
- 4 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 8-10 black pepper
- 1 whole black cardamom
- ¾ tablespoon cumin powder dry roasted and grounded (see notes 3)
- ¾ tablespoon coriander powder dry roasted and grounded (see notes 3)
- ½ tablespoon red chilli flakes skip for less spicy
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon green chili paste
- ½ tablespoon garlic paste
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
Other
- 3 medium tomatoes chopped or pureed (See note 2)
- ½ cup yogurt whipped, optional
- 1 cup peas boiled or frozen
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons butter optional, but recommended.
- 3-4 green chillies less spicy type, thick slices
- 2 inch ginger julienned
- ¼ cup fresh coriander chopped
- 2 lemon wedges
Instructions
- Fry the onions in oil on medium heat until golden brown.
- Now, add all ingredients in the spice list. Start with the whole spices, then add ground spices, and finally wet spices. Fry for a few seconds. (Watch the video.)
- Add tomatoes and salt, mix well and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Next, add ground meat and yogurt. Mix well and cover the pot again. Cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
- Mix in peas and cook for 7 minutes until mince and pea are cooked.
- Now, increase heat high and stir fry keema for 3-5 minutes until keema looks brown and oil separates on the sides of the pan.
- If you like gravy add ½ cup water or adjust the consistency of keema to personal preference. (Skip adding water if you like dry gravy.)
- Garnish with sliced chilies, fresh coriander, and ginger slices. Serve with lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
- If using fried onions, heat oil and fry all the spices until it sizzles. Then add the crushed onions. Give it a stir and immediately add the tomatoes.
- You can use chopped tomatoes too but tomatoes pureed give smoother gravy.
- I highly recommend using roasted and grounded cumin and coriander seeds as it gives crisp flavor and aroma. To roast just add cumin and coriander in a pan and dry roast on medium heat. Keep stirring until the color of the cumin and coriander has darkened. Remove from pan and cool. Then ground into a fine powder. You can make a large batch of these roasted spices and store for a month. Use roasted cumin and coriander in all Indian curries instead of plain cumin and coriander. Taste is always enhanced.
- Oil: The amount of oil in keema depends on the fat content of ground meat. Very little oil will make your keema taste dry but it still tastes good.
Nutrition
Calories: 578kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 827mg | Potassium: 880mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1474IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 5mg