Spiced Minced Beef Keema with Soft Rolls
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
A fragrant Indian keema of minced beef cooked down with browned onion, ginger, garlic, warm spices, tomato and yoghurt until thick and rich. Served with warm soft rolls and a squeeze of lime.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Fry the whole spices. Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat, add the peppercorns, cardamom and cinnamon and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Frying whole spices releases their aromatic oils into the fat, which then flavours the whole dish.
- 2
Brown the onion. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring, until well browned. Deeply coloured onion brings sweetness and a savoury depth to the sauce.
- 3
Cook the mince dry. Stir in the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then add the mince and salt. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 8-12 minutes, breaking the meat into very small pieces with the spoon, until the liquid has gone, the meat sizzles and the base of the pan looks dry and browned. Driving off the moisture lets the meat fry and brown instead of stewing.
- 4
Add ground spices. Add the coriander, chilli powder, turmeric and cumin and stir for 1 minute. Cooking the ground spices briefly in the fat takes away any raw, dusty taste.
- 5
Simmer with tomato. Add the tomatoes, yoghurt and green chilli and stir until simmering. Cover and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the tomatoes have broken down and a spoon dragged across the pan leaves a clear trail. Check that a thermometer in the keema reads at least 71 °C.
- 6
Finish with herbs. Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods if you like. Stir in most of the coriander, then sprinkle with the garam masala and the remaining coriander; added at the end, the garam masala keeps its fresh, warm aroma.
- 7
Serve. Serve the keema hot with the warm rolls and lime wedges for squeezing over.
Storage
Cool within 2 hours and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat until piping hot (74 °C).
Equipment
- large saucepan or deep frying pan (24-28 cm) with lid
- wooden spoon
- instant-read probe thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 504 kcal |
| Protein | 33.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 41.2 g |
| of which sugars | 9 g |
| of which free sugars | 4.4 g |
| Fat | 22.8 g |
| of which saturates | 6.3 g |
| Fibre | 4.2 g |
| Salt | 2.08 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
