This keema matar masala or curried lamb mince with peas recipe is very close to my heart. That is because, this is a typical menu item of the Irani cafe´s in Mumbai. These cozy cafes, serve some very special food items that I have grown up eating. My father would take us to these cafe´s on Sundays, for that special weekend treat of caramel custard! Since my move to London, these cafes, their cozy ambience and hearty food are a among a host of things I miss about the city. Hence, in a bid to relive those memories, I often make this yummy curried lamb mince and pair it with some pav or dinner rolls.
Although, this post is a dedication to my Irani cafe´ memories, the recipe isn’t theirs. It is something I have perfected over several trials! Yes, it is not your quick and easy recipe and the ingredients list is a lengthy one too. But, this labour of love is sure to bear very delicious fruits. Trust me. My keema curry is herby, flavourful and so delicious. And I often make it for our Sunday brunch.
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Keema matar masala
Like I said, while my keema matar masala is a easy recipe, it isn’t a quick one. The reason being, lamb takes time to cook. And that is why, I have cooked it in two parts. In the first part, I have pressure cooked the minced lamb and in the second, I have cooked it completely along with the masala and peas. This reduces the cooking time considerably. What makes my keema curry so special is that, it is extremely flavourful. Not just because of the cardamom and nutmeg powders in there, but also with the addition of herbs. My keema masala has got the zing of coriander leaves, dill leaves and mint leaves. So, you can imagine the burst of flavours it has.
I have made this keema matar masala in a delicious tomato based sauce. Since this keema masala is semi dry, it goes really well with breads. This tastes heavenly with some warm, buttered pav as well as other Indian flatbreads like rotis, naans etc. And so it makes for an amazing tea time snack or a weekend brunch. The best way to devour this is with breads and by adding some chopped onions and squeezing some lime juice on the keema.
Don’t get bogged down with the length of the recipe or its’s ingredients. It is a rather easy one and a real treat, as well. So, do treat yourself and your loved ones, to this yummy lamb recipe over a weekend soon. And if you do, it would mean a lot to me if you could drop a line of feedback or a rating for my recipe, too. 🙂
Eat hearty!
Keema matar masala
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Shallow cooking pot with lid
Ingredients
- 500 g minced lamb (with 10% fat) some fat will make the keema taste delicious
- 1 cup peas frozen
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 large tomato puree´d
- 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3-4 fresh chilis finely chopped
- ¼ cup coriander leaves finely chopped
- ¼ cup mint leaves finely chopped
- ½ cup dill leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 cloves
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp ghee
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Apply 1 tablespoon each of of the ginger garlic paste, salt and turmeric powder to the minced meat and mix well. Set this in a pressure cooker with 1½ cups of water, cover and cook, over medium heat, for 15 minutes
- Once done, let the pressure release and then open it
- Whisk the semi-cooked lamb mice so that all lumps break and it becomes homogenous. Set this aside
- Heat the cooking pot with the oil and add the peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves and black cardamom
- When fragrant, add the onions and sautee´until slightly browned
- Then add the remaining ginger garlic paste and fry until its raw smell goes off. Then add the tomato pure´e, chilis, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, pepper and garam masala
- Mix all this well and cook until the oil separates. Add splashes of hot water whenever you see the masala paste drying out
- Then add the semi-cooked and whisked meat. Stir well so that the masala coats the mince well
- Now, add the nutmeg powder, salt (check before adding) and ¾ cups of hot water
- Mix well, cover and cook, over medium heat, for about 20 minutes
- When 15 minutes are up add the peas and continue cooking
- When the water has almost 95% dried up, switch the flame off and add the cardamom powder, ghee and all the chopped herbs. Mix, cover and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving
- Serve the delicious kheema matar masala hot with buttered pav, dinner rolls or any Indian flatbreads with lime wedges and chopped onions on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can cook the keema matar masala in butter as well
- Don't add too much oil in the beginning otherwise your keema masala will tend to be greasy
- g - grams
- tsp - teaspoon
- tbsp - tablespoon
- 1 cup = 250 millilitres
