Easy | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 30 min | Serves: 3–4

Keema is Indian comfort food in its most direct form — spiced mince, cooked until the sauce thickens and the flavours concentrate into something deeply savoury. It’s quick, it’s cheap, and it scales effortlessly. Make a big batch and eat it three different ways: over rice, scooped up with naan, or stuffed into a toasted wrap.

Ingredients

  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 150g frozen peas
  • 2 tbsp curry powder (medium or hot)
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Fresh coriander, to serve
  • Natural yoghurt, to serve
  • Rice or naan, to serve

Method

  1. Brown the mince Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the mince and cook, breaking it up, until well browned. Remove and set aside.

  2. Cook the base In the same pan, reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, cook for another minute. Add all the spices and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.

  3. Build the curry Return the mince to the pan. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and stir well. Add a splash of water if it looks dry. Bring to a simmer.

  4. Cook Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and rich. The mince should be well coated, not swimming.

  5. Add the peas Stir in the frozen peas for the last 3 minutes of cooking.

  6. Serve Over rice or with naan. Top with coriander and a spoon of yoghurt.

Cook With Your Senses

Inspired by Ethan Chlebowski’s sensory approach to cooking — the idea that your senses should tell you more than a timer ever could.

  • Look: The mince should be deeply browned before anything else goes in. The finished curry should be thick and dry-ish — the sauce coating the mince, not swimming around it.
  • Listen: Browning mince should sizzle constantly. If it goes quiet and water pools, the pan is too crowded.
  • Smell: When the spices hit the hot onion base, there should be an immediate, intense warmth in the air. That’s cumin, coriander, and turmeric waking up. If you can’t smell it, the spices need more time.
  • Touch: Stir the finished curry. It should feel thick and heavy on the spoon, not soupy.
  • Taste: Keema should be boldly spiced. Taste it and think: is there warmth? Depth? Salt? Freshness? If something’s missing, a squeeze of lemon or a spoonful of yoghurt often fixes it.

Notes

  • Browning the mince properly is critical. Don’t skip this — it’s the difference between deep, complex flavour and something flat.
  • Lamb mince is more traditional and slightly richer if you can get it.
  • The sauce should be thick and clinging to the mince, not soupy. If it’s too wet, cook it down uncovered.
  • Leftovers make incredible toastie fillings. Seriously.

Inspiration

Adapted for Ryan’s kitchen. Original inspiration: www.bbcgoodfood.com