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Keema is a minced meat dish that is common in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It’s flavor profile comes from cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, garlic and ginger.
The minced meat is usually ground mutton, lamb, beef or chicken depending on the country. Various regions have further added their own touch to keema recipes. Some regions add peas to the meat mixture while others add potatoes. Often the dish has a tomato component.
My original recipe came from a fellow graduate student who was from Bangladesh back in the ’70s. I have since lighted up the recipe by using 96% lean ground beef or 93% lean ground turkey. Both meats worked well in the recipe.
I like my keema served over riced cauliflower with a dollop of raita or tzatziki. The hubby, on the other hand, prefers his keema on a pita bread with one of the yogurt based sauces. It’s a tasty meal regardless of how it is served.
Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.
Ingredient Round Up
- Ground beef or turkey – The day I made this recipe to post, I used very lean ground beef.
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh ginger
- Garam marsala
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Tumeric
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Olive Oil
- Water
Making the Keema
- Chop the onion, run the garlic through a garlic press or finely mince it and grate the fresh ginger.
- Saute the chopped onions in a skillet until they are tender. Add in the pressed garlic and grated ginger and saute briefly until they are aromatic.
- Break up the ground beef by hand and add it to the skillet. If the meat you are using is very lean, add a small amount of water to the skillet to facilitate the cooking.
- Using a meat masher, break the meat up as it cooks and stir it often with a wooden spoon.
- When I use 96% lean ground beef, it doesn’t give off very much fat and I proceed. However, 93% lean ground turkey gives off quite a bit of fat. In this case, I drain off the excess fat and then continue.
- Push the meat and onions to the side of the pan and add the spices to the skillet and cook for a very brief time. As soon as they are aromatic, move the meat over and mix it with the spices. Add the water, stir and continue to cook until most of the water has cooked off.
- Remove the meat from the heat and serve. Refrigerate the leftovers.
Serving Ideas
- Keema can be served with cauliflower rice or white/brown rice for dinner with a side salad and a piece of naan.
- For lunch, keema can be served on a pita or naan with some raita or tzatziki. Both sauces are made with yogurt, chopped cucumber and garlic. The tzatziki, which is thicker, also has some dill in it. The raita is a thinner sauce. Regardless, both pair well with keema.
- Diced cooked potatoes and/or peas and be mixed in with keema for a satisfying meal.
WW 1 pt per 1/5 of recipe, 1 pt per 1/4 of recipe
Note: Pts updated 12/11/24 to reflect new zero foods.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 157.4kcal
Equipment
- hand grater
- garlic press
- meat masher
- Chef knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 20 oz 96% lean ground beef (see note)
- 1 large onion
- 5 cloves garlic, medium to large
- 7 tsp garam marsala
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp coriander
- ½ tsp tumeric
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 c water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Chop the onion. Run the garlic cloves through a garlic press or finely mince it. Grate the ginger or very finely mince it.
- Heat the olive oil up in a skillet. Add the chopped onion and saute until it is tender.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the skillet and saute for about 30 sec or until it becomes aromatic.
- Add the ground beef to the pan. With very lean ground meat, add about ¼ c of water to the pan to aid in cooking. Use a meat masher and break up the meat into crumbles. Stir often with a wooden spoon and cook until done or slightly pink.
- 96% lean ground beef does not give off very much fat. At this point, I move the meat off to the side of the skillet and add the garam marsala, tumeric, coriander and cumin to the pan and saute for about 30 sec. Add the meat and spices together until the spice is evenly distribute throughout the meat.
- Add 1 c of water and stir.
- Sprinkle the salt over the meat and stir. I usually add ¼ tsp at a time and taste as I go along. I used the entire ¾ tsp of salt but you may need less. At this point you want to be able to taste a hint of garlic. Add some garlic powder if you think it is needed. I start with ¼ tsp of garlic powder and taste. I used ½ tsp of garlic powder.
- After adjusting the spices simmer the meat until the water is greatly reduced. Treat the keema in much the same way you would if you were making taco meat.
- Remove the keema from the heat when most of the water has cooked off.
- Serve over riced cauliflower or rice with a dollop or raita or tzatziki. You can also serve the keema as a sandwich on a pita or piece of naan.
- Refrigerate the leftovers.
Notes
If you use 93% ground turkey or another ground meat with a higher fat content. You may want to cook it first by itself, drain off the fat and set it aside. After you have sauteed the onions, garlic and giner, add the spices and then add the water and already cooked meat to the skillet.
Nutrition Info for 1/5 of recipe is at the very bottom of the recipe card.
Nutrition Info for 1/4 of recipe is below:
cal 196.8 kcal | fat 5.4 g | sat. fat 2.3 g| carb 0 | total sugar 1.6 g | protein 30.7 g | sodium 535 mg
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 157.4kcal | Protein: 24.5g | Fat: 4.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Sodium: 428mg | Sugar: 1.3g
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