Keema & Rice

Ingredients (Serves 5)

1 kg Lamb Mince (lowest fat you can find) 2 Onions finely chopped 1 Celery sticks, finely chopped 5 Garlic Cloves - Minced 1 Tbsp Ginger Paste 2 Tins Tomatoes 2 Beef oxo cubes 2 Birds Eye Chillies / or / 2 Red Jalapenos - sliced 1 Cup Peas (Frozen)

Spice Base 3 Tsp Garam Masala 1 Tsp Turmeric 2 Tsp Cumin 1 Tsp Cinnamon 1 Tsp Peppercorns Grind and mix

Directions

• Fry up the onion and celery, until just starting to brown.
• Add the spice base, Ginger and Garlic. Cook for a minute or so
• Add the mince meat and fry until brown.
• Add the beef oxo and chillies, cook for a little bit. 
• Add the Tomatoes, bay, and rosemary.
• Cook until you are just about happy with the thickness
• Add the peas

History

When my wife and I lived in NYC, I used to work on 1221 Avenue of the Americas, and for lunch (mostly on friday’s) a few of us would go to this local mom and pops restaurant called Minar.  It really didn’t look like much, but let me tell you that the curries in there were delicious! My personal favorite was the Keema Peas, which I got on their prix fixe non-veg option. So with that you got one meat curry, one veg curry, and a rice. So I would have the Keema Peas, Aloo curry and then rice. 

This recipe is my attempt to replicate that dish as now that I am back here in the UK, you just don’t see Keema like this. Mind you, to be honest, you don’t see Keema and Peas on many menus, probably because it’s their equivalent to the good old spag bowl.