Keema (Indian Spiced Beef)
I know I’m late joining the club, but this is the very first Indian recipe I’ve put on my blog and I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve received several requests for Indian dishes, but I’ve always been intimidated by Indian food because it’s not a cuisine I’m too familiar with. Usually I’m pretty willing to be adventurous and try new things in the food world, but as I’m not a big fan of curry (unfortunately, because I’ve tried to make myself like it without success), I’m always worried that if I went to an Indian restaurant I’d have no idea what to order. Luckily, I mentioned this to my sister-in-law and she referred me to a Keema recipe she and my brother love that is Indian and curry-free! I’m also planning to try making Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala at some point, so Indian food-lovers, stay tuned.
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I am happy to say this dish was a total success and I really enjoyed it. It’s extremely quick to whip up (only takes about a half hour) and it’s really versatile. I decided to be traditional and scoop it up with some whole wheat Naan bread, but it would also be good over rice or in lettuce cups for a low carb option (see below). I’d never used Garam Masala before but it’s a blend of spices used in Indian cooking that consists of cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, black pepper and coriander. I wasn’t sure how that would taste since I always think of cinnamon in sweet things but the flavor was fantastic. As soon as you add the spices the smell of cinnamon wafts from the pan, and it pairs really well in a savory way with the ginger, chilies and garlic. I’m usually not a big cheerleader for peas, but they were absolutely perfect in this dish. Little bursts of sweetness amongst the savory beef and juicy tomatoes.
For a low carb option, try eating it in lettuce cups!
If you’re new to Indian food like me I think this is a great recipe to start with, and if you’re already a big fan then I’m sure you’ll love this too!
Keema
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala, found by the spices, McCormick makes one
- 1 teaspoon minced green chilies
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 lemon, juiced (discard seeds and rind)
Instructions
- Pour the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan and bring over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened and golden. Add the ground beef, salt & pepper and cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon until brown and cooked through. Add the garlic, tomatoes, ginger, Garam Masala, and chilies and stir to combine. Cook, stirring regularly, for 3-5 minutes until tomatoes are softened and flavors are combined. Add the peas and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for an additional 6-8 minutes until the peas are softened without being mushy. Stir in the lemon juice and remove from heat. Add more salt to taste if necessary.
Notes
265 calories, 17 g carbs, 7 g sugars, 8 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 29 g protein, 4 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com) MyWW SmartPoints per (1 cup) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Green: 6 SmartPoints/ Blue: 4 SmartPoints/ Purple: 4 SmartPoints Weight Watchers Points Plus:
7 per servings (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
This looks great! I do have one question, however. My husband dislikes peas and also carrots, corn, and bell peppers. What would be a good substitute veggie that I could throw in there?
Hm…green beans?
spinach works well:)
Great idea!
I came to Indian food only in the last few years, and now I could just kick myself for all those wasted years! There are so many things available that aren’t curry. My husband’s absolute favorite thing to get is chicken do piaza (or dopiaza, do pyaza – I’ve seen it spelled differently at different restaurants). It’s chicken, peppers, and onions in a slightly spicy creamy tomato sauce. Unbelievably good, especially with rice and nan. It’s what we recommend to anyone who says they don’t like curry.
Thanks for the recommendation!! I’m looking forward to trying more Indian recipes for sure. 🙂
this recipe looks great, I can’t wait to pin to make later. may I ask if you used the green chiles that come out of the little can, or did you use fresh green chiles? thanks! -Lauren
I used canned but you can definitely use either
Made this yesterday and subbed turkey mince for the beef & chili flakes for the green chilies. I also used 2 cups of mixed green veg (broccoli, peas & beans) instead of just the peas. Family all liked it, except I think I put a bit too much chili in as it was quite hot!
Haha, a little bit of chili flakes can go a long way!! Glad it was a hit 🙂
My husband is usually not a fan of Indian food. However, I was looking for recipe ideas for the week and he saw your pictures for this over my shoulder. He asked me to make it for dinner the next day. He had two servings and was thinking about a third! It is the best keema recipe I have tried. Thank you!
This comment made my day! So glad to hear your husband loved it – we can ease into Indian food together, haha 🙂
Emily I love all of your recipes but this one is by far one of my favorites! I love all of the fresh ingredients used and it was absolutely delicious! I only had about a half cup of peas left in my freezer, so I added 1.5 cups of green beans and some mushrooms…it came out great! Will definitely be a regular meal in my house! 🙂
Yum, I love both green beans and mushrooms so that sounds awesome – maybe I’ll try that next time I make it too! So happy to hear you loved it 🙂
This was absolutely delicious! My picky hubby and kiddo both loved it, too! We had a ton of left-overs, so we used it the next day in a makeshift “Shepard’s pie” casserole using croissant dough on the bottom and mashed potatoes on the top and…oh lordie was it ever good! Quite a bit higher points plus value, but it was super filling and I didn’t need much to feel full. 🙂 Thank you for another awesome recipe!
I just made this for the second time – my husband and I both love it! I use fresh minced jalapeno this time. Served with some rice – delicious and super filling!
I love keema! My roommate is Pakistani so we make it a lot. It’s great to experiment with, too. I like adding diced potatoes to it too, although when I do it I skip the naan. I love onions so when I add them, I slice them in strips.
Another white to serve them is over rice (brown rice to be healthy).
If you like things spicy, add chili powder! I buy pure chili powder from an Indian website (the stuff in stores here have more than just chilies, and it dilutes the hotness).
I also like to make some raita to eat with it, to cut some of the heat of the chili powder. There are a few variations, but I like mine with plain fat free Greek yogurt, garam masala, and green onions.
You can also make this with ground chicken! When I do that, the veggies I use or sliced onions and green peppers.
Yum!!
Wonderful recipe. Thank you. I was taught to cook Indian food by my Indian girlfriend. They cook the onions and garlic first, then add all the dry spice and sauté with the onions for a couple of minutes then add the meat and other ingredients. This cooking of the spices release the oils and the flavors into the meat and removes the bitterness of raw spices. You might like to try that. Very mellow
I really like Indian cuisine, especially street food. I once stayed here for a week to explore all the food here.