Keema curry with peas

A year ago I would have turned my nose up at the idea of curry made with minced meat, “surely” i would have said “it’s just a messed up spaghetti bolognese?”. Thank goodness my housemate made some as i was leaving to see family last Christmas and i caught a whiff of subtly spiced, spicy curry and hastily shovelled a forkful of it in my mouth as i was running out of the door. Since then i have had cravings that came to a head when chatting on twitter and someone mentioning that it is a great way to use up lamb mince if you don’t want kofta kebabs or moussaka.

When running my eye down the recipe sat at work i was pretty happy to realise that i had most of the stuff i needed in my store cupboard, this is why i bang on all the time about having a drawer full of herbs and spices, it makes dinner so much easier to tackle when you are skint.

Apparently this is quite an authentic recipe and you can really control the level of spice if you are making this dish for the faint of heart. I added one of my home grown chillies and my lips were still tingling a good hour later. Be warned!

You will need

2 onions, chopped
50g butter
3 tbsp vegetable oil
6 whole cloves
6 whole black peppercorns
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tin tomatoes
2 -5 finger chillis (depending on your heat preference), chopped
5 cloves garlic
2 inch piece of ginger root
3 tsp salt
500g very lean lamb/beef mince (lamb is more traditional but beef is cheap, or use a vegetarian substitute)
1 small cup frozen peas

Method

Roast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry frying pan until fragrant and then grind in a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder.
Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan and add the onion, cloves, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Cook, stirring occasionally, over a medium high heat until the onion is well browned.
Add 1 tablespoon of the cumin/coriander mix, the garam masala, and the turmeric and fry for about 30 seconds whilst stirring.
Add the tin of tomatoes and break them up with a spatula. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger and add to the pan with the chillis.
Cook the mixture over a medium heat for about 10 minutes
Add the minced meat and break up and mix into the mixture. Cover and cook over a low simmer for 35-45 minutes, adding the peas 10 minutes before the end. Check the seasoning and add more salt and garam masala if required.
Serve with fluffy rice and a nice naan bread