Recipe: Keema, or Minced Beef Curry

Mince is one of the things that’s most frequently on offer in supermarkets, and I picked up two packs for the price of one in Superquinn the other day, thanks to Peter’s tip-off.  I made a batch of spaghetti bolognese with the first pack and was looking for something a bit out of the ordinary to do with the second pack.  I so often fall back on chilli, bolognese or cottage pie with mince (not that there’s anything wrong with any of those dishes), but then remembered a delicious minced beef curry that Maria Crispy made for us once before.

The recipe came from our friend Riaz, and it’s a good one – the curry is warm and aromatic and very easy and quick to make.  You do need to use extra lean mince, although if you only have cheaper mince you could brown it and drain it before adding it to the tomato sauce.  The original recipe came with North American measurements, as Riaz is a Canadianer, but I’ve adapted it so you don’t need to use cups to measure the ingredients.

Minced Beef Curry

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, pureed or finely chopped
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1½ tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt (you may need to add more to taste)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ½ tbsp cayenne pepper
• 454 grams extra lean minced beef
• 1-2 tbsp demerara sugar, to taste
• 1½ tsp dried mint (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil and add the onions, and cook gently until they are softened – about 5 mins.
2. Add the tomatoes, cumin, salt, turmeric and cayenne and saute for another 5 min,
   or until oil glistens.
3. Break up the beef and add to the curry.  Cook for about 6-10 minutes then check to make sure it is cooked to your liking.
4. Stir in sugar and mint, and cook until sugar melts into beef (about 1 minute).  Cool for 5 minutes, cover with a lid.

I served this with a side of chilli-packed Moghlai Spinach for heat, mango pickles and some fragrant rice.  One pound of mince made enough for about four dinners.  The next day for lunch, it went into a pitta bread with mango pickle, yogurt and sliced tomatoes.