Beef Keema (Mince Curry)
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This keema beef recipe is bursting with flavours! It’s made with juicy, tender beef, bold powdered spices, and green peas. This easy-to-make delicious curry is equal parts creamy and tart. Did I mention it’s healthy? Serve this yummy beef keema over basmati rice and with naan for a satisfying meal.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
Healthy – I’ve made this beef keema recipe healthy so you can enjoy it guilt-free during the week!
Flavourful – Packed with bold spices, fresh herbs, ginger, and garlic, expect a punch of flavour in every bite.
Creamy – Using yogurt helps provide a creamy consistency to this keema curry recipe without adding a huge number of calories.
Juicy beef – Simmering this beef mince curry helps create juicy, tender beef bites.
Comforting – Warm, creamy, and filling, this dish is perfect for a cosy night in!
Easy – This one-pot recipe requires minimal kitchen tools and skills.
Use up leftover mince with these yummy recipes: Simple Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne, Dorito Taco Salad, or Meatball Marinara.
What is beef keema?
Beef keema is a curry recipe typically made with beef mince, peas, curry spices, onions, yogurt, tomatoes, and a few other ingredients. It originates in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Often, a beef keema recipe is served over basmati rice.
You may also hear beef keema referred to as keema matar, which translates to mince and peas. Some versions of minced beef curry do not have peas, so they would be referred to simply as keema.
Ingredients
Ground Beef – I love using beef mince for this recipe, as it adds a lot of flavour. However, you can use other types of ground meat, like turkey, if you prefer.
Peas – This yummy recipe calls for peas for a pop of colour/flavour. If you can’t find fresh peas, frozen will also work. There is no need to defrost them; you can toss the frozen peas right into the pot.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
Here are a few variations/adaptations you can use with this beef keema recipe to make it your own! For a leaner dish, use turkey or chicken mince. You can also use lamb mince. Or, make this ground beef curry recipe vegan with plant-based protein and yogurt.
Add madras, garam masala, and cumin to the recipe for a bolder flavour. You can also add ingredients like ginger garlic paste, cumin seeds, and coriander powder. This is a great recipe to sneak some vegetables into. For example, you can easily add chopped aubergine to this dish without affecting the flavour.
How to make Beef Keema
- Start by preheating a non stick frying pan over a high heat and add the rapeseed oil. Once hot, add the beef mince and distribute over the pan. Season with salt and pepper and leave to brown for 5 minutes (Image 1).
- Rotate the mince and leave for a further 5 minutes. The beef fat will have rendered now, making the mince even crispier when you leave it to brown (this is essential to build the best flavour). Remove the mince from the pan, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Break the mince into small browned pieces (Image 2).
3. To the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, ginger and coriander stems (Image 3).
4. Season with salt and pepper and mix together while frying for 4 minutes, before adding the spices and flour for the final minute of fry time (Image 4).
5. Stir to mix the spices together and allow to bloom (Image 5).
6. Then pour the chopped tomatoes, stock and browned mince back into the pan (Image 6).
7. Stir to combine and simmer together with the chopped tomatoes (Image 7).
8. Cover with a lid and leave to cook over a medium/low heat for 10 minutes (Image 8).
9. After 10 minutes, add the peas and mix together with the mince (Image 9).
10. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes with the lid off. Top with fresh coriander and serve with toasted naans (Image 10).
Tips for the best result
Pick a good-quality mince
Since this beef keema recipe uses simple ingredients, it’s best to grab a high-quality mince. You can tell the difference between a high/low-quality mince in this dish.
Use 80/20 beef mince
Part of the reason this dish is so delicious is the juicy beef! Add ground beef that is 80/20, so there’s enough fat to keep the recipe feeling juicy and rich. You can also use a leaner mince, but don’t go too lean, or it won’t be as juicy.
Cook the dish low and slow
The key to the creamy, juicy consistency in this mince curry is cooking the recipe low and slow. Patience is key with this yummy dish.
What to serve with beef keema
I love creating this beef keema recipe with comforting sides like naan and basmati rice. You can also serve it with slices of bread (similar to a sloppy joe) or papadam. For a lower-calorie version, serve this mince beef curry over riced cauliflower.
Here are a few more yummy curry recipes to try: Grilled Aubergine Curry, Easy Chicken Thigh Curry, or The Best Halloumi Curry.
Storage and Reheat Instructions
For the best results, follow this beef keema recipe’s storage/reheating notes below.
Storage: Allow the keema peas to cool. Then, pack it into an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheat: Reheat curry by putting it in the microwave and cooking it for 30-second intervals until heated through. Ensure you stir the curry as you reheat it. If reheating from frozen, reheat the curry on the stove so you can add the yogurt.
Freezer: This recipe can be frozen as well. However, dairy does not freeze well. So, if you plan to freeze leftovers, leave the yogurt out. Once cool, put the leftover curry in an airtight container. Then, freeze for up to three months.
FAQs
Yes! You can easily turn this beef keema recipe into a vegan keema dish. To make this keema curry dish vegan, use meat-free mince, dairy-free yogurt, and vegetable stock/broth.
One reason your curried mince beef may be watery is due to the tomatoes. If you’re using juicier tomatoes, the liquid can create a watery consistency. If you notice your tomatoes have a higher liquid content, use less broth to even out the recipe.
If your mince curry recipe is too watery, it is fixable! Simply add a cornstarch or flour slurry to the dish and allow it to simmer for a few extra minutes. You can also use tomato paste to help thicken minced meat curry.
You can cook keema with or without the lid on. I recommend leaving the lid off until you’re simmering the sauce. Then, you can cover the curry to help keep the moisture in the recipe.
Serve this yummy beef keema recipe with one of the following Indian-inspired dishes: Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala or Lentil & Chickpea Curry.
If you love curry, here are some more Easy curry recipes you have to try…
Explore More Recipes
If you tried this Beef Keema (Mince Curry) recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Beef Keema (Mince Curry)
Ingredients
- 500 g beef mince (£2.49)
- 2 white onion, finely diced (£0.30)
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (£0.39)
- 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and grated (£0.60)
- Fresh coriander, stems finely chopped and leaves torn to serve (£0.60)
- 300 g peas (£1.45/2)=(£0.73)
- 400 g (1 tin) chopped tomatoes (£0.35)
- 4-6 mini naans, toasted to serve (£1.40)
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 tbsp flour
- 400 ml beef stock
Method
- To a non-stick frying pan, preheat the pan over a high heat and add the rapeseed oil. Once hot, add the beef mince and distribute over the pan. Season with salt and pepper and leave to brown for 5 minutes.
- Rotate the mince and leave for a further 5 minutes. The beef fat will have rendered now, making the mince even crispier when you leave it to brown (this is essential to build the best flavour).
- Remove the mince from the pan, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Break the mince into small browned pieces.
- To the pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, ginger and coriander stems. Season with salt and pepper and fry for 4 minutes. Add the spices and flour for the final minute of fry time.
- Pour the chopped tomatoes, stock and browned mince back into the pan. Stir to combine and cook covered with a lid over a medium/low heat for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the peas and cook for a further 10-15 minutes with the lid off.
- Top with fresh coriander and serve with toasted naans.
Notes
- Since this beef keema recipe uses simple ingredients, it’s best to grab a high-quality mince. You can tell the difference between a high/low-quality mince in this dish.
- Part of the reason this dish is so delicious is the juicy beef! Add ground beef that is 80/20, so there’s enough fat to keep the recipe feeling juicy and rich.
- The key to the creamy, juicy consistency in this mince curry is cooking the recipe low and slow. Patience is key with this yummy dish.
Nutrition
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