Whenever I want to make something easy and quick, keema mattar is always on my list. I have a long list of such recipes but today I decided to make my keema mattar recipe again. You can literally prepare and cook this keema mattar in 30 minutes if you’re in a rush.
I recommend taking a bit more time though and letting the meat and all those aromatic ingredients stew for a while. You are going to love this one.
What is keema mattar?
Keema Matar is a popular Indian dish made with ground meat (keema), typically lamb or beef, and green peas (matar).
It’s a flavorful and spiced dish often prepared with a combination of aromatic spices, tomatoes, onions, and sometimes yoghurt, but not in my recipe. The ground meat and peas are simmered in the spicy and rich gravy until cooked through, creating a delicious and hearty curry.
What do you serve with keema mattar?
This is a meaty curry that resembles bolognese sauce but tastes completely different. I just wanted to mention that as keema mattar is really good over pasta.
Traditionally, however keema mattar is serve over hot white Basmati rice or breads such as naans or chapattis. You can scoop it up at the table with the breads. No cutlery (silver ware) required!
What part of India is this keema mattar from?
India is huge and every area has their own take on keema mattar. This is the Punjabi version. I will be posting keema mattar recipes from other regions too so watch this space.
The South Indian version I tried in Kerala with coconut milk and grated coconut will be next!
Can you work ahead?
This really is a quick and easy one pot recipe. So there really isn’t much to do except cook it. Of course you could prep your vegetables beforehand but if you’re going to do that, you might as well cook it.
This keema mattar curry can be prepare about 3 days before serving. Place it covered in your fridge. As it sits in the fridge, the flavours will develop and it will be even better when it finally hits the table.
To reheat it, just pour it all into a pan over medium-high heat and heat it through. You could also place it in your microwave for a few minutes but I think you get better results with the pan method.
A note about the whole spices.
The whole spices are added to the keema mattar at the beginning of cooking. They continue to flavour the curry while it is cooking.
If you do not like serving curries with large pieces of whole spices in them, remember to count them in and then count them back out again. They usually rise to the top and are easy to find in the sauce.
Can you freeze the leftovers?
Yes you can! This curry freezes really well for up to 6 months. Some say it actually gets better when frozen. It’s made with minced (ground) meat so there are no texture issues.
One thing I will say is that if you are making this curry to freeze for later, don’t add the peas. You can add those when you defrost and reheat it for better presentation.
Which meat can you use in a keema mattar?
Any minced (ground) meat you like. I have made keema mattar with so many different meats. From turkey to chicken, Beef to venison and pork any minced meat can be used. If you have ground meat on hand and you are trying to find a good recipe to use it in, keema mattar is always a good choice.
Are there different variations of this recipe?
This is the base keema mattar and also the most popular version. You could, however get creative and add other ingredients. Popular ingredients to add to keema mattar are chickpeas, paneer and spinach.
Step by step photographs.
Get all your ingredients prepared and at the ready before you start cooking.
Heat the oil over a medium-high heat and add the whole spices. Temper them in the oil for about 40 seconds.
Add the chopped onions and fry for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. Then add the garlic and ginger paste and chillies.
Fry for about 4 seconds and then stir in the chopped tomatoes and ground spices.
Stir it all up nicely to combine into a thick sauce and then add the ground meat.
Add about 250 – 375ml (1 to 1 1/2 cups) water or stock to the pan. Break the meat up into the stock. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue simmering to thicken the sauce. Simmer it down until you are happy with the consistency.
Add fresh or frozen peas to the sauce and cook them through. This should only take a couple of minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and squeeze the lemon juice over the top. That’s it! Ready in less than an hour or faster if you’re in a rush.
Dig in! This keema mattar is so good with rice, naans or chapattis.
If you like this keema mattar recipe, you might like t0 try some of these too.
Beef Biryani
Chicken Biryani
Chickpea Biryani
Chicken Karahi
Lamb Korma
Shami Kebab
Aloo Gobi
Lamb Nihari
Chapli Kebabs
Lamb Seekh Kebabs
Staff Chicken Curry
Butter Chicken
Chicken Haleem
Tarka Dal
Pilau Rice
Chicken Tikka Masala
Grilled Lamb Chops
Lamb Tikka
Spicy Kashmiri Lamb Chops
Have you tried this keema mattar recipe?
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Yield: 6
Keema Mattar
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Ingredients
- 500g (1 1/4 lbs) lean minced lamb
- 5 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 5 cloves
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic - mashed into a paste with a drop of water
- 1 inch ginger - mashed into a paste with a drop of water
- 3 green chillies - finely chopped
- 300ml (1 1/4 cup) chopped tomatoes
- 200g (1 cup) frozen or fresh peas
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
- Juice of one lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a large sauce pan and heat over medium heat.
- Add all the whole spices and allow to fry for about 40 seconds. Throw in the chopped onions a continue frying until the onion turns translucent and lightly browned.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for about 30 seconds. Then add the chopped green chillies followed by the chopped tomatoes. Stir well to combine.
- Add the minced lamb (or other minced meat) and stir it into the onion mixture in the pan. Then pour in about 250ml to 375ml (1 to 1 1/2 cups) water or stock.
- Cover the pan and simmer for about 20 minutes. If you are in a rush, just simmer it without the lid but a longer simmering time will produce tastier results.
- After 20 minutes, remove the lid and continue simmering until you are happy with the consistency of the sauce. This curry can be served quite dry or with more sauce so it's really up to you.
- Add the garam masala and half of the chopped coriander leaves and stir them in with the peas. Continue to cook until the peas are heated/cooked through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, squeeze the lemon juice over the top and serve hot.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 197Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 73mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 6g
