Saman Shad summer cookbook recipe: Beef keema
What I love about keema is how forgiving it is and how easy it is to make. This is the homely dish that introduced my children to their Pakistani side.
Every day this summer, we’ll publish an exclusive recipe from a favourite Australian author, dishes made with affection for family, friends or someone special.
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This is the homely dish that introduced my children to their Pakistani side.
Pakistani cooking is known for its love of heat and love of meat. While meat is central to this recipe, it lacks the spiciness because it’s what I made for my children when they were still toddlers, to introduce them to the taste of the food I grew up eating.
What I love about keema is how forgiving it is and how easy it is to make. You can pretty much add any amount of spice and it will probably work (so long as you don’t overdo it). Much like the bolognese in spaghetti bolognese, you can conceal all sorts of neutral tasting veggies in the mince.
I often grate zucchini or add blocks of frozen spinach to the recipe. However, you can keep it simple and skip the veggies – my parents, for example, would be horrified to learn I add grated zucchini to keema. However, peas are standard – keema matar (mince with peas) is commonly made and eaten in Pakistani households, just as it once was in the Mughal courts.
You can also add aloo (potatoes) as I often do for my kids. When I’m cooking this for them I don’t add any chilli powder, but you don’t really need chilli to enjoy the spices that make keema such a flavoursome and much-loved dish.
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Also, I should add, there is not one keema recipe, but many. Everyone in my family, for example, makes keema a different way. The way in which I’ve written it below is what I usually do, although because of my long experience I season by the eye, as most Pakistanis do.
The measurements below are approximate, but feel free to experiment according to your taste.
500g minced beef (keema)
2 tbsp oil
1 onion
2 whole cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
1 tsp salt (add more to taste)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
500ml water
Optional: 1 cup of peas and/or 2 to 3 medium-sized potatoes (diced)
Optional: 1 tsp of chilli powder if you want to add a zing of spice
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat till it’s hot.
2. Add diced onion, cardamom and cloves to the oil. Stir the onion and cook until softened.
3. Add the grated ginger and garlic, then saute for a further minute.
4. Add the mince and break it apart with a wooden spoon till there are no lumps left. Brown the meat and then add the spices – salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder (and chilli powder if you’re choosing to include it) – to the pot. Stir till they are completely mixed into the meat.
5. Add the tomato paste and mix through, then the water. At this point you can add the peas and/or potatoes if you’re choosing to include them.
6. Cover the saucepan and cook on a gentle simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stir the mixture and test to see if the potatoes are cooked through. Most of the water should be absorbed into the meat.
7. Serve with basmati rice or roti/naan, and optionally with a side of plain yoghurt and achaar (pickles).
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Saman Shad is a writer, editor, journalist and teller of stories. Much of her work is inspired by her experiences as a third culture kid, growing up and living in Pakistan, the Middle East, the UK and Australia. She is currently working as a screenwriter on upcoming projects. Saman is a proud mum of three children and lives with them and her husband in Sydney.
Saman Shad’s debut novel, The Matchmaker, will be released on January 31.