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Thick keema with peas, green chilli and coriander served with torn paratha
Keema glistening in a thick masala with peas folded through, hot parathas stacked beside it.

Keema with Peas

Thirty minutes to a thick, dry mince masala that goes in everything: parathas, loaded fries, samosas or a shepherd's pie.

Prep
10 mins
Cook
30 mins
Total
40 mins
Serves
4
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Kitchen roadmap

Before you cook

The details that make or break this dish, mapped to the exact step where they matter.

  1. Watch forBrown after the water evaporates
  2. Watch forMasala should coat the mince
  3. Make sureFinish relatively dry

Ingredients

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Method

10 steps

  1. Heat the oil and cook the onion for 7–8 minutes until golden.

  2. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry briefly.

  3. Add the mince.

    Break it apart and cook over high heat until browned and no longer watery.

    Finely broken beef mince properly browned with no watery liquid left in a wide kitchen pan

  4. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and 2 teaspoons AL Mix.

  5. Cook for 8–10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and the mince is coated in a thick masala.

    Keema evenly coated in thick tomato masala with a clean track showing no loose liquid

  6. Add the water and peas.

    Cover and simmer for 8 minutes.

  7. Remove the lid and cook until any excess liquid evaporates.

  8. Taste and add the remaining AL Mix if required.

  9. Finish with green chilli, coriander and lemon juice.

  10. Use it for keema paratha, loaded fries, samosas, shepherd's pie or naan wraps.

If it does not come out right

The faults this dish actually has. Open one for the fix.

Why does my curry taste raw?

A curry tastes raw because the ground spices met liquid before they met hot fat – powdered spices need 60 to 90 seconds in oil hot enough to shimmer, or eight to ten minutes of bhunai once the onions and tomatoes are in, before the dusty, unfinished note cooks off and the oil separates from the masala.

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Why is my curry bitter?

Curry turns bitter for four reasons, in the order they usually happen: burnt garlic, over-toasted ground spices, too much fenugreek – seed or kasuri methi – and too much turmeric, or turmeric fried for too long.

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How long do you fry onions for a curry base?

Fry sliced onions for 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat for a standard Punjabi curry base, until they are deep golden and collapsed – seven minutes gives a pale, sweet base, and 35 to 45 minutes on low gives the dark, jammy base used for a bhuna or a restaurant-style gravy.

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Authentic Lahori All Purpose Mix pouch

Make it with the Authentic Lahori mix

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