Beef Keema Curry with Steamed Basmati Rice

If you’re looking for something easy, quick and delicious to make with lean minced beef, this is the recipe for you.

Inspired by a recent visit to Indian restaurant Dilli in Altrincham, where a colleague of mine ordered Lamb Biryani, I decided to spice things up a bit. So here is the recipe for my Beef Keema curry!

This recipe takes 40 minutes and serves 4-6 portions.

You can swap out the birdseye chillies for a milder variety if you’re not that keen on spice.  You can also use lamb mince if you wish but may need to drain the fat if there’s quite a lot.

I use turmeric and garam masala for the spices, but you could use curry powder instead of the garam masala. But I’d say the turmeric is essential for that authentic Indian depth of flavour, and wonderful vibrant yellow colour.

To make the rice

I follow Jamie Oliver’s ‘Light and Fluffy’ steamed basmati recipe:

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/rice-recipes/light-and-fluffy-rice

It’s brilliant and works every time. I’ve pasted it below, so if you’re making them be served together, simply start making the rice once you put the curry on to simmer and they will be ready at the same time!

To make the mint yoghurt

Mix one teaspoon of mint sauce with 4 tablespoons of natural yoghurt.

To make the beef keema curry

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
• 500g lean minced beef
• 1 large white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 2 birdseye chillies, one of which is de-seeded (optional depending on how hot you like it!)
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 2 carrots, cut into small chunks
• 200g frozen petit pois or garden peas
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt, to serve
• 1 teaspoon mint sauce, to serve
• 1 small bunch coriander, chopped, to serve
• rice, to serve

1. Heat half the oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the beef, season and cook until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Finely chop (or whiz in a food processor) the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan, and fry the mixture gently for 2 minutes, until the onions soften. Add the chopped carrots and cook for a further 3-5 minutes.
3. As the carrots begin to soften, add the browned minced meat and mix everything together well.
4. Next, add the garam masala and turmeric and fry for another minute. Adding the veg stock and simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes with a lid on or covered with foil.
5. For the last five minutes, remove the lid and add the frozen peas. At this point, the liquid should be mostly absorbed. If it’s not, give it a few more minutes with the lid off.
6. Just before serving, remove from the heat and stir in the coriander.
7. Serve with brown pitta bread, steamed basmati (recipe below) and a dollop of the mint yoghurt!

Jamie Olivers Perfect Steamed Basmati Rice (serves 4):

• 350g white basmati rice
• sea salt

1. Put a large pan of salted water on a high heat and bring to the boil. Rinse the rice in a colander under running water for about 1 minute, or until the water runs clear (this will stop the grains sticking together later).
2. Add your rice to the boiling water and wait for the grains to start dancing around. From that point, boil for 5 minutes.
3. Drain the rice in a colander. Pour 2.5cm of water into the pan, put it back on the heat and bring it to the boil again, then turn down to a simmer.
4. Cover the rice in the colander with foil or a lid. Place the colander on top of the pan of simmering water, and let the rice steam over it for 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and if you’re ready, serve immediately. If not, leave the foil or lid on and put aside until ready to serve – it should stay warm for about 20 minutes.