A while back, my wife and I purchased a quarter of a steer, and as part of the deal, we got about 60-70 lbs. of ground beef. It’s just the two of us (now 2.25 with the birth of our daughter!), so we’ve gone through it slowly. And I’ve found that there are only so many things you can make with ground beef – meatloaf, burgers, tacos, etc. It was time to broaden my horizons.
First, I made picadillo, which turned out good, but I was still looking for something different. Then I found a recipe for keema. Keema is a super-versatile South Asian dish that works with basically any kind of meat – poultry, lamb, goat, pork (though you wouldn’t find that ingredient in an Islamic country like Pakistan), and beef. I’ve had keema many times, and it is great.
Here is the recipe that I used:
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (I buy mine pre-minced. I think it’s a better value.)
1 ½ pounds ground beef
2 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup plain yogurt
¾ cup milk
¾ cup frozen peas
1. In a large deep frying pan, brown the ground beef and then drain off almost all of the fat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute longer.
2. Add the coriander, cumin, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and salt to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the potatoes, yogurt, and milk. Bring just to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer until potatoes are soft. (I found that boiling the potatoes took longer than I expected. Maybe I cut them too big. Another way to speed it up a bit would be to partially boil them in another pot while you brown your meat, then add them at this step.)
4. Uncover the pan, add the peas, and simmer for 5-10 minutes longer.
5. Done. Stick a fork in it. Serve over basmati (or any kind of) rice.
While keema may necessitate purchasing a few ingredients that you wouldn’t normally have on hand (for me it was coriander), you can see that it really couldn’t be easier to make. Aside from the rice, it’s a one-pot meal.
Any other ideas for something different with ground beef?
- Submitted by Fox Valley Native
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