Keema

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried meat

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveLarge pot
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 4
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
5. 5
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon

To assemble

1. 6
   Add the cumin, turmeric, paprika, allspice, cinnamon, coriander seeds, salt and black pepper to the meat and mix well.

   💡Dry spices like cumin and paprika taste deeper when stirred with the meat and the oil for half a minute, before the liquids.
2. 7
   Add the tomatoes and stir.
3. 8
   Serve hot with basmati rice, pita bread or naan.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡The slower the sauce cooks, the thicker it gets and the better the flavors blend. 20–30 minutes make a quick meat sauce; an hour and a half to two hours over low heat make a rich Bolognese.

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 9
   Add the peas and cook 10 more minutes, until the sauce reduces and thickens.

   Stove

   💡Frozen peas go in at the end: that way they stay green and whole and do not fall apart in the sauce.
5. 10
   Sprinkle the cilantro on top.
6. 11
   Serve hot with basmati rice, pita bread or naan.