No apologies here, I’m fairly sure this isn’t anywhere close to being a “traditional Indian” recipe but it tastes pretty good.

This one came about while driving home from work, hungry and pondering what to make for dinner. I wanted beef mince, but not the usual boring bolognese, chilli or burgers. I wanted spice, but not chicken.  I knew that we had around 3 bags of peas in the freezer that I was hoping to use in order to make way for something more interesting. My own keema mattar was born! Keema dishes are usually made with lamb mince rather than beef; I’m pretty sure that would work too.

Serves 6 (I’m freezing some for another day)

Ingredients

2 medium onions, diced
750g lean beef mince (or lamb, if you prefer)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g frozen peas
2 cans chopped tomatoes
6-7cm piece ginger, finely chopped
2 chillies (I used 1 green, 1 red, but any would be fine. They should probably be green, for flavour), finely chopped
2 heaped teaspoons ground coriander
1 heaped teaspoon ground turmeric
3 heaped teaspoons garam masala
1 heaped teaspoon black pepper
1 level teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat.
2. Once oil is hot, add onions and cook for approx. 5 minutes until light golden colour but not burnt.
3. Add garlic, ginger and chilli, stir and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Add mince, stir and continue to cook for approx. 5 minutes or until browned.
5. Add ground coriander, turmeric black pepper, stir and cook 30 seconds more.
6. Add chopped tomatoes, salt and peas.
7. Stir, bring to boil and simmer for 30mins, stirring occasionally.
8. Stir in garam masala.
9. Serve, perhaps with rice or my “Indian” roast potatoes.