Keema Curry (ground beef/chicken or turkey curry)

                                                 

If you've ever wanted a delicious, filling and quick dish to put together you have come to the right place. This dish fits the bill. The word "Keema" in Swahili loosely translates to "ground". Traditionally, in Kenya we use ground beef to make this dish. But over the years I have found that it works well also with ground chicken or turkey. So if you have any ground beef, chicken or turkey sitting in the fridge and you do not know what to do with it, here's a recipe.

SERVING SIZE: Feeds 6-8 sufficiently.

EQUIPMENT:
-Frying pan.
-Cooking spoon.
-Knife.
-Cutting board.
-Large saute/ frying pan with a lid.

INGREDIENTS:
-2 lbs lean ground beef (or chicken or turkey).
-1 small onion, finely diced.
-2 tablespoons cooking oil (I use Canola).
-1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic paste.
-1 teaspoon ginger paste (found in the produce section of the grocery store).
-6 teaspoons peeled, crushed tomatoes or tomato puree (found in canned food aisle).
-2 small russet potatoes (peeled, cubed and submerged in water).
-1/2 a bunch of cilantro (coriander), finely chopped.
-1/2 green bell pepper (de-seeded and diced).
-1/2 red bell pepper (de-seeded and diced).
-2 medium-sized carrots, washed, peeled and diced evenly.
-1/2 cup frozen green peas or freshly shelled green peas.
-1/2 teaspoon turmeric (found in Indian grocery store or online).
-1 teaspoon curry powder (found in spice aisle of the grocery store).
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
-1/2 teaspoon paprika.
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin.
-1/2 teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne powder.
-1/2 teaspoon dhana jeera (found online or at any Indian grocery store).
-1/2 teaspoon garam masala (found in the Indian section of the international aisle at the grocery store).
-1/2 teaspoon salt. You can adjust according to your taste (I use Kosher salt).
-1/2 cup water.

INSTRUCTIONS:
-On medium heat, brown the ground beef on the saute/frying pan. Keep turning so that it does not burn. Once the moisture has reduced from them eat, remove from the heat. Put the meat in a separate container and return the pan to the stove.
-Still on medium heat, add the cooking oil to the pan and once it is hot, throw in the onions. Saute the onions until they are transparent.Stir as they cook.
-At this point, add the garlic and ginger and stir. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
-Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir.
-Drain the potatoes and add them to the pan. Stir.
-Add the carrots to the pan. Stir.
-Add the spices, starting with turmeric. Stir and let it cook for 2 minutes. Now add all the other spices and salt to the pan. Stir.
-Add the meat to the pan and stir. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes and constantly stir until the meat is well coated with the spices. Add the peas and cilantro at this point.
-Add the water to the pan, stir and cover. Let the meat simmer on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until a thick sauce forms (you want some sauce in the curry). Check for salt and add more if you please.

Your keema is now ready to eat. I served mine with some chapatis (pictured). Check out my chapati post for the recipe. This dish goes very well with steamed rice (jasmine or basmati rice would work well). It also goes well with "ugali" and collard greens. Now how easy was that ?!? :-)