Keema (Mince) Karahi

Keema or mince is just meat that has been finely chopped or put through a mincer and can be from cow/goat/sheep or even chicken. It is easy to cook and every bite you eat has meat in it!

My uncle in Kenya had his own twist on mince/keema karahi and used to make it on a large iron griddle (tawa) and this was served to all the guests straight off the griddle accompanied by hot chapatis, salads, chutneys and copious amounts of home-made passion juice!

Recently his daughter shared his secret recipe with us and as soon as I made it in ‘Sabiha’s Kitchen’ the ‘eaters’ wanted to know how it was so different and so yummy. So here goes…..

TIP!!

The keema/mince should be lean and preferably from the leg of the goat/sheep/cow and should only be put through the mincer once! As this is not always an option, do try making it with whatever type of mince you use.

Ingredients

• 12 ozs (or two large) finely sliced onions
• 6 tbs corn/vegetable oil
• 2 lb mince/keema of choice (for best results use lean mince from the leg of the animal, if not easily available make it with ordinary mince)
• 2 tsp finely crushed garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp red chillie powder (use 1 tsp for milder)
• 2 tsp whole cumin
• 2 tsp coarsely ground dry coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 10 oz (or 4 medium sized) fresh or tinned tomatoes crushed
• 2 tbs tomato puree
• 2 tbs finely sliced fresh ginger
• 4 green chillies cut into two
• 4 tbs fresh coriander chopped
• lemon/lime slices 

Method

1. Take a small bowl and add in the garlic, salt, red chillie powder, cumin, dry coriander and turmeric, mix with a teaspoon and keep aside.
2. In a wok/karahi or deep pan, add the oil and onions, cook on medium heat until the onions are a golden brown.
3. Add the keema/mince and fry together, stirring from time to time until the meat has browned all over.
4. Add all of the spice and garlic mixture from the bowl into the wok, stir well until all the masalas mix into the mince/keema.
5. Cook together on medium heat until mince/keema is almost cooked or for 5-7 mins, stirring every few minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree, keep mixture on a medium to high heat and stir once or twice until the water from the tomatoes dries up and the mince/keema is fully bhuned (oil separates from the mixture).
7. Karahi mince/keema is best served straight from the karahi/wok after garnishing with the sliced ginger, green chillies, fresh coriander and lemon/lime slices.
8. Best served with chapatis, nans and also yummy with bread.