Before I get to my recipe for Keema Alu Matar, here is an email I received over the weekend from a long time reader:
Hi Meena,
I was wondering if you could help me. My husband and I LOVE north Indian food and I’ve cooked many recipes of yours that have been huge hits with us. Now, I want to start introducing my two girls to the flavours we both so love. The thing is, they’ll eat almost anything with ground meat in it, and so I thought that starting them off with a dish of ground meat cooked in the Indian way might give me a positive response from them. Any chance you have a kid-friendly recipe that I could try out for them? We love chicken as a family, but ground beef and lamb would work for us too.
Karen
Well Karen, first off let me start by saying how pleased I am that you and your husband are enjoying my recipes cooked at home. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that someone stepped into their kitchen and cooked an Indian meal. Also, hats off to you for trying to introduce your kids to new flavours by bringing in something that they already enjoy. That’s a wonderful way to open them up to something different, yet similar.
Keema Alu Matar is a wonderfully simple, yet comforting dish that you can definitely try out with kids.
It’s quite mild in taste, yet has a deliciously well-rounded robust flavour that is often expected from Indian food. It’s reminiscent of Chili or Sloppy Joes, and you can surely serve it alongside some bread to avoid diverting from familiarity all together. The addition of peas and potatoes should also go well with kids. I hope you give this recipe a try and I’d love to hear back on how the girls liked it.
Here are a few other recipes that might help in introducing kids to Indian flavours:
Keema Alu Matar
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp light cooking oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4-5 green cardamom pods
- 2 medium-sized onions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 lb lean ground chicken
- 1 large-sized potato chopped into bite-sized pieces
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup frozen peas thawed
- a handful fresh coriander leaves chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add in the cumin seeds, cinnamon and cardamom. As soon as they begin to sizzle, add in chopped onions, and fry for 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat till it starts to brown a bit and turn soft. Add in ginger and garlic pastes and sauté for another minute or two till fragrant.
- Add in spices and tomato paste, and fry for a couple of minutes to blend well.
- Mix in tomatoes, and cook covered for a few minutes till well incorporated. Add in the ground chicken and potatoes, and mix well. Cook covered on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and mix in frozen peas. Cook covered again for another 5-6 minutes till the potatoes are fork tender.
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve piping hot with a side of warm rotis and a salad.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you will surely love my Indian-style Spaghetti and Chicken Kebabs recipe as well.
Tried this recipe? Leave a Comment and let me know, also Rate it by clicking the number of stars on the recipe card. Want to share your version with me? Tag me on Instagram @hookedonheat
This recipe looks divine! We just got a 1/4 of a grass-fed cow, so I am always looking for unique ways to use ground beef. This fits the bill. I also appreciate all of the advice you give to get people to try new flavours.
I often make potatoes, chickpeas and peas. Yours has similar spices so will be trying it soon.
I have seen something like this in one of the Indian restaurants 🙂 Good one!
This looks amazing. How long would you think it would take the aloo to cook through? My potatoes are always, always RAW. Thanks.