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Keema is one of my favorite Indian dishes to eat! It is essentially any kind of ground meat cooked with onions, ginger, garlic. I like using turkey meat for health reasons- but any kind will work really well. Dry spices can be added as well- I love using cumin, cinnamon, etc- all sorts of spices. I love the flavor they impart in any dish. Mostly keema also includes some kind of a vegetable- either fresh green peas or potatoes- I would say, those two are the most popular ones. A very popular combination in my family is ground meat cooked with cauliflower- that is by far my favorite. Although this particular one is not that far behind. 

The basic recipe for keema is to saute onions, ginger and garlic and then add either fresh or crushed tomatoes to make a delicious savory, slightly tangy gravy. Another way to add body and tang to a dish is to add yogurt. Most Indian dishes have one or the other ingredient (tomato or yogurt)- sometimes they have both. In this case, I decided to use yogurt- I love the creamy depth it adds to any dish. I also used a lot of the dry spices, especially black cumin. This particular spice reminds me of creamy, delicate dishes- it gave this dish a very sweet flavor- it went really well with the meat and the spinach.

I wanted to add a vegetable and make a complete one-pot meal. I added frozen chopped spinach since it is usually not paired with keema- I thought it went really well. I love using spinach in almost everything- first of all it is very healthy for you; secondly- I end up using the frozen variety, which is very economical and lastly- my daughter eats it without any fuss- I think she really enjoys it! 

Overall the dish was a success. I made fresh rotis and a cucumber salad on the side.

I had quite a bit of leftovers the next day- I have come up with a great way to use them in quesadillas. Will post the recipe soon!

• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3 inch piece of garlic, roughly chopped

Process the onion, garlic and ginger and keep aside.

• 1 pound ground dark meat turkey- any ground meat will do
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 large black cardamom
• 2 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 2 teaspoons black cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 1 cup whole fat yogurt, or ¾ cup low fat yogurt mixed with ¼ cup half and half
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala for garnish
• ½ cup chopped cilantro for garnish

In a wide saucepan, heat the olive oil on a medium high heat. Add the cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves and cumin seeds. Saute for 30 seconds or till the spices begin to sizzle.  Add the processed onion mixture and sauté on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Next, add the turkey meat and press and separate with a spatula making sure the meat is mixed well with the onion mixture.  Cook on a medium high heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the spinach and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Slowly add the yogurt into the hot mixture (a quick addition will result in curdling of the yogurt).  Add the turmeric, coriander powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Take the lid off and increase the heat to cook the moisture off. Taste for seasonings. Garnish with garam masala and cilantro.