Turkey Keema (Spiced Ground Meat)
I make keema all the time and love eating it. Usually I make it with some vegetables- like cauliflower , peas or even spinach.
I guess I am trying to make sort of a one pot meal with the protein and vegetables in one dish.
In this particular one, for some reason, I didn’t feel like adding any vegetables. As I have mentioned before, I usually visualize what I am going to cook and somehow vegetables didn’t work with specific one.
I cooked the ground meat (I used turkey meat but pork, beef or lamb will work well) with lots of dry spices including, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom seeds. To me a mixture of these spices epitomizes North Indian cuisine. I love the flavor the dry spices impart- the flavor is intense yet subtle at the same time.
Of course onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes were part of the mix. Overall the keema was delicious. I even used the leftovers to make pizza- recipe coming soon.
I made fresh rotis and some lentils with spinach since there was no vegetable in the keema. It was a delicious meal!
- 1 pound ground turkey- dark meat
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 inch cinnamon stick, crushed
- 3 cloves, crushed
- 2 cardamom seeds, crushed
- 1 medium onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 inches ginger
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom. Saute on medium high heat for 30 seconds or till the seeds sizzle. Process the onion, ginger and garlic till they form a paste. Add to the sautéing spices and cook on medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato puree, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper and coriander powder. Add the meat and press down with the back of the spoon to separate and cook evenly. Mix well and sauté on medium heat for 15- 20 minutes or till the excess water has evaporated, stirring constantly. Sprinkle garam masala and serve.
