Keema Matar...welcome to the real keema (and Papa!! )

Keema Matar (Minced Meat and Green Peas)…Enough talk about my mom and now on to my dad...papa and I share a special relationship...he loves loves to irritate me and I love love to scream at him…both the things have to happen at least once a day over the phone or in person for us to call it a fruitful day J…I get my temper (actually him and mom combined), my impatience, my ‘I can kill you with one look’ attitude, my drama genes, my love for books, travel and good food from him…even though he gave up eating meat years ago, he cooks some amazing non-vegetarian food…the next couple of recipes are his and were regularly made whenever he would come home and now, when we visit…simple, uncomplicated and typically Punju...typical Papa J

Keema Matar (Minced Meat and Green Peas)

Ingredients:

• Keema/Mince Meat, Lamb or Mutton(goat) or Beef, 500 gms
• Onions, finely chopped, 2 Large 
• Tomatoes, finely chopped, 2 medium 
• Packaged tomato puree, 1-2 tbsp (I added because I wanted a deep red gravy, you can skip it )
• Fresh Garlic, paste/finely grated , ½ tbsp
• Fresh Ginger, paste/finely grated, ½ tbsp
• Cumin seeds, ½ tsp
• Green cardamom, 2
• Black Cardamom, 1
• Cinnamon, 1" piece
• Cloves, 3-4
• Bayleaf, 1
• Coriander powder, 2 tsp
• Cumin powder, ½ tsp
• Turmeric Powder, ¼ tsp 
• Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp ( again, used only for colour, you can skip it )
• Red chili powder, 1 tsp 
• Garam masala powder, ½ tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil/Ghee, 2-3 tbsp
• Green chili, slit and seeds removed, 1 for garnishing 
• Green Peas, if fresh – par boiled and if frozen – just thawed, as many or as little as you want (optional)

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, bayleaf and let them crackle.  

Add onions and fry on medium low heat till the onions turn golden brown. 

Add ginger garlic paste and stir for another minute. 

Add tomatoes, tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric powder, both the chili powders, cumin powder, salt. Cook, stirring continuously till the fat separates. 

Now add the keema and cook on high heat, stirring constantly for around 5 minutes till it changes colour to brown.

If using a pan to cook, cover and cook, stirring occasionally till the keema is almost done - around 20-25 minutes. The meat will release enough moisture but if you see the it sticking to the pan while stirring, add about a quarter cup of water. 

If using pressure cooker, add about a half a cup of water and pressure cook for 5-10 minutes.

Open the lid and keep cooking and stirring till you get the desired dryness.

If using peas, add at this stage, mix well and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Add garam masala powder and stir again. 

Done! Garnish and serve.

Notes:

• The picture above is with green peas, without additional packaged tomato puree, without Kashmiri red chili powder, water completely evaporated. 

• The picture below is without green peas, with packaged tomato puree added, with Kashmiri red chili powder, with a slight gravy