Keema, Chicken Keema

On a recent trip to the local not-so-mega-mart, I noted that minced chicken was on sale. This started a long chain of thought processes and memories. My one-time roommates produced a semi-dry vegetable curry that was quite delicious, and I managed to master the technique. Now can I apply this to ground poultry?

I am looking for a semi-dry curry that can either stand alone or be included in a wrap like a Kati roll or folded into a wrap and thence dry toasted.

From Wikipedia:

In the Indian subcontinent, minced meat is used in a variety of dishes such as a stewed or fried curry dish of minced beef, mutton (i.e., goat meat or chevon), or other kinds of meat with green peas or potatoes. It usually includes ghee/butter, onions, garlic, ginger, chilis, and spices. Minced meat is called keema or qeema in the Indian subcontinent. Keema can be grilled on a skewer and is then called seekh kebab, or it is used as a filling for samosas or naan.

As ANY ground meat can be a hazard if undercooked, we will cook this dish using the concept of Bhuna, where every ingredient is fried until oil begins to ooze out.

The follow-on for this dish is that it can be used to stuff breads, rolls, or wraps thusly lending itself to a variety of dishes.

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Chicken Keema

A basic mince curry perfect with naan or as an ingredient in stuffed breads.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Ingredient, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, Indo-Chinese

Servings 4

Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Spices

• 1 ea Bay Leaf
• 1/3 tsp Cumin Seed
• 4 ea Pepper Corns Black
• 4 ea Cloves
• 1 ea Star Anise
• 2 ea Cardamom pods Green
• 1 ea Cinnamon Stick Small ~ 1"

Keema

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 ea Onion Medium, Peeled, Chopped
• 1-2 ea Green Chili Washed, Stemmed, chopped
• 1 tbsp Ginger Paste
• 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
• 1 ea Diced Tomato 14 oz can with juice
• 2 tbsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1/2 lb Chicken Ground
• 1/2 tsp Salt ~ to taste
• 1/4 tsp Tumeric
• 8 ea Mint Leaves Chopped

Optional

• 1/4 Cup Coconut Milk For Gravy Curry
• 1 – 2 ea Dry Red Chili

Instructions

 

• In a glass bowl, mix the chicken, tomato, and salt. Set aside for 10 minutes
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• When the oil shimmers, throw in the whole spices & allow them to sizzle for a couple of seconds until they are fragrant
• Add the chopped onions & fry them until they turn lightly golden from the edges
• Add the ginger garlic paste & fry until the raw smell of the ginger garlic paste completely disappears & oil begins to leave the sides of the pan.
• Add the marsala, turmeric, and chili powder. Give everything a good mix & fry very well until the raw smell from the spices completely disappears & oil begins to ooze out.
• Next, add the marinated chicken mince & give everything a good mix. Fry the chicken until it looks crumbly & the juices from the chicken completely evaporated. The keema will also change its color from light to dark. Fry well until oil begins to ooze out from the keema
• Add warm water or coconut milk, cover, and cook for 5-6 minutes,
• Add the herbs, mix well and simmer to reduce to a semi-dry state
• Serve hot with naan or rice.

Notes

The key to this dish is the process of frying, known as Bhuna & there is no shortcut for this frying part. The intense flavors of the recipe & the extraordinary taste lies in how well you fry each & every ingredient.

Fry each ingredient until the raw smell disappears.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 7gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 341mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 507IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Chicken, Curry, Follow On

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