Keema Pulav

Looks like it had to be Keema tonight, especially after the way Finely Chopped went raving about his two course meal – one of them, the mouthwatering bowl of Hyderabadi Kheema!

That’s when on the other side of the earth, a very upbeat Bengali decided she will mince no words and just post a recipe of this award-winning Keema Pulav. Try it and you will know I wasn’t bragging!

Ingredients for Keema Pulav are:

One and half cups Basmati rice, washed and drained, keep in a sieve for 30 minutes
300 grams mince meat (beef or goat meat)
Quarter cup crispy fried onions
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
4-5 green chilies, finely chopped
Handful of finely chopped coriander leaves
Few mint leaves, torn
Few drops of lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 black cardamoms
2 green cardamoms
2-3 cloves
Few peppercorns
Pinch of grated nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1 small stick of cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
Ghee
Salt

Heat ghee in a large pan and add the whole spices, let them splutter for a few seconds and add the chopped green chilies and cumin.

Add the mince meat and sauté for a few minutes, getting a little caramelization on the meat. Add the ginger-garlic paste and red chili powder and mix well. (Photos of this step are missing, the camera ran out of juice and needed recharging!)

Add the rice and fold between the mince meat mixture. Season with salt, garam masala powder and a pinch of nutmeg.

Top the fried rice and mince meat with fried onions, chopped coriander and mint leaves and give it a good mix.

Pour the rice-keema (mince meat) mixture in a microwaveable bowl, add three cups of water, few drops of lemon juice, cover with a cling wrap and cook for 18-20 minutes.

Once the cook time is over, let the Keema Pulav stand for a few minutes before you serve it with a cooling Raita.

P.S. Vegetarians can use minced soy nuggets instead of mince meat/keema.