Go Back
+ servings
Aloo Keema served in a grey bowl and topped with coriander and sliced onions.
Print

Aloo Keema

Aloo Keema is a classic Pakistani recipe made with ground meat and cubed potatoes. It's easy, wholesome recipe best served with roti and a simple salad.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Pakistani
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 412kcal

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Chopper

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 2 medium onions finely chopped
  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon lal mirch powder
  • 1 teaspoon kashmiri lal mirch
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 2 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 medium tomatoes chopped or pureed
  • 2 teaspoon tomato paste optional
  • 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 1 green chilli
  • 1/4 cup water
  • A handful of fresh coriander finely chopped

Instructions

  • In a medium sized pot, heat the oil to medium high.
  • Add the onions and saute for about 3-4 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Do not brown the onion.
  • Now add the ground beef, and cook on high heat, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes until the color changes.
  • Add the ginger garlic paste, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Now add in the spices and cook 5-7 minutes on high heat, while stirring frequently, until you can see the oil stirring. This is called bhunnai (searing) of the ground beef and it’s important to develop the flavour of the whole dish.
  • Add the tomatoes and lower the heat. Cook with a lid on for about 10 minutes to ensure the tomatoes are cooked through.
  • Now add the potatoes, green chili, and 1/4 cup of water. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. If you want more gravy in the curry, add about 1/2 cup of water.
  • Finish with a sprinkle of freshly chopped coriander and enjoy with roti or rice.

Notes

Ingredient Notes 
  1. Quantity of Oil: You can reduce or increase the amount of oil as per your liking.
  2. Onion: Use red, yellow or white onions.
  3. Type of Ground Meat: Instead of beef, you can also use ground chicken, lamb or mutton. Cooking times for ground chicken will be a bit less, where as for lamb and mutton it will be roughly around the same time as beef.
  4. Tomatoes: Use hand chopped tomatoes or puree them in a chopper. You can also use canned crushed tomatoes in a pinch.
  5. Tomato Paste: This is an optional ingredient but adds fabulous flavour and color to the dish.
  6. Potatoes: Use potatoes with high starch content such as Russet. I do not recommend using smaller varieties of waxy potatoes such as red or purple potatoes.
  7. Green chilli: I usually keep the green chilli whole so that it doesn’t add too much spice to the curry. But you can slit it lengthwise and then add it to the ground beef if desired.
 
Troubleshooting
If you feel the ground beef is smelly even after cooking it really well in the fourth step, you can add freshly chopped mint OR dried fenugreek leaves (methi) along with the coriander in the end. Leave to cook covered with a lid on low heat for about 5 minutes. This should help with reducing the aroma of the beef.
Washing the Ground Beef
I do not wash it but I know some people prefer to wash ground meat before using it. To do this, place the ground beef in a strainer, and put it under running water a few times to wash it. Then proceed to use it in the recipe.
How to Store
Store in an airtight container for upto 2-3 days in the fridge or in the freezer for 1 month.

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 495mg | Potassium: 766mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 549IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3mg