Hairy Bikers keema curry has potatoes cooked right in it, which is what sets it apart from most mince curries. The recipe is in Great Curries and uses 500g of minced lamb, 475g of potatoes and a tin of tomatoes, feeding four to five at about 470 calories.
They describe it as a great family dinner, a bit like mince and tatties with a kick. If your family wants it milder, they say to drop the hot chilli powder down to a pinch.
Break the mince up with two wooden spoons as it fries. Six to eight minutes of that gets it down to small pieces, which is what lets the spices coat every bit of meat rather than sitting on lumps.
Hairy Bikers Keema Curry
Description
Whole cloves go in with their stalks pinched off, so nobody bites down on one later. Cinnamon and bay simmer with the lamb and tomatoes for ten minutes before the potatoes arrive. Frozen peas go in at the very end, and it feeds four to five.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Soften the aromatics: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or sauté pan and fry the onions, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes, until softened and starting to brown, stirring regularly.
- Add the spices: Sprinkle over all the ground spices and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.
- Brown the lamb: Add the mince and fry with the spiced onions for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly coloured. Use two wooden spoons to break the meat up as it cooks, so it ends up in small pieces.
- Add the tomatoes and whole spices: Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Pinch the ends off the cloves and sprinkle those on, throwing the stalks away. Add the sugar and salt, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the potatoes: While the lamb simmers, peel the potatoes and cut them into rough 2cm chunks. Add them to the pan after the 10 minutes with the water, bring back to a simmer, cover loosely and cook for 15 minutes until just tender.
- Thicken it: Take the lid off, turn the heat up and simmer for another 5 minutes until the curry is fairly thick, stirring regularly.
- Add the peas: Stir in the frozen peas and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until hot, then serve.
FAQs
Why pinch the ends off the cloves?
So you do not bite one later. Whole cloves are unpleasant to crunch into, and the recipe has you pinch the little round head off the stalk and use only the head.
Six cloves is plenty for the whole pan. The stalks go in the bin, and what is left releases its flavour into the sauce without leaving anything hard to chew.
Why potatoes in a curry?
Because it makes the dish a whole meal on its own. The potatoes go in raw and cook in the sauce for fifteen minutes, soaking up the spices as they soften.
That is also why they suggest serving it with bread rather than rice. Naan, parathas or chapatis mop up the sauce, whereas rice alongside potatoes is too much starch on one plate.
How do I make it milder?
Drop the hot chilli powder to a pinch, which is their own suggestion in the book. That leaves the coriander, cumin, garam masala and turmeric doing all the work, none of which is hot.
The whole spices are gentle too. Cinnamon and cloves add warmth rather than heat, so a milder version still tastes of something.
Can I use a different mince?
Beef works and so does turkey, though both change the dish. Lamb is fattier, which is part of why keema tastes rich, and leaner mince needs a little more oil.
Their lamb kofta curry uses 600g of minced lamb a completely different way, rolled into balls and simmered in stock, at 300 calories a serving.
What is the difference between keema and a normal lamb curry?
The cut, and everything that follows from it. Keema is minced lamb, so it cooks in under an hour and the spices coat every piece of meat.
Their lamb curry uses 900g of diced leg or shoulder and takes three hours and twenty minutes, since whole pieces need long slow braising to become tender.
