Keema Alu Matar - Ground Meat, Potaoes and Peas

Keema Alu Matar

This dish is commonly served at roadside eateries that are frequented mostly by truck drivers along the highways in India. These roadside eateries are called 'dhabas'. I fell in love with it while living in Defense Colony in New Delhi where I was introduced to a 'dhaba' at the corner of our street. To give her a day off, our help would get food from the 'dhaba' once a week. Our favourite items were Keema Alu Matar, Baingan Bhartha and Dal Makhani, accompanied by Naan/Romali Roti. This keema dish was also a favourite during our adolescence spent in Darjeeling.

Any kind of keema/ground meat can be used, such as chicken, lamb or beef. I tried Everest meat masala powder for the first time today and was pleased with the robust flavour it imparted to the minced meat. Another unusual ingredient used today is mace.

Mace is a spice consisting of the dried and lacy covering of the nutmeg fruit of a  tropical evergreen tree. It has a slightly warm taste and a fragrance similar to that of nutmeg.

The most laborious part in the preparation of this dish was browning the ground meat. The rest was easy because it was made in the pressure cooker, using just one pot.



Ingredients
1 lb. ground lamb, beef or chicken
1 russet/baking potato, diced
1 cup frozen peas
vegetable oil as required
2 cinnamon sticks
2 black cardamoms/boro elaichi)
2 whole dry mace/javitri
2 large onions, minced
2 medium tomatoes, minced
1 hot, green chili, minced
1 tsp. ginger paste
2 tsp. garlic paste
1/2 tsp. ground Kashmiri mirch
1 tsp. Everest meat masala powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
2-3 whole green chilies
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
salt to taste 

Bengali Garam Masala Powder:
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Mix garam masala powder with 2 teaspoons water and set aside.
2. Mix ginger & garlic pastes with Kashmiri mirch, meat masala powder and turmeric powder in 2 teaspoons water and set aside.
3. Temper oil with cinnamon sticks, cardamoms and mace and brown ground meat and onions over medium-high heat in a pressure cooker.
4. Add potatoes, minced green chilies and tomatoes, ginger and garlic mixture.
5. Cover cooker and simmer under pressure for 5 minutes over high heat and 15 minutes over medium heat. 
6. Allow pressure to dissipate naturally, uncover cooker, adjust salt to taste, add peas and garam masala powder over keema and simmer for 3 minutes.
7. Garnish with green chilies and cilantro.

Serve with steamed rice, chapati or naan.