Lamb. Spices. A rich sauce. And a serving of vegetables built in. Peas in fact. May sound strange. But it works. Really, really well. And you can make it in 30 minutes. From a standing start. That’s just good living. I think anyway.
Lamb keema matar is a dish you should be making
Everybody’s heard of chicken tikka masala. Butter chicken. Lamb saag. These are the safe choices. Tasty. Really tasty. But maybe a little conventional. Uninspired. If that’s your thing then stop reading now. But if you want to stretch a little? Put a toe outside your comfort zone? Give your tastebuds a treat? Then you really should try lamb keema matar. It’s a glebekitchen house favourite. Has been for years. It’s the one that gets requested the most. Along with restaurant chicken biryani. You should try that too. Keema means ground meat in Hindi. Matar is peas. Keema matar. Ground lamb with peas. In a lush restaurant gravy. And if you really hate peas just leave them out. this one is pretty amazing without them. Keema curry. That’s a thing too.
Restaurant results without the fuss
Ever wonder why your curries never turn out like the ones that you get at your favourite local? There’s a reason. A good one. Almost every recipe on the internet uses traditional Indian techniques. Restaurants don’t. Simple as that. They have a different approach. Restaurants use an onion gravy as the foundation of their dishes. That’s the trick. Why you can’t get your curries to taste like theirs. They call it base gravy. Or curry gravy. They make huge pots of it. There’s a whole section full of recipes doing it just like the restaurants. Exactly like the restaurants. Takes time though. A lot of prep. A few techniques to master. If you want to go deep you can read about Indian restaurant curry at home. It’s a whole new world. Or you can make this. It comes very close. Without the work. Curry gravy in 10 minutes. That’s what makes this weeknight cooking. Up to you. Make curries twice a week? Every week? Full blown restaurant technique is for you. Tight on time? Only make a couple curries a month? The 30 minute approach is probably a better bet.
Cook the lamb then make the keema matar
That’s a counter-intuitive statement. If you’ve been cooking Indian for a while you know. There’s a lot of braising going on in an Indian kitchen. A lot. Restaurant style is different. They cook to order. Can’t sit around waiting for the lamb to cook with customers waiting. “Ready to order?” “Yes, thank you. I’ll have the lamb curry please”. “Excellent choice. That will be 95 minutes. Would you like a cocktail in the meantime?” Pre-cooked proteins. That’s how Indian restaurants roll.
This is a busy 30 minutes
This isn’t the simplest of curries. There’s a lot of moving parts. I can do it in 30 minutes. On a good day. And I don’t have to stop to check the recipe. So maybe budget 40 minutes. This isn’t a race. Better to burn an extra 10 minutes and have fun. Nobody needs stress in the kitchen. Or think about prepping the keema the night before. That works too. Makes this recipe a breeze. An easy 30 minutes. 22 minute lamb keema matar even. Want really easy? Prep the onion paste ahead of time. That makes it a 15 minute dish. Perfect for a dinner party. A couple curries. A fancy pilau rice if you feel like showing off. Maybe a nice green salad to start. That’s an easy night in the kitchen. Easy and impressive. Who doesn’t want that?
Try keema matar
30 minute keema matar. Lamb with peas. Fast. Delicious. Restaurant results. It just works. If you’ve made it this far I’m guessing you are ready to broaden your horizons. Try this dish. You may wind up liking it as much as I do. That wouldn’t be a bad thing at all…
