As Keema or Queema refers to minced meat, this Indian and Pakistani dish is a hearty tomato-based curry, whose main component is usually lamb or beef. What I love about curries from this region is that the main flavours still come from a variety of spices and aromatics, so replacing or leaving out the meat usually is no problem.
But to still provide some umami and a mince-like texture, we are going to use a combination of mushrooms and textured vegetable protein.
This dish includes peas, hence the ending “Matar”, but there are other variations like “Aloo Keema”, which include potatoes, or many just leave it as it is.
Ingredients for Keema Matar
The main flavours come from
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, ginger and chillies
- Whole spices, like cumin & coriander seeds or bay leaves and cinnamon
- Ground spices, which include tumeric, chilli and garam masala
Other ingredients are mushrooms and dried soy mince to replace the meat, tomato sauce and vegetable stock for the broth and peas for the final touch. You can choose from multiple toppings, like fresh coriander, lemon juice or raita.
The Method
1. Soak the TVP in vegetable stock to help them absorb some flavour. Fry the mushrooms in a pan, until about 80% done. We will return them later to finish frying.
2. Toast the whole spices in cooking oil. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until they are fragrant
3. Return the mushrooms with the onions and sauté until fragrant. Add the other aromatics and continue for a few minutes.
4. Add the vegan mince with all ground spices except garam masala and stir for a bit to mix well.
5. Add the tomato sauce (I grated fresh ones) with the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 20 minutes
6. Finally, add garam masala and the peas.
7. Serve it with naan, white rice, or chapati and add your favourite toppings.
Cooking tips, Substitutes and Storage
- You can use store-bought vegan mince instead of the mushroom-TVP-mixture
- I grated fresh tomatoes to make the sauce, but feel free to use a canned sauce or adding chopped tomatoes
- Don’t worry, if you don’t have all the whole & ground spices. It doesn’t matter if you are using whole or ground spices, as long as you have the following: cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala.
- Adjust the amount of heat to your spice level. I eat quite spicy
You can store the dish in the fridge up to 4 days, so it is perfect for meal prepping and it keeps good in the freezer for 2 months.
The Recipe
Keema Matar
Zutaten
Method
- Rehydrate the TVP in vegetable stock. In a pan, dry-fry the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and remove them when they are about 80% "done".
- Grate the tomatoes into a bowl.
- To a pan, add the cooking oil and toast the whole spices for a few minutes on medium-low heat.
- Sauté onions and pre-fried mushrooms until fragrant and add some salt. Add other aromatics and continue for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rehydrated TVP alongside all ground seasonings, except garam masala. Stirring frequently, continue cooking for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce with vegetable stock and some black pepper. Stir, bring to a boil and keep simmering for 20 minutes, stirring half way through.
- Turn off the heat, add garam masala and the peas. Mix and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
- When serving, sprinkle with fresh coriander, squeeze some lemon over the dish, or add raita.
Notizen
- You can also just roughly cut the tomatoes, add them with a splash of water and cook until they have broken down. Alternatively, use a can of tomato puree
- Don’t worry, if you don’t have all the whole & ground spices. It doesn’t matter if you are using whole or ground spices, as long as you have the following: cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala.
