Beef Kheema – Classic Base
- 1 kilogram Minced meat
- 50 grams Ginger
- 500 grams Onions
- 1/2 teaspoons Turmeric
- 2 teaspoons Red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Crushed black pepper powder
- 4 Green chillies (chopped)
- 3 sprigs Curry leaves
- 1/2 cups Coconut oil
- 3/4 teaspoons Salt (or to taste)
Finely chop onions, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.
Add 1/4 cup of coconut oil om a skillet. Add finely chopped onions and ginger. Saute for 5 minutes.
Add minced meat, green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric and chilli powder.
Stir to combine everything together. Keep stirring until the meat changes colour from pink to brown. Cook for 10 minutes.
You'll see the water coming out from the beef and onions. Keep it covered and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes.
Then open and cook on high flame, stirring continuously. Continue to cook until all moisture evaporates.
Add salt, pepper powder, rest of curry leaves and 1/4 cup of coconut oil.
Continue to cook, stirring until mixture is light brown.
Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil at a time if its looking too dry.
If the skillet gets too hot, reduce the flame to medium for 5 minutes and continue stirring so the mixture doesn't burn.
Then increase the flame again and brown the mixture. Once the kheema is nicely browned, switch off the flame. Stir for 5 to 10 minutes and let it cool, completely
Storage and serving
- Store in an airtight container in the freezer for upto a month.
- To use, bring to room temp or reheat directly in the microwave.
I usually prepare a kilo of kheema and freeze it and whenever I use the last portion, I immediately refill the freezer.
Unlike many frozen foods that require full thawing for the taste to be right, kheema is forgiving. You can simply scoop out a portion from the freezer with a butter knife, thaw it at room temp or even reheat directly in the microwave, the flavour remains the same.
Meat - I usually use beef tenderloin. I ask my butcher to trim off all the fat and tendon leaving only clean lean meat. This is the cut that gets minced, giving the best texture and flavour.
Note for kheema
Since this recipe uses 500 g of onions, I prefer using a food processor or vegetable chopper to save time. Peel the onions, cut them into quarters, and add them to the chopper. Peel the ginger and cut it into large chunks before adding it along with the onions. Pulse a few times, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides, until the onions and ginger are finely minced. Be careful not to over-process, as you don't want them to turn into a paste.
I always *chop the green chilies and curry leaves by hand. Processing them in the chopper releases too much moisture and can make them mushy. Hand chopping helps retain their texture and ensures their fresh flavour is evenly distributed throughout the beef keema