Indian

Serving

Keema Matar

Name: Keema Matar
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 lb minced meat (lamb or beef keema); 1 cup green peas; 2 large onions (finely chopped); 2 tomatoes (chopped); 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 1 tbsp Garam masala; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 bay leaf; 4 whole cloves; 1 black cardamom pod; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp chili powder; fresh mint and cilantro, for garnish

A popular minced meat (usually lamb or mutton) and green pea curry.

40 minutes

Serves 3

Dinner/Lunch

14 min prep

22 min cook

No common allergens detected

Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.

Instructions

6 steps

1
Temper Whole Spices: Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 bay leaf, 4 cloves, 1 black cardamom, and a cinnamon stick. Let them sizzle for 10 seconds.
2
Sauté Aromatics: Add the finely chopped onions and cook for 8-10 minutes until deeply golden. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1 minute until the raw smell dissipates.
3
Brown the Meat: Add the minced meat. Break it up constantly with a spatula to prevent lumps. Cook over high heat for 10-12 minutes until the meat is entirely browned and all its moisture has evaporated.
4
Add Tomatoes and Spices: Reduce heat to medium. Add the chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, and 1 tsp chili powder. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes melt into the meat.
5
Simmer with Peas: Fold in the green peas and 1/2 cup of hot water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
6
Garnish: Stir in the Garam masala and a handful of chopped mint and cilantro leaves. Cook uncovered for a final 2 minutes until the oil separates. Serve hot with roti.

Keema Matar — plated and served — Serving moment. How Keema Matar looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

58/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 100

Kid-friendly 27

Weeknight-easy 51

Budget-friendly 62

Great leftovers 65

Pantry-friendly 18

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

475

Calories

44 g

Protein

19 g

Carbs

25 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Keema (spiced minced meat) has been part of North Indian and Pakistani cooking for centuries and appears across the subcontinent in forms ranging from stuffed parathas to grilled seekh kebabs. Keema matar — minced meat with green peas — is a specific North Indian home-cooking staple that became widespread with the arrival of green peas as a winter crop across the Punjab region. Unlike the elaborate Mughal meat preparations, keema matar is honest, economical food: deeply spiced, fast-cooking, and satisfying in a way that has kept it on weekly dinner rotations for generations of families.

Listahan note

This version uses a slightly longer cook on the keema at high heat to drive off excess moisture and create lightly browned meat rather than a steamed, grey mass — that browning is where most of the flavor lives.

Technique cues

Break the minced meat into the hot pan and leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes before stirring; this allows the bottom layer to brown against the pan and develop the roasted, savory notes that separate good keema from bland keema.
Cook the keema until all visible moisture has evaporated and you can hear it beginning to fry again rather than steam — this is the signal that the meat has browned sufficiently and is ready for the peas and finishing spices.
Add the green peas only in the last 5 minutes so they heat through and absorb the spices without losing their sweetness and bright green color — overcooked peas turn dull grey and mushy, which ruins the textural contrast the dish depends on.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Chop onions and measure spices before the meat hits the pan; keema moves quickly once the meat is in and stopping to prep mid-cook leads to overcooked onions or burnt spices.
Make-ahead: Keema matar reheats exceptionally well and actually improves overnight; make a double batch, refrigerate half, and reheat with a small splash of water.
Leftover move: Leftover keema matar is one of the best stuffings for parathas — cool it, roll inside a whole wheat dough disc, and cook on a hot tawa with ghee for a satisfying next-day meal.
Cleanup rhythm: Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of water immediately after the meat has browned to lift the sticky fond; this both cleans the pan and adds flavor back into the dish.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

ground lamb or beef

main protein

Purpose: Minced lamb is traditional and contributes a distinct richness and flavor that contrasts beautifully with the earthy spices; beef works well for a milder alternative.

Handling: Bring to room temperature before cooking so it cooks evenly; cold meat from the refrigerator will steam rather than sear in the pan.

Adaptation: Ground turkey or ground chicken produces a lighter, drier keema that works well with an extra tablespoon of oil added to compensate for the lower fat content.

green peas

sweet counterpoint

Purpose: Peas provide sweetness, color, and a pop of texture that breaks up the dense richness of the spiced meat.

Handling: Frozen peas added directly from frozen are perfect for this dish; fresh peas should be blanched briefly first.

Adaptation: Diced paneer cubes can replace peas for a vegetarian-adjacent version, or finely diced carrots for a different but equally valid texture contrast.

whole spices (bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom)

aromatic base

Purpose: Whole spices bloomed in oil at the very start create a perfumed cooking fat that infuses flavor into every subsequent ingredient.

Handling: Add to hot ghee or oil before onion, listen for them to sizzle, and give them 30 seconds before adding anything else.

Adaptation: A teaspoon of garam masala stirred into the onion base provides similar warmth if whole spices are unavailable, though the flavor will be less layered.

coriander powder

earthy depth

Purpose: Ground coriander is the backbone spice of keema masala, providing a nutty, citrusy earthiness that rounds out the bright heat of chili and the warmth of garam masala.

Handling: Add ground spices together with the ginger-garlic paste after the onion is golden; stir constantly for 1 minute to bloom without burning.

Adaptation: Store-bought meat masala (a blend sold at Indian grocery stores) can replace the individual ground spices at 2 teaspoons per serving of this recipe.

fresh ginger

warming bite

Purpose: Ginger's bright, warming heat runs through the entire dish and is essential to the characteristic keema flavor profile.

Handling: Grate or finely mince; add with the garlic to the onion base after the onion is golden.

Adaptation: Frozen ginger paste (1 teaspoon per 1-inch piece) is a reliable substitute.

Technique notes

Using a 80/20 fat ratio ground lamb rather than leaner blends makes a measurable difference — the extra fat bastes the meat as it cooks and keeps it from becoming dry and granular.
A pinch of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) crumbled in 2 minutes before serving adds a faint bitterness that is the hallmark of restaurant-quality keema; most home recipes skip it but it is worth adding.
Cook over higher heat than feels comfortable for North American stovetop cooking — keema needs enough heat to genuinely brown rather than steam, and most electric and induction burners require a medium-high to high setting to achieve this.

Ingredient swaps

Halal/Kosher direction: Use ground lamb or beef from a certified source; avoid pork, which is sometimes suggested as a substitute but is not traditional in this dish.
Lower-fat direction: Use ground turkey and add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the pan to compensate for the lower fat content; the dish will be leaner but the ghee preserves the necessary richness.
Weeknight shortcut: Skip the whole spice tempering step and use 1.5 teaspoons of garam masala added directly to the onion base; the flavor will be slightly less layered but the dish will be on the table 10 minutes faster.

Serve alongside

Aloo paratha
Phulka flatbread
Cucumber raita
Steamed basmati rice
Salted chaas (spiced buttermilk)
Cold ginger ale
Mint lemonade

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Keema matar keeps in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days; the flavor improves significantly by day two as the spices meld together.
Freeze in portions for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a covered pan over low heat, adding a tablespoon of water if it seems dry.

Equipment

Wide, heavy-bottomed skillet or wok for maximum surface area to brown the meat without steaming
Wooden spatula or flat-edged spoon for breaking up the meat as it cooks
Microplane or fine grater for ginger to ensure even distribution
Splatter screen for the initial high-heat meat-browning stage

Make this household-aware

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