I posted this video on Youtube months ago and totally forgot to put it up here on the website. Sorry about that! It’s the recipe for one of my all-time favourite dishes, Keema Curry. (Keema is just lamb mince, so don’t be put off by the unfamiliar.) The best thing about this dish, apart from the intense flavour and juicy, spicy meat, is that it has what I have taken to calling a “customisable heat”. I use little green chillis called rocket chillis and I leave them whole, so you can bite into them for lots of spice or easily pick them out if you can’t handle the heat. I really hope that you enjoy this recipe; I don’t eat a massive amount of red meat, but this lamb curry is my definite treat. You can add handfuls of fresh spinach at the end to up the iron content, and you can bulk out the leftovers with a can of chickpeas to stretch the meal over a couple of days. It’s the curry dish that just keeps on giving. (People who don’t eat meat/red meat/lamb: this dish works because of the meaty juices and the taste of the lamb. You could swap out the lamb for potatoes and chickpeas, but I promise I’ll do a veggie recipe soon that will be much more suited to those ingredients!)

Full Recipe and Ingredients List:

Serves 4 very well or 2 people over 3 meals, if chickpeas and spinach added to leftovers!

500g Lamb Mince
1 Onion, chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, crushed (I used this: http://goo.gl/v0lT03)
10-15 “Rocket” Chillis (small and hot), three chopped and the rest left whole with just the stalks removed
1 Green Pepper, chopped
Approx. 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, finely grated, or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp garam masala
1tsp turmeric
1 tin chopped tomatoes

To serve: basmati rice, naan breads, yoghurt, pickled chillis (not authentic but I’m addicted to them.)

1) Fry chopped onion in a small amount of cooking fat – I used ghee, but you can use whatever oil you prefer or usually use. Probably not olive oil though, as it might have an odd taste with the spices!

2) When the onion is softened and a little golden, add chopped green pepper and all of the chillis and stir about for another 5-10 minutes. You can be crushing the garlic and grating your chilli as the onions and peppers are cooking – also, have an open tin of chopped tomatoes ready!

3) In with the keema (minced lamb) and fry it off briefly. Before it’s cooked through, add the garlic, ginger and the dry spices. This where you need to be on the ball; keep the spices and garlic moving because you want to release the beautiful aromas but you don’t want them to stick to the pan and catch! Burnt spices and garlic = a big no-no. Be ready with your chopped tomatoes, OR a small amount of water. If you find yourself panicking and the pan is too hot, just add a little water!

4) In with the chopped tomatoes. I swill the tin out with a bit of water and add that in too, but you don’t have to all at once. Season to taste and leave the pan of gorgeousness to simmer away!

5) The thing is with this curry is that the longer it’s been left, the better it tastes. Sometimes I cook it a whole day in advance – it’s better the day after, even the day after that! Give it at least twenty minutes or so, at any rate. Serve with basmati rice, with naans, chapatis, a dollop of yoghurt,

6) Customisations: less chilli if you can’t take any heat; fresh spinach added in approx five minutes from the end and left to wilt down into the sauce (VERY good for iron and adds a nice texture); a tin of drained chickpeas added to leftovers the next day bulks things out and provides a whole new dimension. I don’t bother with rice or with breads if I have chickpeas added, so it’s a good healthy option.