Aloo Keema Recipe: Ground Meat And Potato Curry

Aloo Keema

Heartwarmingly delicious with well-balanced spice is what this Aloo Kema is all about. And it’s so easy to make that it’s a perfect menu for your busy midweek.

Aloo keema literally means potato and ground meat. It’s a type of dry curry in South Asian cooking. 

It’s particularly a popular home food menu among Pakistani/ Indian households.

Simply because this curry is easy to make all you have to do is just throw everything in the cooking pan and let it cook.

It’s an ideal menu to make when you don’t really have time and energy to cook. Like on one of those busy midweek.

Plus, this dry curry is so full of flavor that you don’t really need anything on the side. 

It’s delicious to enjoy with chapatis/ rotis, naan bread, pitta bread, or flatbread. So you can mop the mouthwatering curry juice with your bread. 

But really, I often have it with plain Basmati rice and it’s equally tasty.

What Type of Ground Meat

So the recipe I’m sharing with you here is the Pakistani way of making aloo keema.

But I tweaked the recipe slightly without compromising the taste.

First thing first.

When it comes to keema, you can choose any type of red meat. Because the name Aloo Keema almost always refers to red meat.

Having said that though, you can also use ground chicken and you can check my chicken keema curry if that can be your interest.

So you can choose beef, lamb, or mutton. As long the meat is minced and ground, you’re all good.

Here, I use paprika powder as well as chili powder. This way, the taste won’t be too hot and the dish will give a brighter color to the dish.

As for the chili, you can either use chili powder or dried red chili flakes. If you choose chili powder, I suggest you use Kashmiri red chili powder. Because it’s well-known for its flavor and vibrant color that you won’t regret. 

When it comes to meat choice, you can cook it with ground beef or lamb mince. I personally prefer the lamb. But it’s your personal choice.

And for the potatoes, the waxy types of potatoes such as Charlotte potatoes, new potatoes,  or Jersey Royal are the best to choose from. Because they keep their shape and don’t break or go mushy in the dish.

How To Make Aloo Keema

Many years ago, I used to make my aloo keema in cooked masala. So, I’d fry the onion, all the spices, and the tinned chopped tomatoes until they become smooth and sauce-y like masala. Then I’d put the meat in it and cook it.

Place the ground meat in a cooking pot.

Add the dry spices and salt.

Add the chopped onion, minced ginger, and garlic paste.

Add the chopped onion and give a good stir as you cook at moderate heat.

Although that method is still applicable and acceptable, I find the more authentic way of making this potato and minced meat curry.

It is done by cooking the meat with all spices and tomatoes in a cooking pan/pot. 

So it’s like a one-pot dish way of cooking which is brilliant for when you’re having busy days. That’s why I often cook this dish for our mid-week menu. 

When the meat, all spices, and tomatoes are fully cooked, you can add the cooking oil and the potatoes to the meat. Then continue cooking for another ten minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. 

It’s as simple as that.

Ways To Enjoy Your Potato and Ground Meat Curry

Traditionally, you have this minced meat and potato curry with either roti/ chapati, naan bread, pitta bread, or flatbread. But it’s also yummy to have it with plain Basmati rice.

And if you’re adventurous, try putting some hot aloo keema in a bun with some grated cheese on the top. You’ll have the most flavorsome ground meat slider ever.

Or, you can put this aloo keema for your grilled sandwich filling. 

It’s unusual, but I promise you it’s delish as the melted cheese will add extra richness and flavor to the meat. Simply delish.

Storing Matter

This Aloo Keema is a good keeper as well. So if you like, you can cook in a batch and store some in the freezer. It’s a saver when you run out of time for cooking.

You can store the dish in a tight-lidded food container and keep it in the fridge/ refrigerator for about one week. Or, freeze it and keep it for about 2 months. 

Just make sure you let the dish completely cool down and reach room temperature before you refrigerate or freeze it. 

More Ideas for Potato Recipes

Thank you for reading this Aloo Keema recipe. I hope you’re inspired to cook it. Let me know how you like it, and I love to know your views in the comments below. Or perhaps you managed to tweak the recipe and find it better to your liking? 

And please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest to sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen. 

Before you go, don’t forget to check out my other recipes that you’ll love.

• Aloo Gosht – potato and meat curry.
• Aloo Palak – potato and spinach curry.
• Aloo Chana – potato and chickpea curry.
• Aloo Methi – potato and fenugreek leaves curry.

Take care and all the best.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

4.92 from 56 votes

Aloo keema – minced meat and potato curry

This Aloo keema, or minced meat and potato curry, is a quite popular home food menu among Indian/ Pakistani cuisines. It's quite a rich meat dish that is lovely to enjoy with roti/ chapati, naan bread, pitta bread, or just with plain Basmati rice.

Author: Devy Dar

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Pakistani

Servings: 6

Equipment

• Chopping board
• Kitchen knife
• Cooking pan
• Wooden spoon

1x2x3x

Cook ModeKeep your screen on

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1.8 pounds minced meat lamb or beef.
• ▢ 2 medium onions.
• ▢ 5 cloves garlic.
• ▢ 1- inch ginger
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons paprika powder see the note.
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 7 ounces canned tomato or chopped fresh tomatoes see the note.
• ▢ 9 ounces potatoes
• ▢ ⅓ cup cooking oil.

Video

Instructions

• Peel and chop the onions. Set aside.
• Wash and chop the tomatoes if using the fresh ones. Set aside.
• Peel the ginger and garlic. Then using pestle and mortar, grind the ginger and garlic into a paste. Set aside.
• In a cooking pot, put the minced meat, chopped onions, ginger and garlic paste, tomatoes, cumin powder, ground coriander, turmeric powder, paprika, chilli, black pepper, and salt. Turn the meat and stir well until all mixed well and the herbs and spices evenly spread.
• Put the lid on and turn the heat on at a high medium. Let it cook for a while until the cooking gets started then turn the heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes. But keep an eye on it and keep stirring every 5-10 minutes. You don’t want the bottom to get burned.
• Meanwhile, peel and cut your potatoes into ½ – 1- inch pieces. 
• After the minced meat is cooked, add the potatoes and cooking into the meat, stir well and put the lid back on to cook further.
• Again, keep checking and stirring every now and then to avoid the meat get burned at the bottom. If you find your curry is a bit too dry, you can add about ¼ cup/ 60 ml of water to your curry. 
• Let it cook for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked. Keep checking and stirring every now and again.
• When you see your curry looks juicy and rich. And the oil separates from the water nicely, your minced meat and potato curry are done.
• This Pakistani aloo keema is lovely to have with roti/ chapati, naan bread, pitta bread, or even plain Basmati rice. 
• Enjoy.

Notes

• You can skip paprika powder if you don’t have it, and just put red chilli powder. If possible, try to use Kashmiri red chilli powder.
• You can also substitute the red chilli powder with dried red chilli flakes. 
• I personally use canned chopped tomatoes when I cook curry dishes. Apart from the convenience reason, I like the fact that canned tomatoes are skinless. So once your cooking is done, you can’t really see the tomato skin. So it’s perfect for the kids. As they can be fussy not wanting to eat tomatoes. Of all the vegetables, they’re not keen on eating food with the tomatoes skin in it. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 499kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 759mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g

Disclaimer

Nutritional info in this recipe is only estimate using online calculator. You should refer to it as a guide only. Please verify with your own data if you seek an accurate info.

You can check out the story of How To Make Aloo Keema.