The Art of Food

Kheema (Recipe by Aarti Sequeira)

I’ve always loved Aarti and her simple Indian-inspired recipes but I had never made one. This is a simple dish that only takes 25 minutes and tastes amazing! The best part is what you do with the leftovers. (More to come on that ;))

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons canola oil (Mod: or vegetable oil)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (1-inch thumb) fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander (Mod: I like the coriander seeds better because they add a punch of flavor with the bite of the seed)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shucked fresh English peas or 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 teaspoons malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few extra leaves for garnish
• 4 chapatis or pitas, warmed (Mod: I use tortillas)

To make:

1. Saute onions in oil on medium heat for 1 minute
2. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another minute
3. Stir in the coriander, paprika, garam masala, cumin and cayenne, if using and cook for 1 minute
4. Add the beef, breaking up lumps with a spoon, and saute until the meat is no longer pink
5. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of water and season with salt and pepper
6. Sprinkle in the fresh English peas
7. Stir well and simmer, partially covered, about 10 minutes or if using frozen peas, add them now, and cook another 5 minutes, partially covered
8. Stir in the vinegar and chopped cilantro
9. Garnish with torn cilantro leaves and serve with warm chapatis/pita bread or tortillas
10. Optional: I serve this dish with white rice and fresh avocados

Enjoy!