Mutton Keema: Spiced Minced Meat

Ingredients

• 600 g mutton or lamb mince, coarsely ground if possible
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli powder, or to heat preferred
• 1 tsp garam masala, added at end
• For matar keema (optional)
• 150 g peas, frozen or fresh

Method

1. 1
   Set a wide, heavy pan over high heat until it is fully hot, so the mince makes immediate contact with a surface hot enough to brown rather than steam. Add the mince in a single layer and leave it entirely undisturbed for 2–3 minutes, allowing a Maillard crust to form on the contact surface. The underside should be visibly browned before any stirring begins.
2. 2
   Break up the crust and stir the mince, incorporating the browned surface throughout. Add the finely chopped onions and continue to cook over medium-high heat, stirring periodically, so the onions release their moisture into the pan and then drive it off — the sound shifts from a wet sizzle to a sharp, dry frying crackle as the last of that liquid goes.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies: hold at medium-high heat, stirring only occasionally, until the rendered fat visibly separates from the mince and pools at the edges and base of the pan — the identical oil-separation signal used in Indian wet masala cookery, telling you the water is gone and the meat is frying in its own fat. The mince grains should be dry and distinct; any pooling of liquid means the drying phase is incomplete and the dish must continue.
4. 4
   Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, and chilli powder directly to the dry, hot mince, so the spices bloom in the rendered fat rather than dissolving into moisture and turning dull. Stir continuously for 1–2 minutes. The pan should smell of toasted, not raw, spice before you move on.
5. 5
   If making matar keema, add the peas now and fold them through, so they finish cooking in the spiced fat and take on its flavour rather than tasting of the pot. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the peas are tender and coated in the spiced fat, providing textural contrast against the dry mince.
6. 6
   Remove from heat and stir through the garam masala, adding it off the heat so its volatile top notes are not cooked away before the dish reaches the table. Taste: the keema should be dry and granular, with sufficient rendered fat to coat every grain and a fully integrated heat from the chilli — no grain should be wet or clumped.