Kheema Mutter (Ground Beef and Green Pea Curry)

Mutter paneer is fairly ubiquitous at Indian restaurants in North America. I'd never heard of kheema mutter though. It'll still never knock kheema paav off my top spot for ground beef curries, but it makes a good showing nonetheless. If I'm feeling up to it next time, I'll try making some rotis to go with it. Iyer recommends rotis as the ideal accompaniment and I'm sure fresh ones would make for a particularly satisfying meal.

Kheema Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 3 fresh green Thai chiles, minced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (3") cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 450g lean ground beef
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for 5-10 seconds.
3. Add onion and fry until softened and lightly browned (5-10 minutes).
4. Add ginger, chiles, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, until mixture is well-browned (~5 minutes).
5. Break up the ground beef and add it to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned (8-10 minutes).
6. Add coriander, cumin, salt, and turmeric and stir to coat.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes.
8. Add water, peas, and cilantro.
9. Continue to simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the peas are cooked (5-8 minutes).
10. Serve with rotis and/or rice.