Lamb Keema is a quick, easy and delicious lamb curry that freezes well. A mince lamb recipe with just enough spice for plenty of flavour, but not too much so it is still a family friendly curry. Minced lamb that is lightly spiced and cooked with fresh tomatoes and peas for a comforting curry that makes an easy midweek meal.
Lamb Keema is about as simple as lamb curries get, and a delicious new way to try lamb if you are used to just having it in a stew or as a roast dinner. This is an easy lamb mince recipe with a lot of flavour.
This easy lamb curry only takes 30 minutes to make (including prep time) and most of that time is the curry just cooking away on the hob, so you can be getting on with something else.
If you are looking for some more lamb recipes, why not try our Lamb Stir Fry, Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder, Slow Cooker Lamb Ragu or Pulled Lamb.
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What is lamb keema?
If you have't heard of a Keema before (you might have seen it on an Indian restaurant menu), then it is basically a curry made with lamb mince.
It's not an overly spicy curry, which makes it a great curry for introducing kids to spicier food, but still has plenty of flavour. It has peas mixed into it too, so a good curry to get some extra veggies in your families diet too.
Why you will love it
- Quick - This lamb keema recipe is ready in just 30 minutes.
- One pan - Everything is cooked in one pan, which means less washing up.
- A new way to enjoy lamb - If you are looking for more mince lamb recipes, then this is a great one to try. A lamb mince curry is our favourite way to use it.
- Freezes well - Lamb keema curry is so great for batch cooking, as it freezes well.
Ingredients needed
- Oil - We browned everything in a good quality olive oil.
- Onion - We used a small brown onion, but you could use shallots which have a sweeter flavour. You can use frozen onions to save time.
- Garlic and Ginger - You can crush your own or save time with a garlic and ginger paste.
- Chilli - We used a fresh green chilli, but you can use a jar of chopped chilli. Feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your own tastes.
- Garam masala
- Salt and pepper
- Lamb mince - If you want to make this mince lamb recipe a bit leaner, then you could use a lean lamb mince. This can be a little harder to find though.
- Tomatoes - Fresh tomatoes.
- Yogurt - Some plan yoghurt to loosen the sauce up.
- Peas - A traditional addition to a keema and not only does it add a portion of vegetables, but it adds a nice pop of colour to the dish.
- Coriander (cilantro) - Adds some freshness to the finished dish.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make lamb keema - Step by step
One: Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan and then add the onion and garlic and gently cook for 2 minutes.
Two: Add the ginger, green chilli and garam masala and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Three: Put the lamb mince and tomatoes in the pan, brown the mince and then cook on low for 20 minutes. Season and add a little water if needed.
Four: Add the yogurt, peas and fresh coriander, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Five: Serve with rice and popadoms.
What to serve this with
This is a really simple curry recipe, so we kept the sides simple as well and served it with some plain rice. You could add a bit more flavour and make some turmeric rice, which just involves adding some turmeric to the water when boiling the rice. Or, why not try our Microwave Rice or Oven Cooked Rice.
We also served this lamb curry with some mini popadom, mango chutney and some homemade raita.
You could skip the rice and serve it with some Easy Naan Bread or Peshwari Naan to scoop the curry up, or make some of our Easy Homemade Flatbreads.
Storage
Store: You can keep this keema in the fridge for 2 days.
Freeze: This is a great batch cooking meal, as it freezes so well. So, we try to always make double, as well as double the rice, and then portion it out into freezer containers and put it in the freezer for easy meals. They will keep in the freezer for about 2 months.
Defrost: Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: To reheat the curry, make sure it is fully defrosted and then heat it through in a pan. You might need to add a little bit of water, so it doesn't dry out.
Frequently asked questions
This is a fairly mild curry, but you can adjust the spice levels with how much chilli you add to it.
This is more of a dry curry, however if you wanted some more sauce, then you can add half a can of tomatoes and a little stock.
There are 340 calories per serving, without any side dishes.
Yes, if you are not a fan of lamb, then you can use beef mince for this instead.
Extra tips
• To add some extra flavour, you could use a couple of spoonfuls of curry paste instead of garam masala.
• You don't have to add the peas if you family don't like them.
• This is a great batch cook meal and will keep in the freeze for 2 months.
• When re-heating, add a little water so it doesn't dry out.
• Serve with turmeric rice and poppadoms.
• This isn't overly spicy, but you can use more or less fresh green chilli to change the spice.
• You may need to add a little water when cooking if the mixture starts to look a little dry.
• If you want to drain off some of the fat from the lamb, then do that after you have browned the mince and before adding the rest of the ingredients.
More lamb recipes
If you’ve tried this lamb keema recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Lamb Keema
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
- 1 Onion - diced
- 2 Garlic cloves - crushed
- 20 g (0.75 oz) Fresh ginger - grated
- 1 Green chilli - diced
- 2 tablespoon Garam masala
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
- 400 g (14 oz) Lamb mince
- 3 Tomatoes - diced
- 3 tablespoon Natural yogurt
- 60 g (0.5 cups) Peas - Frozen or fresh
- 10 g (0.66 cups) Fresh coriander (cilantro) - finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil in a pan and then add1 Onion and 2 Garlic cloves and gently cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the 20 g Fresh ginger, 1 Green chilli and 2 tablespoon Garam masala and cook for 2 minutes longer.
- Put 400 g Lamb mince and 3 Tomatoes into the pan, brown the mince and then cook on low for 20 minutes. Season with 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper and add a little water if needed.
- Add 3 tablespoon Natural yogurt, 60 g Peas and f10 g Fresh coriander (cilantro), stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Serve with rice and popadoms.
Notes
- To add some extra flavour, you could use a couple of spoonfuls of curry paste instead of garam masala.
- You don't have to add the peas if you family don't like them.
- This is a great batch cook meal and will keep in the freeze for 2 months.
- When re-heating, add a little water so it doesn't dry out.
- Serve with turmeric rice and popadoms.
- This isn't overly spicy, but you can use more or less fresh green chilli to change the spice.
- You may need to add a little water when cooking if the mixture starts to look a little dry.
- If you want to drain off some of the fat from the lamb, then do that after you have browned the mince and before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Mohammad Arshad
This is Pakistani recipe though
Leanne - Crumb Top Baking
I've never tried lamb but this curry dish looks so hearty and flavourful, I may need to change that soon! And I love how quick and easy this dish is to make! Great for busy weeknights.
Valerie
I love easy one-pan meals that don't require a lot of prep. this dish is super colorful and sounds quite flavorful.
Demeter
With everyone’s busy life, having a quick and easy dinner ready at your fingertips can be such a lifesaver. This looks fantastic!
Annie @ Annie's Noms
I love Lamb Keema, but I've never been brave enough to make it myself as for some reason I thought it would be really difficult - love how easy this is, I am printing for future reference!
Adrianne
This is a great looking lamb dish! I love curry and poppadoms and the flavours in yours sound delicious. Definitely trying it with yoghurt, when I give it a go!