Keema, February 4, 2016

Last Thursday, we had a simple, delicious meal of keema (well, my version of it, with ground beef instead of ground lamb, which is absolutely not authentic to Indian cooking, but which tastes really good), lemon pilaf with labneh, and a green salad. It's comfort food with a slightly different twist, perfect for these cold February nights.

Irreverent Keema

1 tbsp. oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1" peeled ginger, minced

1 serrano chile, seeded and minced

A pinch of salt

2 tsp. garam masala

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

2 c. frozen peas

1 c. boiling water

Juice of 1 lime

Heat oil in large skillet. Cook onion and garlic in oil until golden. Add tomatoes, ginger, chile, salt, & garam masala. Cook a few minutes. Add burger, breaking up well, and peas. Cook to brown the burger. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, on low about half an hour. Stir in lime juice just before serving. Serves 4-6. I would imagine you could do this with ground turkey or veggie crumbles. 

Lemon Pilaf

1/4 c. sour cream/Greek yogurt/labneh

Juice & zest of 1 lemon

1-2 tbsp. olive oil or butter

5 scallions, sliced

14 oz. chicken broth (I use the 98% fat-free, reduced sodium sort)

2 1/2 c. Minute rice

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

Pepper, totaste

Mix sour cream/yogurt with lemon juice & zest. Heat olive oil/butter. Sauté scallions in oil. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add everything else, cover, and let stand (off the heat) for 5 minutes. Serves 4. We like this with extra labneh on top of it.