This is an authentic Indian curried beef mince recipe called Qeema (or keema or kheema). It’s a gem of a find because it tastes incredible but unlike many Indian dishes, there are no hard-to-find spices in the ingredients. And it’s super fast – on the table in 20 minutes!
Qeema – Quick & Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince
This recipe is an excellent way to get an Indian food fix without having to hunt down hard-to-find Indian spices.
It’s also an excellent way to change up your usual rotation of beef mince recipes. Spag Bol, we love you, but sometimes it’s nice to try something new!!
And new this is. You probably haven’t seen Qeema on Indian restaurant menus because it’s a home cooking meal. But blimey, it’s a great find! 100% legit Indian flavours, 7 minute prep, 13 minute cook. Get all the spices from regular grocery stores – turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper.
What you need for Qeema
The key to achieving the bold, authentic Indian curried beef flavour in this quick ‘n easy recipe is a good amount of fresh garlic and ginger, and a generous amount of ground spices.
Here’s what you need:
Beef mince – That’s ground beef to those of you in the States! I’m using lean today, but regular is fine (fattier – juicier). I also made this recipe a few years ago using chicken mince which was terrific.
Fresh garlic and ginger – Key to flavour in this otherwise simple Indian dish, so don’t skip these.
Spices – Garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. You can get all these at regular grocery stores here in Australia. Garam masala is an Indian spice mix which I tell people is the “better curry powder” because it tastes more legit, whereas the curry powders you get at regular grocery stores are very Westernised.
Fresh coriander/cilantro for garnish. (Skip if you’re not a coriander fan).
Green cayenne pepper (optional garnish) – This is for garnish, and it adds fresh chilli flavour without much spiciness because cayenne peppers are not that spicy. But it’s entirely optional, so feel free to omit!
How to make Qeema
Sauté – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until golden, don’t let it burn! Add onion and cook for 1 minute until it is starting to turn translucent.
Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from pink to light brown. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the spices bloom.
Cook 10 minutes – Add water, give it a stir, then put a lid on (or cover with a baking tray if you don’t have a lid for your pan). Turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated, but still a bit juicy.
Serve over with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with extra chilli and coriander/cilantro, and lots of Mint Yogurt. Naan or flatbreads would make it even better, though if time is not your friend, try frozen roti (pictured in post, more on this below the photo).
What to serve with Qeema
Serve over basmati rice and mint yogurt or plain yogurt (recipe below for mint yogurt). Then mix up the beef into the rice so it flavours the rice, then dig in!
It’s also pictured above with flaky, buttery roti which I stuffed with the Qeema and rice. Not homemade. I always have a stash of frozen ones which you can get at regular grocery stores. I love them because they can be cooked from frozen in a few minutes – how good is that! Ideal to use for any and all Indian / South East Asian saucy foods, like curries.
Though, if I have the time (or foresight to plan in advance), you can’t beat homemade naan. 😊
For vegetable sides, try one of these:
Indian Tomato Salad with Mint Raita Dressing
South Indian Carrot & Cabbage Salad with Coconut is fresh and popping with flavours – love the coconut flavour in this!
Give this Everyday Cabbage Salad an Indian spin by sautéing garlic and cumin seeds in oil before mixing up with other Dressing ingredients.
I really hope you try this Qeema recipe, the flavour is so authentic! Something a little different to make with that packet of beef mince you threw in your shopping trolley on the weekend. – Nagi x
recipe credit
This Qeema recipe is very slightly adapted from this Authentic Indian Minced Meat Qeema recipe from Scrambled Chefs. I just spied a 5 Ingredient Indian Potato Curry and this Chicken Curry has just jumped to the top of my Must Try list!
Watch how to make it
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Qeema Indian Curried Beef
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil , or other neutral oil
- 4 tsp ginger , finely mince
- 5 large garlic cloves , minced (about 4 tsp)
- 1 large onion , finely diced
- 500g / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef)
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder (pure, not US chili powder spice mix), omit for not spicy
- 1 1/4 tsp garam masala (Note 1)
- 1 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1 1/4 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup water
Garnish
- 1 green cayenne pepper , deseeded, finely sliced
- Cilantro/coriander leaves
- Plain yogurt or Mint yogurt (below)
Mint yogurt (optional, pictured in post)
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup (lightly packed) mint leaves
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Instructions
- Sauté – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until golden, don't let it burn! Add onion and cook for 1 minute until it is starting to turn translucent.
- Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from pink to light brown. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the spices bloom.
- Cook 10 minutes – Add water, give it a stir, then put a lid on (or cover with a baking tray). Turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.
- Serve over with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with extra chilli and coriander/cilantro, and lots of Mint Yogurt. Naan or flatbreads would make it even better, though if time is not your friend, try frozen roti (pictured in post, Note 3).
Mint yogurt
- Blitz then stir – Put just 1/4 cup of the yogurt with the mint leaves and salt in a jug just big enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until mint is very finely chopped. Then stir in remaining yogurt. (Note 4) Refrigerate until required.
Recipe Notes:
1. American “Chili Powder” is not pure ground chilli, it contains other spices like paprika and is not very spicy. This recipe calls for pure ground chilli for spiciness, or cayenne pepper. 2. Garam Masala – Spice mix used in Indian cooking, a more legit curry powder. Sold at regular grocery stores in Australia -> Coles, Woolworths, Harris Farms. 3. Roti – Flaky Indian round flatbread that’s sold in the freezer section of large grocery stores these days. Love them because they’re so handy – cook from frozen on the stove in just a couple of minutes. Cheap, tasty, if you’ve never tried it, it’s a game changer! 🙂 4. Mint yogurt – Blitzing makes yogurt watery. So just blitz the minimum to puree the mint, then stir the rest in which thickens the sauce up again. 5. Leftovers keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months. Nutrition for beef only, not including rice or yogurt sauce.
Nutrition Information:
First published April 2016. Republished 7 years later with sparkling new photos, brand new recipe video (couldn’t make them back then!) and of course added a Life of Dozer section!
My easiest Indian recipes
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Life of Dozer
He doesn’t realise it’s a vegetable platter. (Yet).
My grandma used to make this. She grew up in Northen India and used to serve it with yellow rice and greek Yoghurt. Absolutely delicious!
The keema nan has flat piece of the mince inside naan, and rice has little pieces of keema mixed in……it’s gorgeous 😍
Hi Nagi, the Keema mince dish looks delicious and I’m keen to try it. Can you tell me if it’s suitable using vegan mince instead of beef mince? Thanks so much, Kate
I made this tonight with the dehydrated TVP alongside a beef mince version and while the texture is a bit soggier the taste was pretty similar… We saved the leftovers for taco mince.
Hi Kate! I’m afraid I don’t know, I haven’t cooked with vegan mince personally. But if it truly behaves like beef beef mince, it should be fine! N x
I’ve made this in the past and seen it on Indian Restaurant menus in UK. Quite often (and when I’ve made it) it has garden peas added and called Keema Peas! Delicious 🤤
Your adorable #brat is attracted to rainbows in toys and veggies!! Good boy, Dozer!
This is very similar to a family recipe I grew up eating. I was taught how to make mince curry by my grandmother and my mum. We add a finely chopped tomato with the spices, then potatoes and and finally peas. To make it extra special you could add a couple of whole cardamom and a piece of cinnamon with the spices. It’s good served with rice or roti.
I have to disagree on “Curry Powder” Nagi, I always throw a teaspoon Keene’s into many of my dishes. I particularly like it mixed with mayo and hard boiled eggs on sangers. It is so retro and that makes curried egg sangers cool.
Thank you for sharing Indian recipes!! I’m so excited to try! What kind of yogurt would you recommend? For example, Greek full fat?
This recipe has been on menues in the UK since the early seventies.Well before your Korma’s Tikka’s and Bunnas.It was a staple meal after a night out on the beer in all Bradford cafes.
Try adding sliced mushrooms,it was never eaten with rice just warm chappatis no spoons or folks just dip in and enjoy great way to sober up
Golly I love reading your blogs. They often make my day. Not only your recipes but your wonderful sense of humor and of course Dozer.
I agree. Nagi and Dozer highlight my days. Thank you
Would this be like keema pilau rice and keema naan if you added less water? Thanks
Allowing the mince to absorb water (and then evaporate over low heat covered) allows the mince to soften – I do 30 minute simmer for melt in the mouth texture (it’s exquisite). And it’s still quicker than simmering cuts of meat (1 hour minimum). So I wouldn’t skip this step! Just cook it down for 20 minutes instead of the stated 10 for drier mince
Thanks for letting me know…….Will give it a try! 👍😊
I haven’t tried those dishes unfortunately Angela! So I can’t comment 🙂 N x
I love Indian curries (crave one every week lol) and this recipe is a nice easy change from chicken/beef steak… and… I have all the ingredients at home already! Am planning to cook it this weekend I already know it’s going to be amazing going by the video …so mesmerizing …I can almost smell the aromas! Thank you Nagi! 😍
Made this with pork mince (as that’s all I had), I ended up adding tin tomatoes, some tomato paste and some shredded cabbage. It was very tasty in fact it was not unlike a meatball curry that I make so I told my hubby it was a deconstructed meatball curry 😂 Thanks Nagi 👌🏻
Good call on the tomato’s I thought the exact same thing. Cabbage, who would have thought.
You did it again Nagi! Another fabulous recipe! I made this tonight as a prep meal for tomorrow and could not resist trying it because it smelled so good. I also gave some to my husband to try and he liked it too! I cannot wait for supper tomorrow night!
Thanks for such a quick, economical and delicious recipe.
My husband declared this to be “awesome”! I love how easy this was and I loved the cucumber/tomato salad included in the recipe. Thank you!
I tried your dish..It turned out superb…everyone loved it😊
You know Nagi, you could share this recipe with Indian restaurants. It is a cinch to make with all spices in the pantry.
I let it gently simmer for 20mins to let the flavours develop.
It’s absolutely delicious and we’re looking forward to leftovers for lunch.
Moth and I dined at an amazing restaurant In Cornwell in Sep. What a wonderful experience.
This was good, not my favourite Indian recipe but handy for a quick weeknight meal. I suspect it would make a good base for a beef samosa filling too.
Served with basmati, tomato and cucumber slices and Raita.
Thanks Nagi!
Slow cook the mince for 30-50 minutes with water (just enough to stop the mince from drying up), until the mince is literally melt in the mouth, silky smooth and super flavourful without tasting of harsh spices, and then tell me this isn’t the top 5 best Indian dish ever! The mince slow cooking in water completely changes the flavour/texture for the better. Wouldn’t do it any other way. I’m surprised the original recipe doesn’t do this as I got this tip from a British Bangladeshi blog who made keema
I make this often, adding some chopped tomatoes (200g can) and a diced potato or two – sometimes swapped with pumpkin or sweet potato – to bulk out the dish. Any type of mince will work but it needs to be a bit fatty for flavour. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love it. Leftovers on toast next day is very popular in my family!
I should have mentioned that a half cup of frozen peas is also a great addition!
Made this for my husband, as I’m vegetarian. He thought it was great. I halved the recipe, but kept the spices at the full measure, as he likes punchy flavours, but I did halve the chilli, and it was definitely hot enough! I also added some frozen peas at the end. Incredibly easy and quick to make.
I made this because it seemed cheap and quick, didn’t realise it would be so delicious! We happened to have fresh limes and coriander to use up, everything else was store cupboard. I used frozen mince (half beef half veggie) and my husband wolfed it down then scraped the pan out! Another winner Nagi!
Great with a can of chickpeas chucked in when you add the water!