Bonus - the recipe is remarkably hard to mess up. I remember the people I ate with and the times we spent together. I fondly remember the distinctly different spices and aromas of the cooking in my Mother’s house in Pakistan - a distinctly sweeter and nuttier taste to the vegetables, a fragrance of ghee richer than I’ve ever smelt outside of the country and a chewier texture of the meat. Food to me will always mean much more than flavour and sustenance. This was my first Pakistani dish that I cooked that was deemed ‘successful’ after getting married and leaving my Mum’s home. And that’s saying a lot, because I had previously failed at cooking simple white basmati rice and a pretty basic chicken curry. When my husband gave me his seal of approval for this, delight evident on his face, I felt like all the happiness in the world had just been handed to me on a plate (of dinner, with a side of roti). Yes, after a few weeks of villainously botched attempts at far too many traditional meals, I was that thrilled to finally have made something not just edible, but actually good. Now whenever I cook Aloo Keema, I always remember how much we had relished it after weeks of botched cooking. I remember how immensely accomplished I had felt. I smile as I remember how my husband said ‘Let’s have this again tomorrow, there’s plenty of leftovers!’. And those memories always fill me with so much nostalgia and happiness. I can fall back on this recipe with my eyes closed and know there is no chance I will mess it up. A lot of my first-time success, I later learnt, was down to the fact that it’s incredibly difficult to overcook minced meat. The problem with larger, whole cuts of meat is that if you’re a beginner, you won’t know when it’s cooked through so you risk undercooking and serving it semi-raw. On the flip side, there’s the risk of overcooking and serving it with the meat falling off the bone, practically shredding. You’re not going to have this problem with keema, since it’s already broken down. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? Not a lot, I’ll tell you that, bar burning it.
How can you serve Aloo Keema?
Aloo Keema is a curry we tend to serve more often with roti than rice. Having said that, there’s nothing wrong with rice! It’s just down to personal preference. As a curry, it’s a great stand-alone dish and doesn’t need anything else to complement it. My Mum used to give this to me and my siblings the next day as a grilled sandwich with cheese. The contrast between the soft potatoes, the rich tomato-flavoured meat and the ooey-gooey cheese is absolutely delicious and this aloo keema cheese sandwich is still one of my favourite. This love has now passed down to my 5 year old daughter, who will squeal in delight at an aloo keema cheese sandwich.
Tips to really elevate your Aloo Keema
I always recommend you use hath ka keema not just for this, but for any keema dish you make. Loosely translated, haath ka keema means keema made by hand. For this, your butcher will cut the meat using their own knife instead of running it through the machine. This yields a chunky mince, one with more of a bite and a delicious texture. I personally don’t love super-fine keema unless it is used for koftas. Though you can use any kind of potatoes, baby potatoes cut into halves really make this curry out of this world. Always use fresh. Fresh ginger, fresh garlic, fresh tomatoes, fresh coriander. I don’t compromise on this and nor should you! The amount of oil you use is purely a personal preference. You can use more or less, as you like. I do feel that this is a rather forgiving curry (Aloo Keema, you are SO kind to us) and it does well with less oil too. If of course you can forego the oily orange-rim and elusive oil separation. If you like peas, add them in about ten minutes before the curry is complete.
Enjoy, with love x
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