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!
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Life of Dozer
He doesn’t realise it’s a vegetable platter. (Yet).
Wendy says
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 👌🏻
SD says
Good call on the tomato’s I thought the exact same thing. Cabbage, who would have thought.
Janine says
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.
Sherry K says
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!
Reni Mathews says
I tried your dish..It turned out superb…everyone loved it😊
Barb says
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.
Holly says
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!
Anon says
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
Karenza Witcombe says
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!
Karenza Witcombe says
I should have mentioned that a half cup of frozen peas is also a great addition!
Adele says
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.
Jennie Robinson says
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!
Ben says
Great with a can of chickpeas chucked in when you add the water!
Hannah says
This recipe works great! Easy and delicious! Taste like my mum used to make it.
#nagisbiggestfan says
LOVED LOVED LOVED IT! I made this for dinner last night, and just ate the leftovers for lunch, and I want to cry because there’s none left. I used 1/4 tsp of hot chilli powder to make it family friendly, but would definitely use an 1/8th tsp next time because they are sissy’s. Could write a book on how good this is
Agill says
Great to use as stuffing for a naan! My Punjabi Mom used it that way when I was growing up. In this case she used white flour for naans rather than whole wheat or atta
Nagi says
YUM!!! Genius Agill! N x
Rico says
Hi Nagi. Should lean beef be used? Or 80% beef? Thanks
Anon says
Mince meat is always better at the higher fat percentage (10-15% fat or 85-90% lean) because meat fat adds more flavour than oil. I do not recommend 5% fat (95% lean) because the mince is always dry and no flavour. Sometimes higher fat mince has more grizzle – tough buts (but it really depends on quality control) but if you slow cook the mince (say 20-40 minutes) than it all melts in the mouth
Amanda G says
Really easy and indeed had everything in the kitchen. Added chickpeas and perfect meal.
Cheryl says
Hi Nagi,
When I am looking for a recipe to make using a specific ingredient, I go to your website first! I have tried so many and love them ALL!! Thank you!
Silly question, I plan to make this in the next few days and I’m wondering what the salad is that is pictured with it. It doesn’t look like the Indian Tomato Salad suggested but it looks very refreshing!
Shirley says
The salad pictured with it is described in note 5.
Sally says
This was delicious, a bit too spicy for the kids will drop cayenne pepper to 1/2 tsp next time. Made your flatbreads and red cabbage salad to go with it, Another winner easy curry thank you so much!
Amma says
This was simply divine, your recipes always are. Made it to the letter, just adding cubed raw potatoes before the water. My family looked it & the smell as I cooked was a meal in itself! Thank you…xx
Roger says
Hi Nadi
Just cooked this with a twist.
Didn’t have beef mince but I had some pork mince in the freezer so here goes. I added all the ingedients except water to the raw pork mince and combined. Then into the frig for a few hours.
From that point on I followed your directions for cooking.
All I can say is WOW. I served it up with garlic naan made from woolworths flat bread heated in frypan, butter and powdered garlic, along with Bombay potatoes from Scrambled Chefs.
Literally to die for.
Thanks for steering me along this path.
Bill says
I made it in my Instant Pot. Followed all directions to the point of adding the water. At that point I added 1 cup of uncooked white rice. Do NOT stir. Then pour 1 3/4 cups of water over the top. Seal and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Do a quick release, stir and serve. Came out really great.
Nagi says
That’s great to know Bill, thanks so much! N x
Sandra says
Thank you so much for all the recipes you share – I’ve also bought your book, love it …
What heat is this Indian curry please I don’t like it too hot but my husband does hence I don’t want him eating it all so so knowing 🌶️ will help me tone it down xx
Nagi says
If you leave out the cayenne / chilli powder it is not spicy at all! N x
Shandra says
I love your recipes! This was amazing. Cooked exactly as instructed. And it was fast! Thank you!
Rakel says
Had hardly any food in earlier this week but had mince meat but no sauces to make anything with it but I knew Nagi would have something up her sleeve as per usual, found this, had all the other ingredients and it was just the 2 of us eating it, the pan was empty, I need to wipe the dust of my treadmill now 🙂 Thank you Nagi x