Keema curry with cucumber raita
This mellow curry of minced beef has just a hint of chilli, so it's ideal for children who like to be a little adventurous with their food. Serve with steamed basmati rice and warm naan bread.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- 500g lean minced beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 450g potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick, halved
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roughly crushed
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried chillies
- 1 tin (400g) no-salt-added chopped tomatoes
- 300 ml reduced-salt beef or lamb stock
- pepper to taste
- 150g baby spinach
- fresh mint leaves to garnish
- Cucumber raita
- 150g natural low-fat yoghurt
- 1/4 cucumber, finely diced
- 4 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
- pepper to taste
Directions
Preparation:15min ›
Cook:30min ›
Ready in:45min
- Fry the beef and onion in a large saucepan for 5 minutes or until evenly browned, stirring to break up the meat. Add the potatoes, garlic, ginger, spices and chilli and fry for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the stock and season with pepper. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, to make the cucumber raita, mix the yoghurt, cucumber and mint together with a little pepper. Spoon into a small bowl and chill until required.
- Stir the baby spinach into the curry and heat through for about 1 minute, then add a little more pepper. Spoon the curry onto warmed plates and sprinkle with fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately, with the chilled cucumber raita.
Variations
If you prefer, you can cook the curry in the oven. Brown the beef and onion in a flameproof casserole dish, then add the other ingredients and bring to the boil. Cover and cook in a preheated 180ºC oven for 1 hour. Add the spinach, toss with the meat, then cover and return to the oven to cook for 10 minutes. * For a fruity curry, you can add 1/2 cup sultanas and 1 sliced dessert apple with the potatoes. Omit the spinach. Garnish the curry with 1 diced banana tossed with the juice of 1/2 lemon and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander.
HEALTH HINT
A raita or sauce of yogurt, cucumber and mint is often served with curries to act as a cooling agent against the heat of the chillies and spices. Yogurt is also extremely nutritious – it is a valuable source of calcium and it provides useful amounts of phosphorus, the B vitamin riboflavin and vitamin B12. Live yogurt also provides beneficial bacteria that can help to maintain a healthy digestive tract.
