Turkey Keema - not just a "kids' curry"

Light turkey mince, mildly curried and mixed with peas. Simple and comforting.

Turkey Keema – not just for the kids!

Why do all kids like mince with peas?  Big kids too. This is the ideal “kids’ curry”, not too spicy or in-your-face but pleasantly warming and easy to eat. It’s a great mid-week staple, simple to put together, not too high in the calories and hiding some good portions of vegetables within the sauce. Freezes well too, without the peas.

Traditional Keema is made with lamb mince, which can be both expensive and rather fatty, although it does have a wonderful flavour. Using turkey mince just lightens up the dish. It’s not authentic, but it’s tasty. You can adjust the heat level by adding more chilli powder for those of more mature tastes.

Serves 4               Timings: 30 minutes

• 500g turkey mince
  
• 2 x medium onions, about 200g, peeled and chopped finely
  
• 2 x garlic cloves, squashed with salt
  
• 1 x fresh red or green chilli, de-seeded and chopped
  
• 2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine
  
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  
• 200g frozen peas
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  
• 1 x teaspoon marmite, 1 x teaspoon Worcester sauce
  
• Ground spices:  1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon chilli powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon cumin – or you can use 3-4 teaspoons of ready-made mild curry powder
  
• Chopped fresh coriander, if you have it.

Fry the mince gently in a heavy pan for a few minutes with a little splash of oil, turn and bash with a wooden spoon to coat all the mince with the oil. Add the onions and fry for a few minutes, then add the garlic, chilli and ginger. Continue to fry gently until the vegetables are softened and you can see all the mince is cooked.

Put all the ground spices in a glass and add a tablespoon of water, mix to a paste and then scrape out into your pan. Stir into the meat as the spices release their aroma. Add the tin of tomatoes, and maybe half a tin of water, the tomato puree, the marmite and the Worcester sauce. Mix well and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the frozen peas into the curry and stir in as they cook for about 2 minutes.

Taste and test for seasoning – depending on the curry powder you used you may need to add salt, some pepper and perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve with plain rice or naan bread and some simple fresh relishes such as chopped tomato and red onion, cucumber with mint and yoghurt or a jar of mango chutney.