Saturday, April 23, 2011

Turkey Keema Curry with Peas


Keema means minced, and traditionally this would be made with lamb. While any ground meat would work, I used ground turkey because it's way easier and I had it on hand (and in my freezer too). It's highly spiced curry with intense flavor that tastes like it's a very complicated thing to make.  Now that I have this recipe in my repertoire, I intend to make this when time is short and everyone is hungry.  

I've had this recipe for a while, but didn't have the key spice, Garam Masala, until recently.   I had to go to a bigger "gourmet" grocery store to find it. It's worth the effort, I would suggest getting Garam Masala if you like Indian food as it is a key flavor and you will use it again and again.  I'm going to make Indian Butter Chicken later this week, and it's in that recipe too!  

I made this recipe is about 20 minutes max!  It came together so quickly, the hardest part was chopping the onion! 

UPDATE- 6/12/16
We make this recipe so often, it's definitely our "comfort food" for a quick week night dinner.  The above photo is a more recent, and better shot, but I left the original photo in too. 


Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala*
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups fresh (or thawed frozen) peas
1/2-3/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

*Indian speciality spice mixture, better grocery stores should have this.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the ginger and cook for another minute.


Add the turkey and cook until the meat starts to brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garam masala and turmeric, then saute for another minute. Add the tomato paste and water and heat, stirring to mix, for another minute. Add the peas, then cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until turkey meat is cooked through.

Uncover the pan, then stir in the yogurt. Season with salt, then stir in the cilantro. 

Serve over rice, quinoa or cousous. Also, it can be served on it's own with naan bread to scoop up. 

What else could you make with this?:
  • Any well chopped/minced ground meat, like lamb, pork, chicken or beef.
  • A vegetarian meatless product, like Boca, would work well too!

Here's some other ideas for ground turkey:
Larb Gai, Thai turkey salad/appetizer
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Mexican Turkey Albondigas Meatball Soup

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