Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Bhuna Keema Matar
Bhuna Keema Matar (Spicy Minced Lamb with Peas, Turmeric, Ginger and Coriander)

Bhuna Keema Matar

Spicy Minced Lamb with Peas, Turmeric, Ginger and Coriander
Non-vegetarianOrigin West

A dry, spicy minced lamb dish with peas, built on a yoghurt marinade and a tomato-onion base, finished with lime and fresh coriander. It tastes warm and aromatic, with gentle heat from green chilli and a fresh citrus lift.

Marinade spices

8 gMixed into the yoghurt marinade before the lamb is added (step 2)
01
3 g1 teaspoon
spice
03
2.2 g1 teaspoon
spice
04
2 g2 teaspoons
herb
Crush the fenugreek leaves to a powder and stir all into the yoghurt marinade.

Whole spice for the oil

1 gAdded to the hot ghee before the onions (step 4)
01
1 g2 leaves
spice
Keep whole; add it to the hot ghee.

Ground spices for the sauce

3.3 gStirred into the thickened tomato base before the lamb returns (step 6)
01
1.5 g½ teaspoon
spice
02
1.8 g1 teaspoon
spice
Stir into the tomato base.

Finishing spice

1.3 gAdded with the peas near the end (step 8)
01
1.3 g½ teaspoon
spice blend
Stir in with the peas.

Everything else

02
53 g4 tablespoons
oil/fat
03
Onion · Pyazfinely chopped
250 g
vegetable
04
Tomato · Tamatarblended to a purée
200 g
vegetable
05
5 g1 teaspoon
vegetable
06
3 g2 chillies
vegetable
07
3 g2 tablespoons
herb
08
Fresh ginger · Adrakcut into thin matchsticks
10 g2½ cm
aromatic
09
50 g
legume
10
50 g1 lime
fruit
11
to taste
salt
12
to taste
herb
13
15 g5 cloves
aromatic
14
10 g2½ cm
aromatic
15
3 g2 chillies
vegetable
16
30 g2 tablespoons
dairy

Method

  1. Blend 15 g garlic, 10 g fresh ginger root and 3 g green bird's eye chilli with a splash of water to a smooth paste.
  2. Transfer the paste to a large bowl; mix in 30 g Greek yoghurt and the marinade spices. Add 500 g minced lamb and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours.
  3. Heat half of the 52.8 g ghee in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the marinated lamb and fry for 8–10 minutes until half cooked. Remove the lamb and set aside.
  4. Heat the rest of the ghee in the same pan over medium heat. Add the whole spice for the oil and 250 g onion, finely chopped, and fry for 15 minutes until light brown.
  5. Add 200 g tomato blended to a purée and 5.2 g tomato purée; cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until thickened.
  6. Stir in the ground spices for the sauce. Add the half-cooked lamb, 3 g green bird's eye chilli slit lengthways, 1.8 g coriander leaves and stems finely chopped, and 10 g fresh ginger root cut into matchsticks. Season with salt to taste.
  7. Stir well, cover and cook over low heat for 15–17 minutes, stirring halfway through and scraping the base.
  8. Add the finishing spice and 50 g frozen peas; cook for 5 minutes until the peas are tender.
  9. Stir in 50 g lime juice and chopped coriander leaf to taste.

Don't have something?

Minced lamb
  • Ground lamb

    Use the same weight; it is the same thing under another name and cooks identically.

  • Minced chicken

    Use the same weight; it is leaner, so add 1 tbsp oil and cook 3–4 minutes less.

  • Boneless lamb

    Mince at home; use the same weight. Keep some fat for juiciness and cook until browned.

Ghee
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.

  • Mustard oil

    Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Bay leaf
  • Cinnamon stick

    Use a 2 cm piece (about 1 g) for every 1 to 2 bay leaves. Fry in whole-spice temperings; provides the cassia-like warmth typical of Indian tejpatta.

  • Ground cinnamon (cassia)

    Use 0.5 g per leaf. Stir into the sauce during simmering; gives the same warm woodiness but darkens the colour slightly.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Tomato
  • Tomato purée

    Use 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.

  • Plain yogurt

    Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Tomato purée
  • Tomato

    Use 200% to 250% of the weight. Finely grate or blend fresh tomatoes, then cook them down until the moisture evaporates and the oil separates.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Ground coriander
  • Coriander seeds

    Dry-roast lightly in a pan and grind to a fine powder; use equal weight (1:1). Offers a noticeably fresher, brighter citrus note.

  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% to 75% of the weight. Lacks the floral, citrusy profile of coriander and turns the gravy heavier, earthier, and darker.

  • Garam masala

    Use 50% of the weight and stir in near the end of cooking. Adds warmth and depth since it contains ground coriander, but introduces stronger spices like clove and cinnamon.

Green bird's eye chilli
  • Bird's eye green chilli

    Use the same weight; heat and flavour are very close.

  • Green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; deseed for less heat. Larger chillies are more watery.

  • Fresh green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; chop finely and adjust heat by tasting.

Coriander leaves
  • Coriander (cilantro) or basil

    Use the same weight, choosing the coriander element if available. If only basil is available, expect a sweeter, more aniseed flavour.

  • Basil leaves

    Use the same weight. Basil is sweeter and more aromatic in a different way; add near the end so it keeps its perfume.

  • Coriander paste

    Use 1.5 times the weight and reduce other liquid slightly; it is less fresh and more concentrated, so taste before adding more.

Fresh ginger
  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Garam masala
  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% of the weight mixed with equal parts ground coriander and a pinch of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground green cardamom. Sprinkle near the end for a warming finish.

  • Lentil stew spice mix

    Use 75% of the weight. Simmer briefly in the gravy; imparts roasted warmth and complexity, though it adds a slight tang and earthy lentil undertone.

Green pea
  • Pea

    Use 1:1 by weight; cook straight from fresh or frozen with identical timing and sweetness.

  • Chana dal

    Use 60% of the weight in dry dal; boil until tender yet firm before stirring in, lending a nuttier texture rather than sweet pop.

Lime
  • Lemon

    Use the same weight; sharper and less floral, so reduce any extra souring slightly.

  • Lemon juice

    Use about 30 g juice per lime (2 tbsp), strain pips; add at the end for fresh sourness.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 1 g amchoor for about 15 g lime juice; add early with spices; gives dry mango sourness, not citrus aroma.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Kashmiri chilli powder
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Grind deseeded dried pods to an equal weight of powder; gives identical vivid red colour and gentle warmth.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 25% of the weight mixed with sweet paprika for colour; straight red chilli powder is substantially hotter and will make the dish fiery.

  • Chilli powder

    Use one-third of the weight; the sauce will be less intensely red and notably sharper in heat.

Ground nutmeg
  • Nutmeg

    Grate whole nutmeg finely on a microplane; use 80% to 100% of the weight. Freshly grated nutmeg has significantly more aromatic oils and a more vibrant aroma.

  • Ground mace

    Use 100% to 120% of the weight. Mace is nutmeg's outer husk, providing almost identical warmth but with a lighter, slightly more delicate, floral edge.

  • Ground cinnamon (cassia)

    Use 75% of the weight. Adds comparable warmth and sweetness, though it lacks the musky, nutty undertone of nutmeg.

Greek yoghurt
Dried fenugreek leaf
  • Dried fenugreek leaves

    Use the same weight, crush between your palms before adding. This is effectively the same ingredient.

  • Fresh fenugreek leaves

    Use about 4 times the weight, add later in cooking. Milder and leafier; less of the dried maple-hay aroma.

  • Ground dried fenugreek leaf

    Use the same weight and stir in early. Same flavour but no visible leaf specks.

Similar dishes

Banarasi Matar Ka Nimona
Pea and Potato Curry with Cumin, Turmeric and Garam Masala
Banarasi Matar Ka Nimona tastes mildly spicy and earthy from cumin and garam masala, without the lime citrus lift or the warm aromatic lamb-and-yoghurt richness of this dish.
  • Same: Banarasi Matar Ka Nimona shares peas, onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chilli, turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala, bay leaf and coriander leaf with this dish, and both build on a tomato-onion masala.
  • Different: Banarasi Matar Ka Nimona uses vegetable oil instead of ghee, adds potato and water, has no minced lamb, no yoghurt marinade, no lime, and lacks nutmeg, fenugreek leaves, Kashmiri chilli powder and tomato purée; it is a vegetarian pea curry with crushed and whole peas and fried potato.
Velankanni Mutton Masala
Lamb Curry with Curry Leaves, Ginger, Green Chillies and Cashews
Velankanni Mutton Masala tastes richer from cashews and coconut oil and less citrusy than this dish, with whole-spice and curry-leaf notes rather than this dish’s yoghurt, pea and lime finish.
  • Same: Velankanni Mutton Masala shares with this dish an onion-tomato and tomato-purée base with garlic, ginger, green bird’s eye chilli, turmeric, ground coriander, bay leaf and coriander leaf.
  • Different: Velankanni Mutton Masala uses bone-in lamb shoulder, vegetable and coconut oils, whole green cardamom, clove and black pepper, cashews and curry leaves, and lacks this dish’s minced lamb, ghee, yoghurt marinade, peas, lime, nutmeg and dried fenugreek leaves.
Keema Matar
Minced (Ground) Lamb with Peas
Keema Matar tastes richer and more yogurt-heavy, with seed-spice and chilli-powder heat and lime-juice sourness, while this dish is drier, more tomato-forward and lifted by fresh lime and coriander with warm nutmeg and fenugreek notes.
  • Same: Keema Matar shares minced lamb, green peas, ghee, turmeric, garam masala, green chilli, lime and coriander leaf with this dish.
  • Different: Keema Matar uses cumin seed, coriander seeds and chilli powder, has much more yogurt, ghee and peas, and lacks this dish's tomato, tomato purée, bay leaf, nutmeg, dried fenugreek leaves and Kashmiri chilli powder; it is a simmered yogurt gravy rather than a dry bhuna with a tomato-onion base and yoghurt marinade.
Keema Baida Roti
Crispy Fried Flatbread Stuffed with Spicy Lamb, Chilli & Coriander
Keema Baida Roti tastes like a crisp fried flatbread around a savoury lamb-and-egg filling with chilli and garam masala warmth and a lime-coriander lift, while this dish tastes drier and more aromatic from yoghurt, tomato, turmeric and nutmeg, with peas and gentle green-chilli heat.
  • Same: Keema Baida Roti shares with this dish minced lamb, onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, dried fenugreek, coriander and lime.
  • Different: Keema Baida Roti adds a plain-flour flatbread and egg and is fried crisp in vegetable oil and ghee, while this dish is a dry bhuna with peas, yoghurt marinade, fresh tomato, turmeric, nutmeg and bay leaf cooked in ghee.