Indian cooking / Dishes / Kachhe Keeme ki Tikya

Kachhe Keeme ki Tikya

'Uncooked' Meat Patties

Non-vegetarian●●●Origin HyderabadPrep 45 minutes, plus marinating timeCook 50 minutesMakes 30–35

Tender, pan-fried minced lamb patties stuffed with a fresh ginger, chilli, and coriander filling. Marinated with raw papaya for a melt-in-the-mouth texture, they are gently griddled until golden and crisp.

Spices for the meat mixture

30 gMixed into the marinated lamb with the onion paste (step 3)

Poppy seed · Khus Khusdry-roasted

25 g3 tablespoons

spice

Garam masala Make it: Garam Masala (I) →

3.9 g1½ teaspoons

spice blend

Cassia bark (Chinese cinnamon) · Dalchini

1.3 g1 piece

spice

Grind the cinnamon stick and dry-roasted poppy seeds into a fine powder and mix with the garam masala.

Everything else

Raw papaya · Kachcha Papita

900 g1 piece

vegetable

Ginger · Adrakpeeled

12 g1 piece

aromatic

Lamb · Goshtfinely minced (ground)

1000 g

meat

Ghee

26 g2 tablespoons

oil/fat

Onion · Pyazsliced

300 g2 onions

vegetable

Yogurt · Dahihung, whiskedSee the glossary: Yoghurt →

103 g100 ml

dairy

Chana dalrinsed and drained, then roasted

100 g

legume

Gheefor greasing and frying

250 g

oil/fat

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Ginger · Adrakpeeled and chopped

14 g1 piece

aromatic

Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and chopped

12–18 g2–3 chillies

vegetable

Coriander leaf · Hara Dhaniachopped

4 g4 tablespoons

herb

Method

Purée 1 piece papaya in a small blender until smooth and spoon into a large bowl. Blend 12 g ginger into a paste, add it to the papaya, then mix in 1000 g lamb and salt to taste. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
Melt 26.4 g ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 300 g onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until rich golden brown, then blend to a smooth paste.
Add the fried onion paste, 103 g yogurt, 100 g chana dal, 2 tsp chironji seeds, and the masala to the marinated lamb, mixing thoroughly until evenly incorporated.
Combine 14.4 g ginger, 12–18 g green chilli, and 4 g coriander leaf in a separate small bowl to make the filling.
Lightly oil your hands with a little of the 250 g ghee. Divide the meat mixture into small balls, press a hollow into each centre, add a small pinch of filling, then enclose the filling and flatten into patties.
Heat a small drizzle of the remaining ghee in a heavy skillet or iron griddle over low heat. Working in batches, place the patties in the pan, cover with a domed lid, and fry for 5 minutes per side until browned, basting with a little extra ghee as they cook.

Don't have something?

Raw papaya

Green papaya
Use the same weight; peel, deseed and cube. Very close and cooks at a similar rate.
Unripe papaya
Use the same weight; peel and deseed. Slightly softer, so check doneness early.
Chayote
Use the same weight; peel and cube. Neutral and tender, but less absorbent of masala.

Ginger

Fresh ginger
Use equal weight; scrape off the skin and grate or finely julienne according to the recipe.
Ginger paste
Use equal weight; stir straight into the sizzling aromatics, taking care as the extra moisture may spit.
Ground ginger
Use 15 to 20% of the weight; add alongside ground spices, noting it imparts warm, dry heat rather than zesty freshness.

Lamb

Pork
Use equal weight of pork shoulder or collar; cut into identical cubes and braise, reducing cooking time by 15-20 minutes.
Chicken
Use equal weight of bone-in chicken thighs; curry simmers in roughly 25 minutes instead of over an hour, with a much lighter sauce.

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.

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.

Yogurt

Plain yogurt
Use 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.
Single cream
Use 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Chana dal

Yellow split peas
Use 100% of the weight. Soak for at least 1 hour; takes about 10 minutes longer to cook through and has a marginally earthier flavour.
Pigeon peas
Use 100% of the weight. Reduces cooking time by about 10 minutes and breaks down softer, giving a smoother consistency rather than distinct grains.
Black gram
For tempering or tadka only: use 70% of the weight. Browns faster in hot oil, providing a nutty, crunchy bite.

Poppy seed

Cashew nut
Use equal weight. Soak in warm water for 20 minutes and grind to a smooth paste; produces an even creamier, slightly richer gravy than poppy seeds.
White sesame seed
Use equal weight. Soak and grind finely; provides similar thickening and body with a slightly nuttier, faintly bitter edge.
Almond
Use equal weight. Blanch, peel, and grind finely with a splash of water; lends a velvety body and gentle sweetness to gravies.

Chironji seed

Almond
Use the same weight, soak and peel for a closer texture; slightly sweeter.
Cashew nut
Use the same weight, soak 20 minutes; softer and creamier when ground.
Pistachio
Use the same weight, blanch and peel; stronger and greener in flavour.

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.

Cassia bark

Ceylon cinnamon
True cinnamon: thinner, papery quills, milder and sweeter. Use about 1.5 times the weight, and taste.
Ground cinnamon (cassia)
Use about a third of the weight (0.5 g ground for a 2.5 cm piece), stirred in with the ground spices rather than fried whole, since the powder burns quickly.
Cassia buds
Use 60-70% of the weight; stronger and more peppery, so taste before adding more.

Green chilli

Chilli powder
Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.
Dried red chilli
Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

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.

Similar dishes

Mutton Qorma

Lamb Korma (I)

Mutton Qorma is richer, milder, and perfumed with floral water, lacking the sharp green chilli heat and fresh ginger bite of this dish.

Same: Both dishes use lamb cooked in ghee alongside yogurt, poppy seeds, onions, ginger, and cinnamon.
Different: Instead of griddled minced meat patties bound with chana dal, Mutton Qorma is a braised lamb curry prepared with almonds, garlic, cloves, cardamom, coriander seeds, and floral water without green chillies.

Rarha Meat

Pot-roasted Lamb

Rarha Meat tastes like a rich, tangy, reduced yogurt-tomato lamb gravy with whole-spice warmth, while this dish tastes of crisp pan-fried minced lamb with a fresh ginger-chilli-coriander center.

Same: Rarha Meat shares lamb, yogurt, onion, ginger, garam masala, coriander and ghee with this dish.
Different: Rarha Meat lacks this dish's raw papaya, chana dal, poppy seed, chironji and stuffed green-chilli-ginger-coriander filling, and it adds tomato, garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder, black cardamom and bay leaf and is slow-cooked as a pot-roasted curry rather than griddled minced patties.

Dahi ka Dungara Gosht

Smoked Lamb Cooked with Yoghurt

Dahi ka Dungara Gosht tastes rich, smoky and yoghurt-heavy with subtle spice, while this dish is tender, golden-crisp and filled with fresh ginger, chilli and coriander.

Same: Dahi ka Dungara Gosht shares lamb, onion, ginger, green chilli, ghee, yoghurt and salt with this dish.
Different: Dahi ka Dungara Gosht has garlic, chilli powder, ground coriander and mint but lacks this dish's raw papaya, chana dal, poppy seed, chironji, garam masala, cinnamon and coriander leaf, and it is braised and charcoal-smoked rather than made into pan-fried minced patties.

Khusk Pasande

Dry Meat Kebabs

Khusk Pasande tastes tangier and more garlicky with a nutty, concentrated crust, while this dish is softer and fresher from papaya and the herb filling.

Same: Khusk Pasande shares lamb, yogurt, poppy seeds, chironji, ginger, and ghee with this dish.
Different: Khusk Pasande uses whole meat steaks and lime juice and is slow-roasted with much more garlic and yogurt, while this dish uses minced lamb with raw papaya and chana dal, stuffs the patties with ginger, green chilli, and coriander, and pan-fries them.