Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Narangi Keema
Narangi Keema (Minced (Ground) Lamb with Orange Peel & Juice)

Narangi Keema

Minced (Ground) Lamb with Orange Peel & Juice
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin HyderabadPrep 15 minutesCook 15 minutes

A fragrant, citrus-infused minced lamb dish combining tender keema with boiled orange peel strips and fresh citrus juice. It delivers a rich, savoury profile balanced by sharp, sweet, and aromatic notes.

Ingredients

01
Orange · Santrapeel and juice of
560 g4 oranges
fruit
02
Cooked minced lamb · Keema
1080 g4½ cups
meat
03
Lime · Nimbujuice of
50 g1 lime
fruit
04
Mint · Pudinachopped
12 g6 sprigs
herb
05
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt
06
Chapati, paratha or naan · Chapati, Paratha ya Naanto serveMake it: Paratha →
to taste
grain

Method

  1. Slice the peel from 4 oranges into strips roughly 5–10 mm (¼–½ inch) wide and 2.5 cm (1 inch) long. Drop the peel into a pot of boiling water and cook for 2–3 minutes until tender, then drain and discard the liquid.
  2. Transfer 4.5 cup minced lamb and the softened orange peel to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté together for 7–8 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Pour in the juice from 4 oranges and 1 lime, then season to taste with salt. Cook for about 5 minutes as the liquid reduces and melds with the meat.
  4. Garnish with 6 chopped mint and serve hot with paratha.

Don't have something?

Orange
  • Orange juice

    Use about 80% of the weight if the recipe wants orange flavour in a liquid form; for segments, use juice only as a partial swap. It adds sweetness and acidity but no peel or flesh texture.

  • Pineapple

    Use the same weight, cut into small pieces. It is sweeter and more acidic; cook briefly if raw, and reduce any added sugar.

  • Lemon or lime

    Use about 30% of the weight, plus sugar to taste, when the recipe needs orange's acidity. It gives no orange aroma and is much sharper, so add gradually.

Cooked minced lamb
  • Ground lamb

    Use about 300 g raw ground lamb for 250 g cooked minced lamb. Brown it well, then add to the recipe as directed; it gives a similar texture but may need extra draining of fat.

  • Lamb piece

    Use the same weight of cooked lamb, chop very finely or pulse in a mixer. It is coarser than minced lamb and needs a little extra simmering to soften.

  • Beef

    Use the same weight of cooked minced beef. It is firmer and stronger-tasting; brown well and simmer 10 minutes longer if the recipe allows.

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.

Mint
  • Dried mint

    Use about 30% of the weight of fresh mint. Rub between your palms to crush before stirring in; the flavour will be more intensely herbal and less bright.

  • Coriander leaf

    Use equal weight, finely chopped. Adds fresh citrusy green notes, but lacks the cooling menthol lift.

Chapati, paratha or naan
  • Handkerchief flatbread

    Use the same weight or one roti per person; it is thinner and softer. Fold and serve warm as a scoop.

  • Plain boiled rice

    Use about 70–80% of the bread weight; it is more filling. Serve hot as the accompaniment rather than a scoop.

  • Bread roll

    Use the same weight; split and warm or toast lightly. It is softer and richer, so it suits drier dishes better than saucy ones.

Similar dishes

Santre Ka Salaad
Spiced Orange Salad with Green Chilli & Coriander
Santre Ka Salaad tastes juicy, sharp and sweet with a chilli-cumin kick and black-salt edge, while this dish is rich savoury lamb with citrus and mint.
  • Same: Santre Ka Salaad shares orange and salt with this dish, and both pair citrus with savory spicing.
  • Different: Santre Ka Salaad is a raw salad with white wine vinegar, caster sugar, black salt, green chilli, cumin, spring onion and coriander, while this dish is cooked minced lamb with boiled orange peel, lime, mint and bread.
Dhoop Chhaun Keema
Minced (Ground) Lamb Cake Topped with Eggs
Dhoop Chhaun Keema tastes spicy, rich, and nutty instead of sweet, savoury, and citrusy like this dish.
  • Same: Both dishes are built around minced lamb seasoned with mint and served with parathas.
  • Different: Dhoop Chhaun Keema is baked with an egg layer, green chillies, coriander, and toasted nuts rather than cooked with orange juice and peel.
Jangli Maas
Rustic Hunter's Lamb
Jangli Maas tastes intensely rich and fiery from pure fat and dried chillies, whereas this dish has a sharp, sweet citrus balance.
  • Same: Both dishes feature lamb seasoned simply with salt.
  • Different: Jangli Maas slow-braises cuts of lamb in a heavy base of ghee with dried red chillies, omitting this dish's minced meat, orange juice, peel, and fresh mint.
Shorba Marag
Spicy Kid Soup
Shorba Marag is sharply spiced and peppery with heat from green chillies, lacking the sweet, aromatic fruitiness of this dish's orange.
  • Same: Shorba Marag also features lamb seasoned with fresh mint and balanced with citrus.
  • Different: Instead of minced meat simmered with orange juice and peel, Shorba Marag is a thin broth cooked in ghee with lamb pieces, browned onions, black pepper, green chillies, coriander, and lime juice.