Alu Keema

If you read my last entry, you were probably expecting a Mexican dish, however it worked out that you'll read about another Indian dish called Alu Keema. If you remember another entry with the dish Alu Gobi, then you already know that "alu" means potato. Well, "keema" means minced meat, of any kind, and for this dish, usually ground beef. This is an easy, beginner dish, both in terms of cooking and for trying Indian food, as the spice can be adjusted to suit your preferred hotness. While you may find it in an occasional Indian buffet or small "dive" type Indian restaurant, its more often seen in Indian homes; Indian home cooking. The ingredient list for this dish is also very short, for those who are sometimes intimidated by the long list of spices in a lot of Indian dishes.

Alu Keema

1 pound ground beef; regular, not extra lean

1 onion; diced

5 small potatoes, peeled and  cut into quarters

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cumin seed (you can substitute ground cumin)

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1-2 fresh green chilies, chopped (optional or can be adjusted to taste, but do not substitute with bell pepper)

2 cups water

salt to taste

Start by cooking onions in pan with the oil until just starting to turn golden.

Next add the ground beef and cook until the meat is done.

Once the meat is cooked, add the potatoes and the chili. Today I used one jalapeno chili which had the seeds and ribs taken out to decrease the heat, as my daughter doesn't like things really spicy, but again, add as much as you want. My sister-in-law in Bangladesh has been known to chop of ten of the little Thai chilies in her alu keema.

Next add all of the spices and salt to the dish and fry together for a minute to two. This keeps the spices from having a "raw" taste in the dish, something an Indian cook will spot in a moment.

Once the spices have fried, add the water to the pan, cover and cook on low heat until the potatoes are fork tender. Make sure that you do not overcook the dish, or the potatoes will practically disappear in the dish.

This dish is served with rice and raita, the yogurt, onion, and cucumber salad that I talked about previously. It is one of my kids' favorite dishes and has now made its way into my mom's and sister's cooking repertoires as well. This recipe makes about six servings, which in our house of three means that there are no leftovers. However it is very easy to double if you want leftovers or need to feed a larger crowd.