A simple but wildly satisfying ground beef/mutton and rice dish that is kid friendly and delicious!
Qeema Chawal. Rice and Ground Beef. Is this a qeema biryani? I don't know, but when I think of biryani I think of headier spices, bolder flavors. Keema Chawal for me is it's more mellow beautiful counterpart. It is more pulao like in it's simplicity of flavors and it is one of the few dishes where I will not be able to resist seconds (and maybe thirds but whose counting). This is another one of my mothers recipes and one of those which I make almost as well as she does. Almost. That's more than good enough for me.
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Keema Chawal and 12 Must Cook Pakistani Beef Recipes!
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups basmati rice
- 1 lb lean ground beef little less is fine
- ¾ tsp cumin seeds
- 3-4 cloves
- 6-7 black peppers whole
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 regular sized onions or two small
- 1 garlic paste
- 1 heaped tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- ⅓ tsp turmeric
- 2 to matoes
- ¾ tsp garam masala powder
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 4-6 green chillies
- juice of half a lemon
- ½ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup mint
- oil for cooking
Instructions
Rice
- * wash and soak your rice
- * parboil your rice in briny (gnerously salted) water and drain.
Qeema
- * whip your yogurt in a small bowl to make smooth and set aside
- * dice your onion & tomatoes then chop your cilantro, mint and chillies and set aside.
- * heat a lug of oil in a large bottomed pan or a wok - it will make for faster cooking than a small pot
- * add the cloves, peppers, cinnamon and cumin seeds
- *when the dry spices start to sizzle and give off an aroma then add the onion and saute till translucent
- * in go the ginger and garlic paste, stir fry for a minute
- * add the salt, red chilli powder, and turmeric powder. saute for another minute
- * now in goes the ground beef, cook on medium high till well browned. this takes 5 minutes or so, if it starts to stick add more oil and continue to cook stirring frequently till the beef takes on a darker brown color
- * add the yogurt and diced tomatoes and cook on medium heat till the tomatoes become one with the ground beef, you may see v thin tomato 'skin' pieces and that's fine.
- * now in go the garam masala powder, green chillies (start w 3-4), cilantro, mint, and lemon juice, cook for 1 minute and taste. It should be slightly salty, spicy, and tangy. If not then adjust seasoning.
Layering
- Put half the rice in a large pot, then add a layer of ground beef, then top it with the remaining rice. If you want you can scatter over some green chillies and lemon pieces for their aroma. Leave the pilaf to cook on low temperature for about 20 minutes and then fix carefully so as to not break the rice
Notes
* Salting your rice is so important, but if you underdo it then adjust the seasoning in the raita/yogurt to compensate.
* For a more 'chatpata' (spicy & strong) taste you can always add two spoons of achar masala to the ground beef.
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Want some more kid friendly Pakistani style recipes? Check these out!
Aneta says
Hi , If I don't add water do I mix layers over 20 min cooking ? I worried that it will be burning at the bottom. Can I use any sort of pan?
Sarah Mir says
Hi Aneta! On your very lowest heat setting you should be ok. All layered rice dishes are made this way!
Somayya says
Assalaamu alaikum. Love the simplicity of the recipe. My go to when I'm short on time.
Sarah Mir says
That's wonderful- thank you!
Saarah says
We loved this but it still was too spicy for my kids. I substituted the red chili powder with kashmiri chili powder and we finally have a winner.
Sarah Mir says
I am glad you found a way to make it work for your family! Thank you for sharing that and the review!