This is an authentic Indian curried beef mince recipe called Qeema (or keema or kheema). It’s a gem of a find because it tastes incredible but unlike many Indian dishes, there are no hard-to-find spices in the ingredients. And it’s super fast – on the table in 20 minutes!
Qeema – Quick & Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince
This recipe is an excellent way to get an Indian food fix without having to hunt down hard-to-find Indian spices.
It’s also an excellent way to change up your usual rotation of beef mince recipes. Spag Bol, we love you, but sometimes it’s nice to try something new!!
And new this is. You probably haven’t seen Qeema on Indian restaurant menus because it’s a home cooking meal. But blimey, it’s a great find! 100% legit Indian flavours, 7 minute prep, 13 minute cook. Get all the spices from regular grocery stores – turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper.
What you need for Qeema
The key to achieving the bold, authentic Indian curried beef flavour in this quick ‘n easy recipe is a good amount of fresh garlic and ginger, and a generous amount of ground spices.
Here’s what you need:
Beef mince – That’s ground beef to those of you in the States! I’m using lean today, but regular is fine (fattier – juicier). I also made this recipe a few years ago using chicken mince which was terrific.
Fresh garlic and ginger – Key to flavour in this otherwise simple Indian dish, so don’t skip these.
Spices – Garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. You can get all these at regular grocery stores here in Australia. Garam masala is an Indian spice mix which I tell people is the “better curry powder” because it tastes more legit, whereas the curry powders you get at regular grocery stores are very Westernised.
Fresh coriander/cilantro for garnish. (Skip if you’re not a coriander fan).
Green cayenne pepper (optional garnish) – This is for garnish, and it adds fresh chilli flavour without much spiciness because cayenne peppers are not that spicy. But it’s entirely optional, so feel free to omit!
How to make Qeema
Sauté – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until golden, don’t let it burn! Add onion and cook for 1 minute until it is starting to turn translucent.
Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from pink to light brown. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the spices bloom.
Cook 10 minutes – Add water, give it a stir, then put a lid on (or cover with a baking tray if you don’t have a lid for your pan). Turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated, but still a bit juicy.
Serve over with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with extra chilli and coriander/cilantro, and lots of Mint Yogurt. Naan or flatbreads would make it even better, though if time is not your friend, try frozen roti (pictured in post, more on this below the photo).
What to serve with Qeema
Serve over basmati rice and mint yogurt or plain yogurt (recipe below for mint yogurt). Then mix up the beef into the rice so it flavours the rice, then dig in!
It’s also pictured above with flaky, buttery roti which I stuffed with the Qeema and rice. Not homemade. I always have a stash of frozen ones which you can get at regular grocery stores. I love them because they can be cooked from frozen in a few minutes – how good is that! Ideal to use for any and all Indian / South East Asian saucy foods, like curries.
Though, if I have the time (or foresight to plan in advance), you can’t beat homemade naan. 😊
For vegetable sides, try one of these:
Indian Tomato Salad with Mint Raita Dressing
South Indian Carrot & Cabbage Salad with Coconut is fresh and popping with flavours – love the coconut flavour in this!
Give this Everyday Cabbage Salad an Indian spin by sautéing garlic and cumin seeds in oil before mixing up with other Dressing ingredients.
I really hope you try this Qeema recipe, the flavour is so authentic! Something a little different to make with that packet of beef mince you threw in your shopping trolley on the weekend. – Nagi x
recipe credit
This Qeema recipe is very slightly adapted from this Authentic Indian Minced Meat Qeema recipe from Scrambled Chefs. I just spied a 5 Ingredient Indian Potato Curry and this Chicken Curry has just jumped to the top of my Must Try list!
Watch how to make it
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Qeema Indian Curried Beef
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil , or other neutral oil
- 4 tsp ginger , finely mince
- 5 large garlic cloves , minced (about 4 tsp)
- 1 large onion , finely diced
- 500g / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef)
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder (pure, not US chili powder spice mix), omit for not spicy
- 1 1/4 tsp garam masala (Note 1)
- 1 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1 1/4 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup water
Garnish
- 1 green cayenne pepper , deseeded, finely sliced
- Cilantro/coriander leaves
- Plain yogurt or Mint yogurt (below)
Mint yogurt (optional, pictured in post)
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup (lightly packed) mint leaves
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Instructions
- Sauté – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until golden, don't let it burn! Add onion and cook for 1 minute until it is starting to turn translucent.
- Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from pink to light brown. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the spices bloom.
- Cook 10 minutes – Add water, give it a stir, then put a lid on (or cover with a baking tray). Turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.
- Serve over with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with extra chilli and coriander/cilantro, and lots of Mint Yogurt. Naan or flatbreads would make it even better, though if time is not your friend, try frozen roti (pictured in post, Note 3).
Mint yogurt
- Blitz then stir – Put just 1/4 cup of the yogurt with the mint leaves and salt in a jug just big enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until mint is very finely chopped. Then stir in remaining yogurt. (Note 4) Refrigerate until required.
Recipe Notes:
1. American “Chili Powder” is not pure ground chilli, it contains other spices like paprika and is not very spicy. This recipe calls for pure ground chilli for spiciness, or cayenne pepper. 2. Garam Masala – Spice mix used in Indian cooking, a more legit curry powder. Sold at regular grocery stores in Australia -> Coles, Woolworths, Harris Farms. 3. Roti – Flaky Indian round flatbread that’s sold in the freezer section of large grocery stores these days. Love them because they’re so handy – cook from frozen on the stove in just a couple of minutes. Cheap, tasty, if you’ve never tried it, it’s a game changer! 🙂 4. Mint yogurt – Blitzing makes yogurt watery. So just blitz the minimum to puree the mint, then stir the rest in which thickens the sauce up again. 5. Leftovers keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months. Nutrition for beef only, not including rice or yogurt sauce.
Nutrition Information:
First published April 2016. Republished 7 years later with sparkling new photos, brand new recipe video (couldn’t make them back then!) and of course added a Life of Dozer section!
My easiest Indian recipes
More easy Indian recipes!
Life of Dozer
He doesn’t realise it’s a vegetable platter. (Yet).
Hi Nagi, tonight I made your Qeema recipe. I also made the Thoran style cabbage and carrot salad(one of the suggested side dishes) to go with it. Cooked it for the family, they LOVED IT!! Served it with those rotis you were recommending, they were great, so yum. This meal has definitely joined the repeat performance ranks. Thank you so much. I have decided to try one of your recipes every week or so. Love your posts and of course the recipes. I recently made a very easy chicken curry that you posted last Monday (the name escapes me at the moment). That also went down a treat, another repeat performer. I must try some of your desserts too(your mini cheesecakes have been a game changer for me, ie I will always make all cheesecakes mini from now on). Thanks again and God bless.
Hi Kathy, we love your enthusiasm! Happy cooking!
Can’t wait to try this! It sounds kinda like a meat samosa recipe I use sans tomatoes, which I love! I have a lot of venison mince …Can’t wait!
Qeema mince beef great,we demolished the whole pan full,
The two of us! Love Dozer.
Barbara J, in Wales/UK.
Garam masala blends vary quite a bit from brand to brand. Is there one you prefer? I’m in the U.S. so maybe if it’s not too much trouble, you could list ingredients in your favorite(s)? Thanks!
Just fixed this for lunch. (BTW, thanks for the recipe scale. Makes cooking for one sooo much easier.)
Followed the recipe except added some small diced potatoes and simmered the beef for about 45min. Served with B-rice, the mint yoghurt and lightly fried some jalapenos in the oil from the qeema. OH, MY! Soooo flavorful and tasty. Now off to bed for a quick nap. Food coma. Will be making this again VERY soon.
Hi Krisb, nice to hear that you’ve added your own little twist to the recipe!
Hi Nagi, I cooked Qeema last night, it was so quick and easy. I did throw in some frozen beans towards the end, while it was covered as the liquid reduced. It was really tasty.
This recipe was delicious. I could not stop eating it! I served it with rice and a side salad of Romaine and cherry tomatoes and the meat was so flavourful my husband and I didn’t end up adding dressing to our salad and just mixed the meat and rice with the salad. Definitely a new go to recipe for me!
Hi Nagi, I´m going to make your Teriyaki beef bowls from your recepi book and I was wondering if I could use Shaoxing rice wine instead of Sake?
hi rakel, yes absolutely. It will work too.
Thank you JB for your reply, did it and gosh was this amazing, we finished the lot between the two of us, worked out the day after 🙂 but making this again very soon, so easy and yet so tasty, food is just the best.
I pigged out in this, four servings became one and a bit 😁. It’s my favourite sort of curry. I forgot the chilli but didn’t miss it, had plenty of flavour without it. I will add veges next time as I prefer my veges with the mince, rather than as a side.
Delicious!! And great to use the leftovers in the pie maker.
My Indian MIL always made this with green peas, and either potato cubes or small cauliflower pieces. It helps it go further when feeding a family plus adds some extra nutrition. It’s a tasty and quick recipe and the family has always loved it
Nagi, I wonder if “mince” and “ground” (meat) means the same thing in Australia/AI
Hi Jaye, yes same thing!
Wow! Thanks for this. Had meat to make a meatloaf and went with this instead. So glad I did! Easy, quick and SO yummy!
Me encanta la comida de la India y esta receta me parece sencilla y apetitosa
My grandma used to make this. She grew up in Northen India and used to serve it with yellow rice and greek Yoghurt. Absolutely delicious!
The keema nan has flat piece of the mince inside naan, and rice has little pieces of keema mixed in……it’s gorgeous 😍
Hi Nagi, the Keema mince dish looks delicious and I’m keen to try it. Can you tell me if it’s suitable using vegan mince instead of beef mince? Thanks so much, Kate
I made this tonight with the dehydrated TVP alongside a beef mince version and while the texture is a bit soggier the taste was pretty similar… We saved the leftovers for taco mince.
Hi Kate! I’m afraid I don’t know, I haven’t cooked with vegan mince personally. But if it truly behaves like beef beef mince, it should be fine! N x
I’ve made this in the past and seen it on Indian Restaurant menus in UK. Quite often (and when I’ve made it) it has garden peas added and called Keema Peas! Delicious 🤤
Your adorable #brat is attracted to rainbows in toys and veggies!! Good boy, Dozer!
This is very similar to a family recipe I grew up eating. I was taught how to make mince curry by my grandmother and my mum. We add a finely chopped tomato with the spices, then potatoes and and finally peas. To make it extra special you could add a couple of whole cardamom and a piece of cinnamon with the spices. It’s good served with rice or roti.