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Home Quick and Easy

Qeema – Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince

By:Nagi
Published:27 Nov '23Updated:30 Nov '23
173 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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! 

Bowl of Qeema - Indian Curried Beef Mince over basmati rice

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.

Freshly cooked Qeema - Indian Curried Beef Mince

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:

Qeema - Indian Curried Beef Mince ingredients
  • 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

How to make Qeema - Indian Curried Beef Mince
  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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).

Close up of Qeema - Indian Curried Beef Mince

Eating Qeema - Indian Curried Beef Mince with roti and basmati rice

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.

Close up of Indian Tomato Salad drizzled with Mint Dressing in a rustic cream bowl, ready to be served
Indian Tomato Salad with Mint Dressing
Wooden spoons tossing Cabbage and Carrot Thoran-style salad (Indian Salad)
Cabbage & Carrot Thoran-style Indian Salad
Close up of Everyday Cabbage Salad with a vinaigrette
Everyday Cabbage Salad

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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Bowl of Qeema - Indian Curried Beef Mince over basmati rice

Qeema Indian Curried Beef

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Total: 20 minutes mins
Dinner
Indian
4.96 from 62 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 81
An authentic Indian spiced ground (minced) beef recipe known as Qeema (or keema or kheema). This is a gem of a recipe 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!
Serve over basmati rice. Great with plain yogurt, even better with Mint Yogurt.

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:

Recipe credit – very slightly adapted from this Indian Queema Minced Beef by Scrambled Chefs.

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:

Serving: 172gCalories: 255cal (13%)Carbohydrates: 4g (1%)Protein: 28g (56%)Fat: 14g (22%)Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 78mg (26%)Sodium: 525mg (23%)Potassium: 517mg (15%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 217IU (4%)Vitamin C: 3mg (4%)Calcium: 31mg (3%)Iron: 4mg (22%)
Keywords: beef mince curry, curried beef, queema
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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!

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173 Comments

  1. Jenn :) says

    December 14, 2023 at 11:22 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious!!!! For sure a keeper!! Thank you for sharing it with us <3

    Reply
  2. Andrew Rumble says

    December 11, 2023 at 7:12 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. Next time I make this I might add some vegetables. But on its own. Amazing.

    Reply
  3. Petra says

    December 11, 2023 at 6:53 pm

    5 stars
    Whole family loved this recipe, (as per most RTE recipes, let’s face it!) served with the Indian Tomato Salad with Mint Dressing – yum.

    Reply
  4. Diana Hanna says

    December 6, 2023 at 7:32 pm

    This recipe was dead set phenomenal!! We have two teenagers at home and we made a double batch. The delicious meal was inhaled by all! I was actually thinking that you could use that spice mix in mince to make a seekh kebab….. More deliciousness coming our way!

    Reply
  5. Sherry says

    December 6, 2023 at 3:49 am

    5 stars
    Made exactly as directed and we loved it! I had to sub cilantro for the mint in the yogurt sauce and it was incredible. Thanks for great recipe!

    Reply
  6. Michelle Bryant says

    December 5, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is a hit with the whole family. Definitely easy and fast to get on the table, as well as tasty.

    Reply
  7. Bek says

    December 4, 2023 at 9:37 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious, fast and cheap to make. Family of 4 devoured it, so next time I will double it so we can over indulge for lunch the next day too!

    Reply
  8. Nat W says

    December 4, 2023 at 7:15 am

    Wow, how good is this! The spice combination is delicious & as Nagi points out, spices you can find in your pantry. Love other readers ideas to add potato & other veg. Served with the Aldi roti (as per other Tinners recommendations) over rice with cucumber, tomato & onion sambal. If you’ve got 500g mince you don’t know what to do with, would thoroughly recommend this recipe.

    Reply
  9. Sue says

    December 3, 2023 at 11:13 am

    Absolutely delicious! This recipe is a keeper.

    Reply
  10. K says

    December 3, 2023 at 7:06 am

    5 stars
    Thank you for another excellent recipe with easy-to-follow instructions.

    Reply
  11. Jackie says

    December 2, 2023 at 1:45 pm

    My partner asks when I inform him of our dinner menu “a Nagi ?”
    Every meal has been great, thankyou.
    Nagi, you name is probably mentioned 3 or 4 times a week!
    This recipe is scrumptious, easy and oh so tasty.
    Made your Naan as an addition.

    Reply
  12. Kathryn says

    December 2, 2023 at 11:59 am

    Do you think I could put a small amount in side a naan bread and cook it to make it a qeema naan.

    Reply
  13. Barb says

    December 2, 2023 at 9:06 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was my introduction to the wonderful world of RTE. I was looking for something different to cook with mince and found Nagi’s Qeema curry. It is quick, easy and yummy.

    Reply
  14. Anita says

    December 1, 2023 at 12:06 am

    You are my go-to for recipes. I have never been disappointed. This was a perfect dinner for us on the weekend after our US Thanksgiving. We were turkeyed out. This is so fast, but a great family meal. A new favorite from my favorite cooking site.

    Reply
  15. Allana Hetherington says

    November 30, 2023 at 10:56 am

    It doesn’t get any easier and tastier than this, thanks again Nagi another one to add to the rotation list

    Reply
  16. Jane Farnan says

    November 30, 2023 at 10:46 am

    5 stars
    So yummy! My favourite kind of recipe!

    Reply
  17. Michelle says

    November 30, 2023 at 9:37 am

    5 stars
    Amazing dish. Flavor bomb!!

    Reply
  18. Susan verdeyen says

    November 30, 2023 at 9:27 am

    5 stars
    Fabulous recipe, Naan’s we’re delicious and lovely and fluffy. Will definitely make again

    Reply
  19. Janis Borden says

    November 29, 2023 at 10:33 pm

    5 stars
    We loved this recipe. It tastes very close to my favourite restaurant version. I served it with smashed cucumber salad that was also delicious. Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
  20. Lyn says

    November 29, 2023 at 9:34 pm

    5 stars
    I had the 500g mince in the fridge and was going to make the usual Cottage Pie, but decided to give this a try. Quick, easy, common ingredients and was more than happy with the results. Hubby had seconds which is always a good sign.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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