Kheema Matar, Spiced Minced Lamb With Peas

I have always loved Indian food and like a lot of Malaysian children growing up, roti canai was one of my favourite breakfast dishes (always with lamb curry! yes I'm talking about breakfast :)) Indian food was never cooked at home for whatever reason that might be, but going to Indian restaurants for lunch and dinner was quite a regular affair for us. I was very lucky to grow up with a lot of Indian friends; some of them are still my closest friends today, so I was lucky enough to have tasted many beautiful Indian home cooking from quite a vast number of regions and have an idea of what good Indian food is really about. Going to my good friend G's house in the tea plantation during the weekends or holiday breaks was always a treat, delicious food was served as soon as we cleaned ourselves up after a day of running around in the beautiful countryside.

This is a dish I learnt from my neighbour V when I was living in Singapore and has since been my favourite ever since. For me, mince + peas = comfort food, and  If you agree with me this is perfect the next time you feel a little down. One of the tummies was complaining about the heat while stuffing himself with more of the mince, so it has to be good :)

P.S I'm using lamb mince here, beef will be equally delicious cooked this way.

serves 4 as part of an Indian meal;

you'll need;

500g of lamb mince

200g of peas

2 bay leaves

2 green chilies, sliced

2 tbs of tomato puree

2 tbs of greek yoghurt

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of chili powder

2 tbs of cumin powder

2tbs of coriander powder

1 tbs of garam masala

coriander leaves, chopped

1 tbs of black pepper, crushed

salt to taste

250 ml of water

for the spice paste you'll need;

2 onions, chopped

5 green chilies, chopped (remove seeds for a milder dish)

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

5 cm knob of ginger, chopped

blend everything to a course paste

Spice paste

Fry spice paste and bay leaves with 4 tbs of oil til soften and lightly browned. Add in the mince and mix through, break up any large lumps as you go.

After about 10 minutes, add the tomato paste and continue to stir.

Add dry spices except the garam masala, mix through and fry the mixture for 5 minutes. Add in the yoghurt.

Slowly add in the water and let it simmer for a good 10 minutes, stir from time to time to prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom.

When the mixture is quite dry, chuck in the peas, check for seasonings and add the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves.

Served as part of an Indian meal.