Ground Beef with Spinach and Fresh Mint - Hara Keema

This is a great dish for the summer.  The fresh taste of the mint makes it taste light even for a beef dish, and because it’s a dry curry, it doesn’t warm you up like a steaming, brothy beef stew.  This is also very good, and a little different tasting, with ground lamb.  Both are excellent served with bhaturas, or pita and a raita.

Surbhi Sahni and I were giving a demonstration of a few recipes from Devi at ICE, on Tuesday. For the demonstration, I did Goan Shrimp Curry and this Hara Keema, whilst Surbhi made Shrikhand and Aloo Parathas.

It was very wonderful to see the faces of the attendees after they took tastes of these dishes. I could sense that they were surprised and excited by the freshness, the flavors and the lightness of the dishes, even though they were complex and seemingly fancy.

Indian cuisine is very complex, if you think of buying spices as being a difficult chore. Once you have the mis-en-place in place, our cuisine is perhaps easier than most, and the rewards, much greater than what other cuisines will give you for the same effort, or even twice as much.

The color of he hara keema is so healthy looking that it could fool you. Unlike the saag dishes prepared in restaurants, laden with too much fat and cream, this uses yogurt. This spring and summer, eat smart and eat flavorful food. Here is giving you an easy dish to play with. Use any ground meat you want. At Devi we even use turkey.

GROUND BEEF WITH SPINACH AND FRESH MINT
Hara Keema

Serves 4-6

GREEN PASTE
10 ounces spinach, stemmed and washed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup canola oil
1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
8 green cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 inches peeled, fresh ginger, grated
1 large onion, halved, then halved again and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 fresh, hot green chili, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 1/2 pounds lean, ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1.  For the green paste, bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.  Add the spinach and stir.  Cover and steam, stirring every now and then, until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Puree in a blender (with any remaining water) along with the cilantro and mint leaves.  Set aside.
2.  Heat the oil with the cinnamon stick, cardamom, and cloves in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring, until the cinnamon unfurls, about 2 minutes.  
3.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
4.  Add the onion, green chili, and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
5.  Stir in the beef and black pepper and cook, stirring, 5 minutes.
6.  Add the yogurt, 2 tablespoons at a time and stirring well after each addition.  Simmer gently, stirring every now and then, 5 minutes. 
7.  Add the green paste, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 5 more minutes.
8.  Stir in the garam masala and cook 1 more minute.  Taste for salt.  Serve hot.

Comments

[Sally]

Hmmm, I'm intrigued. I'll have to try this recipe, as I have yet to be disappointed by anything in your cookbooks, or on the menu at Devi. I made recipes from your cookbooks for guests last night, and as usual, they wanted me to write down the names of the cookbooks. Thanks!!

p.s. - would you recommend Greek yogurt for this dish?

[suvir]

you can use greek yogurt, but do not have to go out of your way to find it.
SInce you are cooking down the yogurt, that should not make much of a difference.
Thanks for cooking from the books. You are too sweet.
And I miss your dumplings!

[Analog Girl]

It's a delight to food lovers like me, that you are willing to share your recipes above and beyond your cookbooks. I recently got one & *really* enjoy it, which is why I randomly searched and found your blog - awesome!! This might be a late response to your post, but appreciative all the same.