Sometimes you want a quick curry and are not in the mood for long simmering stocks and carefully gauged layering of spices. This curry fits the bill as it is ready in as little as 15 minutes and, despite the use of pre-mixed curry powder, manages to hit all the right notes in terms of spice and coconut milk. Keema means ground meat - lamb is probably more authentic but I had beef and that is what I went with instead. Also, a traditional keema curry usually has peas in the list of ingredients but I found out at the last minute that the package I thought I had in my freezer and intended to use had mysteriously disappeared...
1 lb ground meat
2 large potatoes, cut into large dice
1 white onion, peeled and diced
6 cups assorted diced vegetables (I used broccoli, okra and green bell pepper since that was part of this week's CSA box but the sky is the limit depending on what season you make this in)
1 large beefsteak tomato, peeled and then grated on the box grater
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 can full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tsps olive oil
Salt to taste
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
As soon as the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion starts to soften.
Add the beef and the potatoes and stir to combine with the onion. Sprinkle the top with half of the curry powder and some salt. Cook for a couple of minutes without stirring (you want to end up with chuncks of beef rather than individual pieces of ground meat like in a Bolognese sauce). Stir, and cook for a couple of minutes more without stirring.
Add all of the vegetables and stir well to combine. Add the coconut milk, the stock, the tomato - juice, seeds and all - and the remaining curry powder. Stir this all in to combine the ingredients.
Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are fork tender.
Serve with rice or naan and mango chutney on the side.
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