Lamb Keema with Peas

Ingredients

• 700 g lamb mince
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 30 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1.5 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 200 g frozen peas
• 150 ml lamb or chicken stock
• fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to serve
• lemon wedges, to serve
• Basmati rice, steamed, to serve
• Naan breads, warmed, to serve
• Plain yoghurt, to serve

Method

1. Set a large deep frying pan or sauté pan over a high heat and pour in the oil. Once it shimmers, scatter in the cumin seeds and let them bloom for 30 seconds until fragrant — raw spices taste dusty, bloomed spices taste of themselves.
2. Add the diced onion with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes until deep golden at the edges. The colour here is the backbone of the keema, so don't rush it.
3. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute, just until fragrant — no more. Burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter, so watch it. Add the ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder and stir constantly for 30–60 seconds so the spices toast in the oil rather than steam.
4. Season the lamb mince generously with salt and black pepper, then tip half into the pan. Break it up aggressively with a wooden spoon and let it brown in a single layer for 3–4 minutes before stirring — don't crowd the pan or the mince will sweat and boil instead of catching colour. Push to one side, add the second batch and repeat, then combine.
5. Stir in the tomato purée and let it darken for a minute against the base of the pan, then pour in the chopped tomatoes and the stock. The liquid is what breaks the tomatoes down so they taste of fruit, not tin. Bring to a vigorous simmer, scraping up the stuck bits from the base — that's pure flavour.
6. Reduce the heat to medium-low, half-cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and clinging to the mince rather than pooling around it. Stir in the garam masala and frozen peas, cover fully and cook for a further 4 minutes until the peas are bright and just tender.
7. Taste, season, taste again — adjust the salt and pepper now, not at the table. A squeeze of lemon at this point lifts the whole pan and cuts the richness of the lamb fat.
8. Spoon the keema over steamed basmati, scatter generously with the chopped coriander, tuck lemon wedges alongside, add a cool spoonful of yoghurt and serve with warm naan for scooping.