Tasty lamb mince is mixed together with rice, vegetables and aromatic spices to make this delicious Really Easy Keema Rice. On the table in under 30 minutes, it makes a quick & easy midweek family meal.
You may have seen keema rice on the menu at your local Indian takeaway, not too sure on what it was and then opted for your normal pilau or plain rice. Next time try it, trust me!
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It tastes just like a lamb keema biryani or keema pulao you'd order from an Indian takeaway, but it's much quicker (and cheaper) to make at home, on the table in just 30 minutes!
The great thing is, you can adjust the spice level to keep it mild for the kids, with the option to add extra chilli if you like things a bit spicier.
It's also really easy to make at home as a "fake-away" dish ( like these copycat Five Guys burgers & cajun fries) & Nando's Butterfly Chicken & Homemade Spicy Rice)
Jump to:
🤔 What Is Keema Rice?
Keema translates into English as "mincemeat".
Keema rice is a dish made of mincemeat (usually lamb or mutton mince, but you can also use beef or even chicken or turkey mince), which is then fried together with onions, rice, and an array of aromatic spices that bring all the wonderful flavours together to make this delicious rice.
I have also added peas for some extra flavour and colour.
🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
Here's a quick rundown of what you'll need to make this really easy keema rice.
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
- Cooked Rice -Basmati rice or long grain rice work best for this dish. Traditionally you would use cooled, leftover cooked rice, as you would in this fried rice without egg, however, for my version I have used microwave basmati rice for quickness and ease, as I have done for this pork belly fried rice and hot dog fried rice. I find this works as well as cooked, cooled rice and is perfect for those evenings when you don't have much time.
- Lamb Mince - I love the taste of lamb and this or mutton is what is traditionally used in this dish.
- Peas - These add extra flavour and some colour to the rice.
- Tomatoes- I have used salad tomatoes, which add freshness and texture.
- Spices - I have used a variety of store cupboard spices, including garam masala, turmeric, curry powder and fenugreek. Use either a mild, medium or hot curry powder, depending on how spicy you want the dish to be.
- Fresh Coriander - Chopped and scattered through the dish before serving, this adds a slight citrus flavour.
- Garlic, Onion & Fresh Ginger - you can use pre-chopped or frozen options for ease.
- Green Chilli - Take out the seeds to make things milder.
Scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.
🥜 How Can I Make This Allergy-Friendly?
Great news! This keema rice is naturally free from the top 14 allergens!
✏️ How To Make Keema Rice
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1: Start by frying the lamb mince in a large frying pan until it starts to brown, then using a slotted spoon, remove the lamb onto a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
Step 2: Add the sliced onions to the frying pan.
TIP: Depending on how much fat is left behind from the lamb, you may want to remove some of it, but leave enough to caramelise the onions as this really adds to the flavour of the dish. I would recommend leaving around 1-2 tablespoons.
Step 3: Fry the onions off in the fat until they start to soften and colour slightly, then add the garlic and stir for around a minute.
Step 4: Next, add the lamb mince back into the pan along with the peas, chopped green chilli, fresh ginger, tomatoes and the spices and cook until the lamb mince is fully cooked.
Step 5: Add the cooked microwave rice and stir through, letting the spices coat the rice so the dish turns a beautiful golden colour.
Step 6: Season to taste. You may wish to season later if you are cooking for young children.
Scatter through a handful of chopped coriander before serving.
🤔 Can I use Freshly Cooked Rice?
Cooled, precooked rice or microwave rice work best for this dish as the grains are firmer, whereas freshly cooked rice tends to be softer and can go a bit gooey and mushy when cooked.
If you want to use freshly cooked rice I would advise spreading it out flat on a baking tray and cooling it in the fridge for 1-2 hours before adding to the pan.
💡 Lauren's Top Tips
- 🌟 Use a Large Pan: This helps everything cook evenly and stops the rice from clumping.
- 🌟 Adjust Spice Level: Remove the chilli seeds from the green chilli or add extra chilli depending on who you're cooking for.
- 🌟 Fresh Ginger Tip: Use the back of a teaspoon to peel it quickly and easily.
🔨 Meal Planning Toolbox
🗒️ Make Ahead
You can prep the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli earlier in the day and store them in the fridge.
🗒️ Batch Cooking
Double the meat mixture and freeze half (before adding the rice).
🗒️Leftovers & Storage
If made with leftover cooked rice, store in the fridge for up to 1 day. Cool quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours. If using microwave rice, the dish will need to be eaten straight away, as you cannot reheat microwave rice more than once.
🗒️ Freezing
Freeze the cooked meat mixture (without rice) for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating and adding rice.
🗒️ Reheating
Reheat until piping hot, adding the rice at the final stage if making from frozen meat mixture.
💬 Recipe FAQs
To achieve delicious fluffy rice I would recommend using either basmati or long grain rice. Although I love wholegrain rice and all of its health benefits, this isn't a dish that it works well with.
This is a dish in its own right and can be served as a main meal alongside some fresh raita. You can also serve it as a rice dish alongside a chicken & aubergine curry.
📖 More Indian Inspired Recipes..
Love this? Check out these other easy Indian inspired recipes.
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
Keema Rice
Equipment
- Slotted spoon optional
- Ginger grater optional
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) lamb mince
- 2 pouches microwave basmati or long grain rice or 500g (1lb) cooked leftover rice
- 100 g (3.5oz) peas
- 2 salad tomatoes diced
- 1 inch fresh ginger grated
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 medium green chilli finely diced and seeds removed. Leave seeds in for extra heat.
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon mild curry powder use hot curry powder for extra heat.
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek
- 1 handful fresh coriander finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fry the lamb mince in a large frying pan on a medium heat for around 5 minutes until it starts to brown.
- Whilst the lamb mince is cooking slice the onions and grate the garlic.
- Using a slotted spoon remove the lamb mince onto a plate, leaving around 1-2 tablespoon of fat in the pan.
- Fry the onions off in the fat for 5-7 minutes until they start to soften and colour slightly, then add the garlic and stir for around a minute.
- Grate the ginger, finely dice the green chilli and tomatoes and cook the rice in the microwave as per packet instructions.
- Add the lamb mince back into the pan along with the peas, chopped green chilli, fresh ginger, tomatoes and the spices. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked microwave rice and stir through, cooking for a further 5 minutes until the lamb mince is cooked.
- Season to taste. You may wish to season later if you are cooking for young children.
- Scatter through a handful of chopped coriander before serving.
Notes
-
Tips & Tricks
- Use the back of a teaspoon to peel the skin from the fresh ginger. It can then either be finely chopped or grated. Fresh ginger is best, but this Lazy Ginger is a good back up and lasts in the fridge for ages.
- Make sure you use a large frying pan which can hold all of the ingredients without overloading the pan, otherwise, you may need to batch cook it in two pans.
- Depending on how much is left behind from the lamb you may want to remove some of the fat, but leave enough to caramelise the onions as this really adds to the flavour of the dish.
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