Tasty lamb mince is mixed with rice, vegetables and aromatic spices to make this delicious Really Easy Keema Rice. On the table in under 30 minutes, its perfect for a midweek family meal.
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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!
It’s also really easy to make at home as a “fake-away” dish and the kids love this on a Friday night.
Flavoursome lamb mince is fried together with onions, peas, rice and a range of aromatic spices to create a wonderful family meal that tastes like an authentic biriyani or pilau, except this quick and easy one pot dish is ready in 30 minutes!
The great thing is, you can adjust the spice level to make it as hot or as mild as you like, making it suitable for everyone no matter if you love or hate the heat of chilli.
This dish is also naturally gluten, egg & dairy free so is perfect for lots of dietary requirements, making it a win all round!
If you are looking for more Indian recipes, check out my Easy Chicken Jalfrezi & Gluten Free Naan Bread.
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, along with an array of aromatic spices that bring all the wonderful flavours together to make this delicious rice dish. I have also added peas for some extra flavour and colour.
🥘 Ingredients Needed
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
- Cooked Rice - Basmati or long grain rice are best for this dish. I have used microwave rice for quickness and ease, but if you prefer you can use leftover cooked rice that has been cooled.
- 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 colour to the dish.
- 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 which blend together beautifully.
- Fresh Coriander - Chopped and scattered through the dish before serving, this adds a slight citrus flavour.
- Garlic, Onion & Fresh Ginger
- Green Chilli
✏️ How To Make Keema Rice
For the full printable recipe, along with ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post ⬇️
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.
Add the sliced onions to the frying pan.
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. I would recommend leaving around 1-2 tablespoons.
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.
Next, add the lamb mince back into the pan along with the peas, chopped green chilli, fresh ginger, tomatoes and the spices and cook for around five minutes
Add the cooked microwave rice, stir through, letting the spices coat the rice so the dish turns a beautiful golden colour. Cook until the lamb mince is fully 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.
💡 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.
- Make sure you use a large frying pan which will hold all of the ingredients without overloading the pan, otherwise you may need to batch cook it in two pans.
⚡ Substitutions & Variations
- Protein - Lamb mince can be substituted for beef, mutton or turkey mince. You can even chop leftover chicken or roast lamb very finely and add this instead.To make this dish vegetarian you can use paneer, tofu or a vegetarian mince.
- Veg - The great thing about this recipe is that it’s so versatile and you can add whatever is in your fridge! Try some grated carrot, chopped pepper or baby corn for something a little different.
- Spice - If you follow the recipe as it is, the spice level is fairly mild. If you would like things a little spicier, leave the seeds in the chilli or add two instead of one.
🔪 Equipment
🥡 How To Store
Microwave rice has already been cooked and cannot be re-heated, so if you are making the recipe with that, then the dish is best eaten straight away.
If you want to make it ahead of time, you can cook the recipe up to the point where you add the rice and then store the meat mixture in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to eat, heat the meat in the pan, add the rice and stir until piping hot.
If making with leftover cooked rice you can store the keema rice in the fridge for a day. Ensure the rice is fully cooled and placed in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking.
Re-heat in the microwave for a few minutes until piping hot.
When it comes to freezing I would recommend freezing just the meat part of the recipe, so as above make it up to the point you add the rice and then freeze the cooled meat mixture in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and finish cooking as above.
💬 Recipe FAQ
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 curry like chicken jalfrezi dipped in some gluten free naan bread.
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Love this? Check out these other easy dinner recipes
Keema Rice
Equipment
- Slotted spoon optional
- Ginger grater optional
Ingredients
- 500 g lamb mince
- 2 pouches microwave basmati or long grain rice or 500g cooked leftover rice
- 100 g 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
- Use the back of a teaspoon to peel the skin from the fresh ginger. It can then either be finely chopped or grated.
- Make sure you use a large frying pan which will 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.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!