Keema, Kebabs, Koftas, and More - Minced Meat Dishes of India

In India, you will find well-defined recipes of meat dishes with cuts like Nalli, Raan, Boti, Gurda, Chaanp, Seena, Zubaan, Paya, Siri, Magaz and so on; however, the creative art of converting Keema (Minced meat) into various delicious dishes is found everywhere. Some of the finest and most popular Indian dishes are made using minced meat with specific proportions of fat, rolled into different shapes, and flavoured in regional styles, cooked using unique methods of cooking. Each one of us has our favourite minced meat Indian dishes; let’s see if we have got it covered or not.

Kebabs

The experience of enjoying the softest of all Kebabs, Galouti Kebabs, on your palate will stand firm against any other meat-eating experience for a food lover. The flattened Chapli Kebabs from the northwest frontier province reached the northern heartland of Rampur through military transfers of the Pathans to the princely state, and thus the delicious Chapli Kebabs of the Pashtuns pounded their way into the culinary map of India. All true appreciators of fine cuisine love the flavours and crispy textures of Chapli Kebab. Minced meat is often tough to manage on the skewer as the animal fat, and tenderisers make the meat fragile enough not to resist gravity. Thus, strings of thread are used to hold the minced meat together, sometimes shaping them into a ball; ‘Kola Urundai’ of Tamil Nadu is one of the classic minced meat dishes that seems fitting to describe the stringy way of cooking Kebabs.

The beauty of cooking Kebabs out of minced meat is the soft and tender texture and the juiciness that the Kebabs attain. Indian Kebab recipes use varied fat content and tenderisers and are known worldwide for their aromatic spices and well-balanced flavours.

Meatballs

Minced meat, spiced and rolled into balls, simmered in rich Indian gravy, is a quintessential Indian way of cooking minced meat dishes. In the northern region of Kashmir, meat is pounded rhythmically, shaped into balls and poached to create meatballs. ‘Rishta’ is one such fantastic preparation where meatballs are cooked in a Kashmiri red curry. Full of flavours and aroma, ‘Rishta’ makes for a perfect dish to be eaten with rice to beat the cold weather of Kashmir. The show-stopper dish of a Kashmiri Wazwan is ‘Goshtaba’, a meatball dish cooked in a flavourful and subtly spiced ‘Yakhani’ gravy. There are fewer well-appointed representations of regional cuisines than a ‘Goshtaba’ served as a part of a traditional wedding Wazwan. ‘Mutsch’ is another fantastic minced meat preparation enjoyed in the beautiful state of Kashmir. Spiced minced meat is shaped into an elongated half Kebab shape and served dipped in a runny gravy flavoured with Kashmiri spices.

Koftas made of minced mutton are common to many Indian regional cuisines; Mughlai cuisine is well known for using minced meat in Kebabs and Koftas alike. An interesting meatball dish from India is called a ‘Nargisi Kofta’, conceptualised like a devilled egg, where the boiled egg is encapsulated in a ’Keema ball’ and fried. ‘Nargisi Kofta’ is served with rich

Indian gravy and is one of the unique royal dishes. In Mysore and Bangalore, try the ‘Khaima balls’ (Keema balls) at the military messes, simmered with a south Indian curry, which can be enjoyed with ghee rice or mutton pulao. World over, meatballs are a fantastic way of preparing minced meat dishes; however, in India, the flavourful curries and aromatic Indian spices make the Kofta or the meatball dishes unique and some of the most delicious dishes worldwide.

(Also Read: 5 Wholesome Keema Recipes To Warm Up Your Dinner Table)

Keema Curries

Keema, or minced meat, makes one of the finest Indian dishes. Hari Mirch ka Keema prepared in the Mughlai style, is one fine example of using coarsely minced meat. Cooked with green chillies and aromatic spices, Hari Mirch ka keema is a dish every meat-loving gastronome must try.

Keema is also prepared in spicy Maharashtrian style and sold as a street food, along with buttered pavs. Keema pav is an unmissable dish on the streets and chaupatis of Mumbai. ‘Keema Matar’ is a typical north Indian dish common to households where meat is preferred. ‘Keema Matar’ with tawa rotis is a comfort meal in many Indian homes.

In the hilly region of Himachal Pradesh, Keema is added to the popular Mutton dish called the ‘Rara Meat’. Keema Served with offal like ‘Gurda’ and ‘Kaleji’ on a griddle is a loved Punjabi preparation. In Ahmedabad’s old city, indulge in tawa preparation serving spicy Keema with crispy parathas. Not to forget the delicious Parsi Keema preparation in Parsi cafes in Mumbai and Pune.

Keema Stuffings

Keema is also stuffed in many dishes to make meaty versions of dishes like samosas, baatis, dosas, cutlets etc. A popular Tibetan dish called momos is famous across the northern and eastern hills, and many other Indian cities use minced meat to stuff the juicy dumplings. ‘Mutton Lukmi’ of Hyderabad is a samosa preparation where spiced minced meat is stuffed in crisp triangular samosas and makes for a perfect evening snack. Naan, or a ’Kulcha’, stuffed with meat and served with a curry, is a delicious combination. In Indore, mutton Keema patties are cooked on a griddle and served tucked between buns by one of the most popular food joints called the Johny hotdog. ‘Sha Phaley’ is a fantastic dish from northeast India, Tibet, and Nepal, where seasoned minced meat is stuffed in semi-circular bread and fried to prepare a crisp meaty dish.

Keema with rice

Keema curry is enjoyed equally well with bread as well as rice. Keema biryani, thus, is inevitably a fantastic Keema dish one can prepare at home or at various biryani joints across the country. Keema biryani in the ‘Bhatyar Gali’ (Street of cooks) in Ahmedabad, which is enjoyed with ’Haleem’, is a truly delectable combination. ‘Mutton Berry pulao’, a Parsi delicacy, is a popular Keema dish where minced meat and berries are cooked along with aromatic rice and is a dish loved by Parsis and all other Parsi food lovers.

Some more Keema dishes

Keema is used to prepare a spicy Bengali snack dish called the ‘Ghugni’, wherein minced meat is cooked along with yellow chickpeas. Keema stuffed ‘Doi bara’ (Dahi Bada), In this unique traditional preparation, Keema stuffed badas are served with yoghurt, chutneys and spices and enjoyed as an evening or a pre-dinner snack. Goan Keema curry is a minced meat preparation using beef Keema and is a simple yet delicious dish from the culinary-rich state of Goa.

Chandrasena Kayastha Prabhu, a community from Maharashtra, prepares the minced meat dish Khimyachi parsundi, where a rich and flavourful Keema gets a topping of a few eggs broken atop, and baking the Keema and eggs together.

There are probably endless dishes one can make with Keema, and Indians certainly have made the best use of minced meat. There are definitely more dishes across the various regional cuisines of India, as each community and even different households have special preparations using Keema. Let us know your favourite Keema preparation, and let us drool over some meaty goodness.

Sidharth Bhan Gupta, Founder of 361 Degrees Hospitality, is a Hospitality / Food and Beverage / Restaurant Consultant, Travelling across India on a Cultural and Culinary Exploration.