Zain’s Qeema – Ground Meat Curry

This is a dry dish, yet it’s moist; it is spicy but won’t set fire to the roof of your mouth. I’ve named it Zain’s Qeema after my lanky, longitudinally endowed 14-year-old grandson in Vancouver whose sense of taste is matched only by his wonderful appetite. A Qeema meal is a highlight on his regular visits to me in Toronto. And that’s not all. Qeema is impossibly easy to make!

I remember the morning I learned to make it. I was visiting London, England, from Dubai and staying with a glamorous, often imperious but altogether charming Pakistani friend. “Watch!” she commanded, heading into the kitchen. In less than an hour she had tossed together this main dish with consummate ease and flair, very much like her own personality. She didn’t do it all herself, begums (ladies of leisure) always have domestic help, as most South Asians know. Her Sri Lankan live-in domestic help chopped and sliced and peeled and fried various ingredients until the spices began to sing and the oil spluttered and an amazing aroma filled the air and a couple of pounds of ordinary lean ground meat became a delicious main dish. That’s when I fell in love with Qeema.

What endears me to Qeema cooked in this style is that you start with an everyday, undoubtedly pedestrian ingredient, namely ground beef or ground chicken and, with a minimum of effort, and a neat selection of spices, you can elevate it into an elegant, and hearty main course to be served with a range of accompaniments. Zain loves it with rice and Ghee Daal or Buttery Lentils, but many northerners – Pakistanis, North Indians in general – prefer flatbreads, chappati, naan, roti, pita. A great bonus is that you can save leftovers and make a delicious Qeema Pulao (recipe to come).

Finally, I wonder if you noticed, I spell it as Qeema, not Keema. Is there a difference? Well, granted it may be difficult for some folks to get the deep “q” sound, but give it a shot if you can. To get it right, you need to reach into the back of your throat and lift your tongue just slightly, and expel the “q” sound — without gagging, haha. I found a website where it’s explained so much better – take a look when you can!