Ground Beef Curry / Pakistani Keema Curry--My Most Requested Recipe

Posted onJanuary 7, 2016October 7, 2021 Updated onOctober 7, 2021

This Pakistani Kima (ground beef curry) is my most requested recipe, and for good reason! It's a great kid-friendly dish, loaded with healthy ingredients, and is sure to be a favorite in your home.

As far as my family is concerned, I can't serve this enough, and I'm sure you will agree!

ground beef curry (Pakistani Kima) in bowl with spoon

So first of all, let's get the pronunciation of this delicious dish down. It's Pakistani Kima--pronounced "keema".

It seems every family has at least a few recipes that are sure to please. For us, they are our Egg Roll in a Bowl, Homemade "Almond Joy®" Bars, "DORITO®" Popcorn, Savory Hummus, Honey Bunches of Coconut Chips, Surprisingly Good Popcorn, and this one--Pakistani Kima, otherwise known as Ground Beef Curry.

However, this one truly is my most requested recipe. Hands down.

Think you don't like recipes for curry?
Think your kids won't eat it?
Think you don't like international fare?
Think again.

My kids will literally jump up and down every time I make this.

This is one of my stand-by company meals and it is also the one that I like to take to new moms or those who are sick. Almost without fail, I get a request for the recipe.

And it's great that the main ingredient is ground beef (though you can make it vegan as well) so it is a fairly frugal meal too.

Of course, if you like, you can use any kind of ground meat--kima is traditionally made with lamb frequently. Venison or even chicken or turkey can be substituted also.

spices for ground beef curry (pakistani kima)

Now everyone can enjoy this recipe - though I must confess that I'm a bit hesitant to share - I kinda want to keep the secret all to myself :-). It's really fun to bless others with something nice, isn't it?

Now, we love international food. From almost every country. Some people love Asian food like this Thai Chicken Soup or this Chicken Thigh Curry, but the deep, rich flavors of India, Pakistan, and the like are real hits in our home.

The Origins of this Pakistani Kima

This Pakistani Kima recipe is adapted from one by the same name in the great "back to basics" cookbook, More-With-Less. I actually didn't get this recipe initially from the cookbook, but from our dear friend, Margaret, who also is the source of my Applesauce Wheat Germ Muffins (w/ GF option).

Margaret, like all of us, is busy. But unlike me, she does not like to cook.

One pan meals are her specialty (now, I love to cook, but when simple and wonderful go together, I am all ears!) and she shared this one with us at her home years ago. We loved it and have made it regularly ever since.

Years later, I took out More with Less from the library and saw this recipe and thought, "That's it! That's the same Kima ("kee-ma") we love!"

I've made a few changes (of course :-)) and it tastes even better (in my humble opinion).

We almost always serve this with:

Rice (I prefer brown organic. Mine cooks in 19 minutes in my pressure cooker - Yippee!)
Cauliflower Rice (now that I am eating more low carb and AIP)
Moroccan Carrots
Chaat Masala sprinkled on top
more Moroccan Vinaigrette on top as well

browning ground beef, onions, and garlic in pan for ground beef curry (pakistani kima)

More Easy Healthy Meals

By the way, for some other great easy and delicious meal ideas, you might be interested in......

- Easy Baked Chicken Nuggets
- Gluten Free Chili Mac - another great one pan meal with a low-carb keto option
- Savory Hummus
- Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
- Oven Barbecued Chicken
- Kid-Friendly Lentils (ready in as little as 9 minutes!)

browning ground beef in pan for ground beef curry (Pakistani kima)

Special Diet Options

Low-carb, Keto, or whole30 option: sub green beans for the peas and cauliflower, radishes, or jicama for the potatoes. Kohlrabi is another great option.
Vegan: substitute beans or a soy product (like TVP) for the meat. I don’t personally recommend soy, but it does work and tastes great.
AIP: Omit the tomatoes for AIP and use Nomato Sauce instead (here's a homemade version). Use Green Beans for the peas for AIP transition, or use broccoli for full AIP.
THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe is a crossover, unless you use the low-carb substitutions for the peas and potatoes. That will make this recipe an "S."

ground beef curry (Pakistani Kima) in pan with spoon

Recipe Notes

Dice the potatoes small--as in very small. It’s pretty disappointing to wait the whole 25 minutes and still have crunchy taters! Better yet, you can even cook them with the raw meat since they can often use the extra cooking time.
Add the peas later in the cooking time to keep their color more vibrant.
Add water if needed: You might find a need to add more liquid to the pan prior to or when simmering. If so, add a little at a time so you don't end up with a runny finished dish.
Curry Note: I use a mild sweet curry (my youngest doesn’t like spicy anything!) – in case you missed it, here is my Mild Curry Recipe :-). Also, here's a homemade nightshade-free curry recipe.
Peeling Garlic: For help peeling garlic, see The Easiest Way to Peel Garlic.
Spices: Some readers have mentioned that they have added more or even doubled the spices for this dish. I haven't tried it yet, but you can for sure try this and see how it goes. We do love spices here!
Sweet Potatoes: The recipe calls for potatoes but I have done this with sweet potatoes and it’s ahhmazing. Plus it meets paleo standards that way provided you substitute for the peas as well.

Recipe

Pakistani Kima - Ground Beef Curry

This ground beef curry (Pakistani Kima) is my most requested recipe. It's a great kid-friendly dish and is always a winner when company comes.

4.98 from 43 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Entree

Cuisine: AIP, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low-Carb, Paleo, THM:S, Vegan, whole30

Keyword: ground beef curry, Pakistani Kima

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 526kcal

Ingredients

2 - 3 tablespoons oil (I recommend coconut oil)
1 cup chopped onion (I use 1/4 cup minced)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 pound ground beef (any ground meat works well. See Special Diet Option section for vegan option)
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder (see Recipes Notes about spices)
2 1/4 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon pepper (omit for AIP)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
2 1/2 - 3 cups tomatoes (about 1 1/2 14 ounces cans--see AIP alternative above)
3 medium potatoes or sweet potatoes (About 4-5 ounces each. See low-carb options in notes. Use sweet potato for AIP)
2 1/2 - 3 cups peas (see notes for low carb/paleo options. Use snow peas for AIP)

Instructions

Melt oil or butter in a large pan.
Add onion and garlic (if using minced, add a bit of water to reconstitute).
Cook until onion softens and garlic begins to brown (watch it carefully – garlic burns easily!)
Add meat and cook thoroughly.
Add curry, salt and spices. Stir well.
Dice potatoes.
Add potatoes and tomatoes to the pan. Bring to a simmering boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are done.
Add peas and cook until peas are done.
Serve alone or over rice or cauliflower as desired.

For Instant Pot

Melt oil or butter in a pan.
Place butter in Instant Pot and add onion, garlic, and meat (if using minced garlic, add a bit of water to reconstitute).
Cook thoroughly on saute feature (watch it carefully – garlic burns easily!)
Add tomatoes.
Add curry, salt and spices.
Add potatoes.
Cook under high pressure set for 0 minutes then after 5 minutes release the pressure quickly.
Put the frozen peas in.
Cook it again under high pressure for 0 minutes and do a quick release of the pressure.

Notes

Note for Instant Pot: When you set your Instant Pot cooking time to "0 minutes," the Instant Pot will get up to pressure, then immediately switch to the keep warm function and start counting up.
Dice the potatoes small--as in very small. It’s pretty disappointing to wait the whole 25 minutes and still have crunchy taters! Better yet, you can even cook them with the raw meat since they can often use the extra cooking time.
Add water if needed: You might find a need to add more liquid to the pan prior to or when simmering. If so, add a little at a time so you don't end up with a runny finished dish.
Add the peas later in the cooking time to keep their color more vibrant.
Curry: I use a mild sweet curry (my youngest doesn’t like spicy anything!) – in case you missed it, here is my Mild Curry Recipe :-). Also, here's a homemade nightshade-free curry recipe.
Spices: Some readers have mentioned that they have added more or even doubled the spices for this dish. I haven't tried it yet, but you can for sure try this and see how it goes. We do love spices here!
Sweet Potatoes: The recipe calls for potatoes but I have done this with sweet potatoes and it’s ahhmazing. Plus it meets paleo standards that way.

Nutrition

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

Well, there you have it. Our family's favorite -- Pakistani Kima. Updated for those of you on the Autoimmune Protocol Diet. And now it's your favorite too (I hope :-)!)

And I guarantee that any new mom you take this to will be very grateful!

This recipe was first published in 2016. New images were added later. For reference, the following is the original photo.

What's one of your family's favorite meals?
Have you ever had a non traditional meal for a holiday celebration? What did you serve?