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

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!

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 literally jump up and down every time I make this.

This is one of my stand-by meals for company, and it's also the one that I like to take to new moms or those who are sick.  Almost always, I get a request for the recipe.

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

Of course, you can use any kind of ground meat — kima is traditionally made with lamb, but venison or even chicken or turkey can be used.

We love dishes from other cultures. 

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.

Where This Recipe Came From

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 (with gluten-free option).

Margaret, like all of us, is busy.  But unlike me, she doesn't like to cook.

One pan meals are her specialty 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 (“keema”) we love!”

I've made a few changes and we think it tastes even better now.

Serving Ideas

You can serve this dish plain or on top of rice or cauliflower rice.

When we have company over, we typically serve it the following way for an amazing combination.

• Rice (I prefer brown organic, made in only 19 minutes in a pressure cooker)
• Cauliflower Rice (a great option for reducing carbs)
• Moroccan Carrots
• Chaat Masala sprinkled on top
• more Moroccan Vinaigrette on top.

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!)

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.”

Recipe 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: Smaller dices will cook faster. If you like, you can even cook them with the meat to help them get done more thoroughly in less time.
• Slow Cooker Option: You can put all the ingredients in a slow cooker, adding the peas at the end. The potatoes will cook better this way. I've never done this but a reader shared that it's worked out great for her.
• Add water if needed: You might find a need to add more liquid to the pan prior to or when simmering. 
• Add the peas later in the cooking time to keep their color more vibrant.
• Curry: I use a mild sweet curry, but you can use any level of intensity that you like. This Mild Curry Recipe is a great option.
• 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. 
• Sweet Potatoes: The recipe calls for potatoes but I have made this with sweet potatoes and it tastes great, plus it fits the paleo diet that way.

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?