Keema Spicy Minced Meat

A great little dish to feed hungry children. It doesn't take long to make, is very tasty and it can be a fun meal. When I was a child there was a dish called Savoury Mince , which I guess was a drier version of a bolognese sauce, perhaps adapted by Aussies. I always loved it the next day on toast for breakfast.
Well this is similar but far tastier and you have it with naan bread or chapatis or even a wrap.
It is Indian in origin and whilst I would like to think the savoury mince had its origins here we didn't eat Indian food then. A curry was made with Keens Curry Powder  and was enough to turn you off curries for life, particularly bad if it was added to a béchamel sauce.
We have become very sophisticated in our tastes since then and embrace all of these flavours.
Put less chilli in it if you are serving it to little children, but it is good to introduce them to a bit of spice, gradually. Easily adaptable and quantities increased if needed.

1/2 kilo beef mince
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 cup peas  ( optional )
canola oil

For serving

1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons chopped mint and coriander
mango chutney
naan, chapati or flat bread

Heat the oil in a fry pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the mince and stir and turn until just browned. Add the ginger, cumin, coriander, and turmeric, and continue to fry as you mix the spices in. Add the salt and yoghurt and mix in as it cooks. If using the peas add now. Lastly add the coriander. Depending on the mince you use i.e. the fat content you may want to add some more yoghurt. Cook for another 10 minutes on a gentle heat. Adjust the seasoning.
Serve in a bowl on a platter with the condiments.

Tandoori Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa and Minted Chutney

I am having a turkey moment. I am not sure if its because it is nearly Xmas when we traditionally eat it,  because I have been trying middle eastern recipes using turkey, or because its a very lean meat to eat.
A little of all of the above, I think !
If you don't wish to use turkey mince you can use chicken mince of course. My son loves these burgers but he prefers them with chicken.
They are very easy to make and are delicious the next day as well. A kilo of mince will make quite a few approx 8-10 large  plump burger patties or more if you flatten them a little.
You could also make them into small meatballs and serve them as finger food for a party. Mix some chutney or pickle through the yoghurt as an alternative dipping sauce.
The lime pickle I used is actually a condiment and you could use a little lime juice, instead. If you are using turkey, I like a little sweetener in it, so use a mango chutney or any kind of sweet chutney you may serve with an Indian meal.

1 kilo turkey mince
2 tablespoons Tandoori  Paste mix like Pataks
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 small onion very finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sweet lime pickle or another  Indian chutney
1 large egg
canola oil for frying
burger buns

Salsa for 6 burgers

1 fat mango cheek diced
1 small red onion finely diced
1 cucumber deseeded and finely diced
1 tomato finely diced
4 tablespoons chopped coriander
1/2 small red chilli finely diced

Minted Yoghurt

1 cup plain yoghurt I use Greek as its thicker
4 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Cos lettuce leaves


Mix the mince in a large bowl with all the other ingredients and set aside to infuse the flavours, for at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile chop and mix all the ingredients for the salsa and also set aside.
Mix the yoghurt with the chopped mint and set aside
Remove the turkey mince from the fridge and shape into large patties pressing the ingredients firmly together.
All of the above steps can be done well ahead of time.
Heat the oil in a shallow pan and fry the burgers turning carefully so they don't break. If they are quite thick they will require about 10 minutes each side.
Toast the burger buns slightly nearing the end of the cooking time of the patties.

Assemble by spreading a thin layer of the yoghurt mixture on the toasted bun and then an even amount of the salsa. This stops the salsa from spilling out of the bun. Top with the meat pattie and more yoghurt, more salsa if liked and finally the lettuce leaves.
You could also add extra pickle or chutney if liked. Enjoy!

Fab Finds

Just had to share these finds. I always try out new things, sometimes good sometimes not. This is a goody ! The Woolworths Select brand of Thick Greek Style Yoghurt.
Really thick and delicious.

Also from my local Indian Supermarket Mothers Recipe brand, Garlic and Ginger Paste.
Getting me in the swing of  things for all the Thai, I am going to be cooking ! So easy and a really nice blend. Great if you are in a hurry or haven't got the fresh on hand !

Raan Indian Roast Lamb Marinated in Spiced Yoghurt

I have just had a couple of relaxing days in the Southern Highlands with seven girlfriends for our annual sewing sojourn! Yes, sewing, quilting mainly with a bit of knitting thrown in. Whilst I may not have been blogging, I certainly ate very well. All of these girls are great cooks and we dined on Hungarian Goulash, Jamie's Fragrant Chicken, Smoked Trout and Fennel Lasagna, Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon, Sauteed Mushrooms on Sourdough, Simone Logue's Little Pies and of course lots of chocolates and alcohol.
I only thought of this dish after the event, but it would have been a great one to do as it takes 48 hours of marinating and then cooks for 5 hours. Perfect whilst you do other things, like sewing !
Don't be put off by the list of ingredients or cooking time. It is actually very easy! If you like Indian food then this makes a nice change to a curry, and great for a number of people.

1 leg of lamb 2-3 kilos
1 piece fresh ginger peeled approx 100 grams 
8 garlic cloves peeled
thinly pared rind of a lemon
5 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of cardamon seeds
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon minced chilli, from a jar or 1 fresh red chilli
1 cup almond meal
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 cups of plain yoghurt
1/2 tablespoon salt


Prick the lamb all over with a fork and make deep gashes in the meat and set aside, in a pan.
I use a Tupperware marinating covered container, but you could also use the baking dish in which you are going to roast the lamb, for the marinating part of the dish. Use foil, if the dish doesn't have a lid.
Put ginger, garlic, lemon rind and juice, cumin seeds, cardamon, cloves, turmeric, chilli and salt into a food processor and blend to a puree.
Scrape out and spread the lamb all over with the puree and set aside for an hour.
Mix the almond meal and brown sugar with the yoghurt.
Spread this mixture all over the spice mixture on the lamb and set aside in a covered pan in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
Remove the dish from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180 and roast for a further hour.
Then cover the dish, reduce the heat to 160C and roast for a further 4 hours, basting occasionally.
These temperatures may vary in different ovens, if your oven is very hot adjust accordingly.
You may also find the marinade is catching and burning on the bottom of the pan, remove any burnt bits and cover earlier if you find this is happening too early in the process.

Serve with basmati rice and a vegetable curry, with some yoghurt and Baxter's Mango Chutney as an accompaniment.