Bengali Keema Curry is a wonderfully comforting dish featuring flavorful mutton mince, or keema, and soft pieces of potato. Now you can try making this delicious Bengali Keemar Torkari at home!
Jump to:
- Debjani's Note
- Bengali Keema Curry!
- Keemar Torkari and Pauruti- the pairing
- Bengali Keema Curry Recipe Video
- Recipe Tips!
- Keema Curry FAQ
- Here's how I cook Bengali Keema Curry at Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Recipe Card
- Pairing Mutton Keema Curry
- Pairing Bengali Keema-r Torkari
- Meat-based recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Have you tried the Bengali Keema Curry from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Bengali Keema Curry Pin for your Pinterest Board!
Debjani's Note
It was always the last Sunday of the month, a time when money was tight. Explaining this to the kids was impossible, but thankfully, it was also Keema Curry time! With a large family of twenty-eight non-vegetarians to feed and meat in short supply, Keema Curry was the answer. Just a few grams of minced meat transformed into a feast with a kilogram of potatoes, enough to bring smiles to everyone at our North Calcutta home. This memory, like so many others, takes me back to childhood.
Bengali Keema Curry!
For me, some foods are more about feelings than flavor. Bengali Aloo Diye Keema Curry is definitely one of them. I watched my mother and aunts make this watery, meaty dish for years, stretching a small amount of minced meat to feed our enormous family. I remember them cooking just 500g of keema with 1 kg of potatoes for a family of over twenty. But it always seemed like more than enough to make us happy.
Keemar Torkari and Pauruti- the pairing
Back home, we called it Runny Keemar Torkari, and it was made with love. This Bengali Keema Curry, a thin, red curry with mutton mince and potato, was pure comfort food. We didn't usually have it for lunch; it was our favorite dinner, served with warm, soft Roti. I, however, always loved it with slices of bread. In fact, my aunt, Mamoni, would always save a bowl of curry just for my breakfast the next day, at my request!
Thinking about it now, I realize how special those days were. Whenever I visit home, they still make the same dish, though perhaps without the same excitement! The recipe I'm sharing is exactly how they still make it - with love and care. I learned it from the strong women in my family. I've only made one small change: I use a little extra mutton keema in my version. But you can easily use half the amount, and trust me, it will taste just as delicious.
Bengali Keema Curry Recipe Video
Recipe Tips!
Finally, this recipe wouldn't be complete without Aloo, or potatoes.
What makes it special is its color. For me, Keem Curry should be a vibrant red, thanks to the ground mutton, chunks of potato, and a thin layer of oil shimmering on top. My mother used to get that fiery red hue by adding a paste made from dried red chilies. Now, I achieve the same color using Kashmiri red chili powder.
Keema Curry FAQ
Yes, the texture varies. Check the picture given below. The keema curry in this picture (as well as shown in the video) is cooked with manually chopped keema, while the remaining pictures are taken when I cooked the mince curry with machine-cut mince.
Here's how I cook Bengali Keema Curry at Debjanir Rannaghar!
Recipe Card
Bengali Keema Curry Recipe | Keema Aloo-r Torkari
Ingredients
- 500 g Mutton Keema/ Mutton mince / ground lamb
- 5 Potato Big
- 2 Tomato
- 2 Onion
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
- 1.5 teaspoon Garlic Paste
- 3 Green Chilies
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt or to Taste
- 4 tablespoon Mustard Oil
Tempering
- 2 Dry Red Chili
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- ½ teaspoon Asafoetida
Instructions
Here's how to cook Bengali Keema Curry!
- Wash the Mutton Keema under running water and drain excess water from the ground mutton or keema.
- Now, marinate the mutton with half of the Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, and 1 tablespoon Mustard Oil for 1 hour.
- Roughly chop the onions and cut green chilies as well.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Cut tomatoes into small pieces.
- Heat 3 tablespoon of Mustard Oil in a pan and fry potato cubes till they turn golden brown and crisp.
- Temper remaining oil with Dry Red Chili, Bay Leaf, Green Cardamom, Cinnamon Stick, and Asafoetida.
- Add Sugar at this point and cook on a slow flame till the sugar melts and caramelizes.
- Now add chopped onion and fry till they turn translucent.
- Add the rest of the Kashmiri Red Chili Powder and Turmeric Powder at this point and fry for 2 more minutes on low flame.
- Now add chopped tomatoes, followed by the Ginger and Garlic Paste, Green Chilies and cook till the oil separates.
- Add salt and the rest of the Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, along with half of the Garam Masala Powder, and cook for a minute on a low flame.
- Now add marinated mutton keema and mix thoroughly.
- Cook the meat, covering the pan on low flame, and stir in between.
- The meat will release water.
- Cook for around 5 minutes on a low flame.
- Add fried potatoes and mix again.
- Now add 3 cups of boiling water and cook on low flame for 15 minutes.
- Based on the requirement, adjust the gravy. I prefer the dish to be served with gravy, and hence I add some more water just before finishing the dish.
- Add the rest of the Garam Masala and 1 tablespoon of Mustard Oil, and boil the Curry over a high flame for 5 minutes, and switch the flame off.
- Serve Bengali Keema Curry with your choice of rice or bread hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Pairing Mutton Keema Curry
I like it best with the bread slices; however, it goes amazingly with Paratha or Roti and even with plain rice.
Pairing Bengali Keema-r Torkari
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Meat-based recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Dak Bungalow Chicken Curry (Also known as Chicken Dak Bungalow)
- Aam Kasundi Murgi (Also known as Bengali Style Chicken in Mango Mustard Sauce)
- Nalli Nihari (also known as Mutton Nihari)
- Joggi Barir Mangsho (Also known as Biyebarir Mutton Curry)
- Kolkata Mutton Biryani (also known as Calcutta Biryani)
- Posto Mangsho (also known as Bengali Mutton Curry cooked with Poppy Seed Paste)
- Mangsha Tarkari ( also known as Oriya Mutton Curry)
- Orange and Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables (Also known as Roast Chicken)
- Gota Moshlar Mangsho (Also known as Kata Moshlar Mangsho or Mutton cooked with whole spices)
- Bengali Mete Chorchori (also known as Mutton Liver side with Potato chunks)
- Hyderabadi Haleem (also known as Mutton Haleem)
- Bashi Pork Kosha (also known as Kosha Pork)
- Kolkata's Mutton Tikia (also known as Tikia Kebab)
- Doi Murgi (Also known as Kolkata style Doi Chicken)
- Posto Mangsho (Also known as Bengali Mutton Curry cooked with Poppy Seed Paste)
- Pork Jhol (Also known as Bengali Pork Curry)
- Bangladeshi Mutton Tehari (also known as ghost Tehari)
- Kochi Pathar Jhol (also known as Aloo diye Mangshor Jhol or Bengali Mutton Curry)
- Mutton Ghee Roast (also known as Lamb ghee roast)
- Keema Matar (also known as Mutton mince cooked with green peas)
- Panch Phoron Murgi (also known as Bengali Chicken Curry with Panch Phoron)
- Dhakai Morog Pulao (also known as Sahi Morog Pulao)
- Mangsher Ghughni (also known as Yellow Pea Curry with Minced Mutton)
- Gota Roshun diye Mangshor Jhol (also known as Bengali Mutton Curry with Garlic Pod)
- Bangladeshi Kala Bhuna (Also known as Beef Kala Bhuna or Kalo Bhuna)
Have you tried the Bengali Keema Curry from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Please inform me of your experience, and feel free to send a photo to [email protected]. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, X, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes or if you have any questions or recipe requests.
Bengali Keema Curry Pin for your Pinterest Board!
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
Agnishwar Sinha says
Amazing recipe! I have just prepared this dish for dinner, and judging by the aroma and taste, my wife will be sure to love it! Thank you, Debjani. I'm a big fan of yours.
Debjani says
Thank you so much!
Vandana says
Just made the kheema and it smells wonderful. It was a little light on chilli when I tasted it, and only when I saw the accompanying video - I realised I hadn’t put in any green chillies. The text recipe does not have green chilli ingredients but that is shown in the video. This might be helpful for folks who try the recipe later
Debjani says
That was an accidental editing error, which I will correct. Thank you for pointing it out.