Mince Curry …the Economical Meat Curry
Mince meat (ground meat) is not only one of the most versatile meat products but it is also the most economical choice – especially for family meals. Ideal for pasta dishes, burgers and curry too. Although mince meat is considered economical it was still quite expensive when shopping on a limited budget. Amma usually bought monthly groceries which meant freezing a month’s supply of meat. She would package each meat product into small portions – her method for expanding the quantities of meat curries was often to add potatoes and peas, guthra beans or double beans. This mince curry recipe contains peas and potatoes. Amma’s dictum for cooking meat curries was simple – they had to contain ginger, garlic and curry leaves.
How Braise Mince Dry
“Ground meats have food safety concerns not associated with whole cuts of meat. If undercooked, it can lead to sickness and food poisoning. When meat is ground, bacterial contamination from the surface can be distributed throughout the meat.” 1 For this reason I prefer meat well cooked. Like the Lamb Biryani recipe – I prefer to brown the mince first then braise with spices. This process helps seal the meat and improve the overall taste and appearance of the mince curry. Mince meat also contains a higher fat content than regular whole cuts of meat so this recipe requires no more than 1 tablespoon oil.
1. SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_meat
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients
- 250g mince meat
- 1 whole onion sliced fine
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger and garlic
- 5 curry leaves
- 1 green pepper or pepperoni chillies
- 1 tablespoon mutton curry masala or Durban masala
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 3 potatoes
- 1 cup peas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 300ml water
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Heat a non stick pan or pot on high heat. Add one tablespoon oil. Add the mince. Fry until the mince changes color from pink to brown.
2. Add finely chopped onion. Cook until the onions are soft and slightly brown. This should occur after 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the sliced pepper or chilies then add the ginger and garlic and curry leaves.
4. Lower the heat then add the powdered spices and mix until combined.Braise for 2 minutes on low heat.
5. Add 200 ml water then add the peas and cubed potatoes. Add the rest of the water. Cover and allow to cook for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Cutting the potatoes into smaller pieces will reduce their cooking time.
6.Remove from stove. Top with fresh coriander. Serve warm with rice or soft roti and carrot salad.
