Vegan Adaptable.

The spicy and oily but subsequently flavorful Keema Pau is a popular meat based street food in Bombay. It’s the Indian version of American Sloppy Joe. 

If you’ve ever lived in Bombay, and have tried Keema Pav at one of the Irani, Marathi and Sindhi restaurants, their meat is usually marinated for a few hours with ginger-garlic pastes, onions, tomato and yoghurt before it’s sautéed and served with mini pavs.  

Kheema is a quintessential Parsi dish and the Irani cafes make the best kheema pav. And when my Dad came to Bombay our regular stop was at the Hotel Grant House, there’s nothing like a good spicy kheema pav – a complete mishmash of carbs and proteins chased down with hot masala chai to wrap up a day in Mumbai.

You can make this from scratch (modified recipe below), but I usually double the Kheema Curry /Chundo nu Saak/ Kheema mutter jo Shaak and give the leftovers a little a little makeover adding add some crushed dried fenugreek leaves to give it that “dhabba” style taste,  serve it with buttered and toasted bread rolls and sliced onions, and call them Keema Pav.

Assemble it Charcuterie Board  style with all the topping and the toasted rolls.

If you take nothing else away from this post let it be this: Cook once, eat twice.

Vegan Adaptable.

MAKE IT VEGAN:

• Use firm Tofu crumbles
• Use fork mashed kidney beans
• Use plant based vegan meat crumbles like Morning Star, Beyond meat or Gardein making it 100% vegan.
  
  

BREADS TO USE:

• Slider buns
• Brioche rolls
• Hawaiian Rolls
  
  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups  ground chicken or lamb/beef or “Beyond Meat” ground granules 
• 3 tbsp. neutral oil
• 1  whole cinnamon stick- I inch long
• 4 whole cloves
• 4 whole black peppercorns
• 3 whole cardamom pods
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium red onion finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. hot Thai green chili Paste
• 3/4 cup crushed tomato (I used Muir Glen Organics Crushed Tomato)
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 tsp pink salt or to taste
• 1 tbsp. dhanna jeera (ground cumin and coriander powder)
• 1 cup frozen peas (I use Trader Joe’s petite peas)
• 1 cups hot water to bring to desired consistency
• 1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro for garnish
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

To serve:

• Bread rolls, buttered and toasted
• Sliced onions (sprinkle some chaat masala- optional)
• Lemon wedges

Method:

1. To prep the ground mince to remove any meaty smell (totally optional but can use the raw mince and add it to the sauce):
2. Sauté the mince with 1 tbsp. white vinegar, ½ EACH of ginger, garlic and green chili paste,  ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp turmeric powder (optional) until cooked.
   OR
3. To the ground meat add ginger-garlic-green chili pastes, salt and turmeric powder. Mix set aside to marinate for 1 hour.  
4. In a pan, heat up the oil on medium heat, add the whole spices and let them sizzle, then add the whole cumin seeds.
5. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté to a golden brown
6. Add the ginger-garlic- green chili pastes and sauté  for 1 minute
7. Add the crushed tomato, tomato paste, and all the dry spices, and mix and then cover the pan and cook till the tomatoes break down and a thick sauce forms or the oil begins to leave the side of the pan
8. Add the prepared minced meat ( or raw mince and sauté)
9. After about 2 minutes, add 1 cup of boiling water. Cover and turn the heat to medium-low. ( use more water to make more gravy)
10. Add the peas and let it simmer for 6 minutes.
11. Add garam masala, kasuri methi and lemon juice, stir and garnish with cilantro.
12. Remove the whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom) before serving.
13. Butter and toast the rolls before serving.
    
    

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