Keema Pav Recipe

Buttered and toasted dinner rolls on a ceramic plate set on a white marble background. There is a small bowl of ground chicken Keema garnished with cilantro, a slice of lemon, and sliced red onion.

5 from 1 vote

Authentic Keema Pav, Mumbai's famous street food! Spiced minced/ground chicken with buttery pav, ready in 30 minutes, and better than street vendors! An enticing combination of ground meat, masala of onion and tomato, and warm spices.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Calories: 195kcal

Author: Vaishali

Equipment

Heavy Bottomed Pan

Ingredients

For Keema

1 lb ground chicken
2 tablespoon avocado oil
2 bay leaves
2 green cardamoms
2 cloves
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 cups finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon ginger garlic green chili paste
2 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon ground turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ cup pureed tomatoes from about 1 big tomato
Salt – to taste
8-10 sprigs cilantro chopped

To serve

6 Pavs (Indian style dinner rolls)
Butter to toast
Lemon wedges
Sliced red onion optional

Instructions

To make keema

Set a wide, heavy-bottomed sauté pan (using my Le Creuset braiser here) or a nonstick pan (my favorite nonstick pan) over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating up, chop your onions. In the hot pan, add the 2 tablespoon avocado oil along with 2 bay leaves, 2 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, and 1 inch piece of cinnamon, and let them toast for 30 seconds. Next, add the 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, and let them crackle.
Add the 2 cups finely chopped red onion along with a pinch of salt. Adding salt to the onions draws out their moisture, which helps them cook faster. Cook the onions over medium to low heat, stirring often, for about 5-6 minutes, until they begin to look translucent. Next, add the 1 tablespoon ginger garlic green chili paste.
Mix everything together and cook for another minute or so, or until the raw smell of the ginger-garlic paste is gone. Add the 2 tablespoon tomato paste and mix.
Mix ½ teaspoon ground turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, 2 teaspoon coriander powder, and 1 teaspoon garam masala with a tablespoon of water, then add this slurry to the onion masala in the pan.
Cook over low heat for a few minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add the ½ cup pureed tomatoes and mix.
Cook the masala on medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
Continue cooking the masala until all the moisture has evaporated and tiny droplets of oil appear along the edges. If at any point the masala starts sticking to the pan, splash in a few drops of water, scrape off the bits that have stuck, and continue cooking until the masala comes together. This will take 2-3 minutes.
Add 1 lb ground chicken to the pot and turn the heat to low. Season with Salt – to taste, stir continuously, and break up the chicken into very fine crumbs as you mix it into the gravy.
Add ¼ cup of water and cover the pan with a lid. Turn the heat to low and cook the chicken for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 10 minutes, remove the lid, taste the keema, and adjust the seasonings if needed. Finish with 8-10 sprigs cilantro (chopped) a pat of Butter.

To serve keema pav

Toast the 6 Pavs (Indian style dinner rolls) with Butter. Serve with hot keema, Lemon wedges and Sliced red onion on the side.

Video

Notes

Cooking the masala: Brown the onion well - this is non-negotiable for authentic flavor. Cook the tomatoes until the oil separates, creating a rich masala base. This is called Bhoono. If you have been reading the blog for sometime, you know I'm a big fan of bhoonoing.
Break up meat thoroughly: no large chunks.
Spice level: For a mild level, use ½ a serrano chili pepper in the ginger-garlic paste and ¼ teaspoon of red chili powder. Use jalapeno pepper for milder spice and thai chili pepper to increase the spice level.
Pav or dinner rolls: Use soft, fresh pav or dinner rolls. Don't skip the butter when toasting the pavs; toast over medium heat to achieve a crisp texture and avoid burning.
Meat choice: Lamb or goat is traditional, but turkey or beef should work as well. For lamb and goat, add the yogurt to the masala; for leaner meats, add 1 tablespoon of extra ghee or oil.

Nutrition