Everyday Food~Pakistani Kima (Ground Beef Curry)

Very few recipes have endured the tests of time (25 years) and taste, but Pakistani Kima, from the Mennonite More With Less Cookbook, is one such recipe. It has all the requirements of a great family recipe: easy-to-find and healthy ingredients, economical, one-pot meal, delicious. And, notice the TS notation in the top right-hand corner of the recipe. That stands for Time Saver--yet another great feature of this recipe. I made this ground beef curry just last night and Tayta reminded me that it is one of her favorite meals. I recall others of my children saying the same.

You can see from my well-used cookbook that I've made this dish often. I've strayed from the original recipe over the years, so I offer here my version which increases the spices and vegetables. I've made this so often that I've come to add vegetables by sight, but yesterday I took the time to measure everything so that I could share my recipe accurately.

Nothing-Fancy-But-Always-Satisfying

~Pakistani Kima~

Saute in a large pan:

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion. chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

Add:

1 pound ground beef

As meat browns, add:

1 1/2 Tablespoons curry powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

dash each: cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric

Stir in:

3 medium-large potatoes, diced

2-3 cups diced carrots (I cut half or quarter carrot slices depending on the size of the carrot--we have quite a variation of sizes in Jordan!)

1 1/2 cups or so frozen peas-or-corn-or-green beans. The original recipe calls for peas, which my kids weren't crazy about as frozen peas in Jordan were dry. I used corn for a number of years, but as we've tried to make our eating healthier, I've omitted the corn and added green beans.

I saute the vegetables together with the meat, onions, and spices a bit before adding the liquid.

Add:

3 cups tomato puree. If you live in tomato-land-of-plenty as I do, you can toss several fresh tomatoes into the blender to make your puree, or you can used canned or boxed diced tomatoes.

Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. If you've cut your potatoes and/or carrots on the larger side, you may need to cook it a little longer. Check at about 20 minutes and add some water if necessary.

EDIT: I am now using cauliflower instead of potatoes to make a healthier version of this meal. Substitute a small-medium head of cauliflower.

I served this with rice and a yogurt/cucumber/garlic sauce on the side:

Yogurt Cucumber Garlic Sauce

2 cups plain full-fat yogurt

1 cup finely chopped cucumbers (cut out seeds if you are in using American cucumbers.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

some chopped fresh mint or a little dried mint if you have it on hand

Many thanks to Ann Naylor of Ames Iowa for contributing the original recipe. Give the popularity of The More With Less Cookbook, I 'm sure it has been enjoyed by thousands of people, if not families.