Basic Kheema filling {ALL PURPOSE GROUND MEAT MIX}

Basic Kheema filling~Chundo {ALL PURPOSE GROUND MEAT MIX}
Growing up my Mum only cooked with minced lamb, whether it was her famous meatballs, matar kheema nu shaak, samosa or bateta chop/champ. My MaaIL cooked with only minced beef; I on the other hand only use minced chicken.
Mum and MaaIL had different ways for drying the mince for samosa or cutlets: my Mum marinated the mince overnight with ginger, garlic, green chili paste, and dry cooked it the next day (a very common East African way of cooking samosa stuffing) whilst my MaaIL used oil to sauté the mince dry, the oil she used lent the fatty moistness to the stuffing. I follow both their ways of cooking depending on what I am making, but since I grind my own chicken (breast) mince, which when cooked tends to be drier, I add a bit of oil so that it sticks together.
I also either use finely mandolin diced onions, but prefer spring onions two ways- the white parts are sautéed in the oil, making them soft and sweet and the greens are sprinkled on top for their bright hue.
This versatile and simple savory mince recipe is ready in 30 minutes or less. Once I realized that many of my ground meat recipes began the same way, these little frozen mincemeat packets became a mainstay in my freezer. An easy throw together chicken mince with ginger, garlic, green chili paste, salt and a pinch of turmeric for color (because white chicken meat is so not attractive), is the starting point of many of my recipes. I make a big batch and freeze some for future cooking shortcuts for busier days when there's little time to plan and cook. It’s the base I use for so many meals, adding ingredients and spices like Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, Pasta sauce, Oregano, black pepper, garam masala, coriander-cumin powder, carrots, peas, potatoes, onions, spring onions, and cilantro as needed to create a myriad of different meals like:
Kheema paratha, Kheema naan, Kheema mani, bateta champ, samosa, potato & kheema cutlets, Mincemeat pastry rolls, Kheema pies, keema biryani, Cornish pasties, cottage pie, meatloaf, cottage pie dauphinois; lahmajun/pide, taco salads, taco potatoes, loaded nachos, chicken & rice enchiladas, chili con carne, shepherd’s pie, moussaka, Bolognese mac ‘n’ cheese, chicken pad kra pao …having friends for a last minute dinner? Pull out the kheema and make the basic meat masala and you have keema nu shaak in under 20 minutes, they have kids? Open a jar of really good pasta sauce add the kheema and you have Bolognese(or sloppy joes or lasagna) in under 10 minutes while the spaghetti cooks, or reheat some mince in a pan with olive oil, scramble an egg with lots of black pepper add the kheema and make my MaaIl’s chunda wari grilled sandwiches.
To make the basic all purpose meat filling:
- 2 lbs (4 cups) lean ground Chicken/lamb/beef
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil (optional my MaaIl used it)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1.5 tsp. garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp. Thai green paste or more
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1.5 tsp. ground cumin and coriander powder (Dhana jeera)
- 1/2 tsp dry red chilli powder (optional)
- 2 cups finely cut yellow/Spanish onions
- 1 cup finely cut green onion (cut in ½ lengthwise first)
- 1 tsp. garam masala
- 2 tsp. salt or to taste
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice
- ½ cup finely cut cilantro
- 3 green onions, finely sliced (optional but recommend)
- 2 finely cut jalapeño or Thai hot chilies (optional)
- 8 fresh mint leaves finely cut (optional)
- Heat a large skillet or wok on medium heat and add the ground meat with the 1/4 cup water.( My MaaIL used to heat a bit of oil and add the meat - I do it both ways)
- Stirring continuously and breaking up the mince, until finely crumbled.
- Add, ginger, garlic and chilli pastes, salt, turmeric, cumin & coriander powder
- Cook for 8-9 minutes, stirring at regular intervals, until all the juices are absorbed and the mixture is dry
- Stir in the lime juice and the garam masala and red chilli powder (if using) and cook for a further minute.
- Leave the mixture to cool down before adding the onions, spring onions and cilantro ( jalapeno and mint if using). Mix well.
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