Lamb Keema

I made this recipe for dinner the other night. We don't frequently eat lamb, but both love it. Despite the long list of ingredients, this is quite quick to make, since it's made in the slow cooker. I simplified its preparation even further by cooking only the lamb and onion together and then dumping the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker instead of pre-cooking them for a minute in the pan, as the instructions said.

I cooked this on low for 10 hours and then left it on the 'keep warm' function for about an hour, as I was out all day. But this was a bit much, as it became a bit crunchy around the edges.

1 tbsp. vegetable oil (I omitted this)
2 lbs. ground lamb
2 onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. gingerroot, minced
1 to 2 serrano chilies, finely chopped
1 piece cinnamon stick, about 2 inches
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cumin seeds (I substituted ground cumin)
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked black peppercorns
pinch ground cloves
1 bay leaf
1 can (798 mL) tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 C frozen peas, thawed
1/2 C plain yogurt (optional)
hot cooked rice



1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Drain off liquid.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, gingerroot, chili pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin seeds, turmeric, salt, pepper and cloves and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add bay leaf, tomatoes and lemon juice and bring to a boil.

3. Pour mixture over meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 10 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until hot and bubbling. Add peas. Cover and cook on high 15-20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Just before serving, stir in yogurt, if using. Serve immediately.

Variation: for beef keema, substitute 2 lbs. ground beef for the lamb.

Serves 6 to 8.