Skip to content
Handiہانڈیاردو
Qorma, salan & curries

Matar Keema Recipe

مٹر قیمہ بنانے کا طریقہ

Beef keema bhuna with onion, tomato and a little yogurt, cooked with sweet winter peas until dry and glossy. Ready in under an hour.
WhatsApp
Illustration of Matar Keema

Prep

15 min

Cook

40 min

Total

55 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Medium hot

Matar keema is what Pakistani kitchens make when fresh peas flood the markets in winter. The mince is fried until browned, cooked in an onion-tomato masala with a spoon of yogurt, and the peas are added late so they stay green and sweet. It is a semi-dry dish: there should be just enough masala to scoop up with roti.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

To finish

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a wide pan on medium heat. Add the cumin, let it crackle, then add the onions and fry until golden.

    ⏱ 7 min

  2. Add the mince and ginger-garlic paste. Fry on high heat, breaking up lumps, until the water dries and the mince starts to brown.

    ⏱ 10 min

  3. Add the tomatoes, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric and bhuno until the tomatoes have melted.

    ⏱ 5 min

  4. Lower the heat, stir in the yogurt and keep frying until it is absorbed and oil separates from the masala.

    ⏱ 5 min

  5. Add the peas and water, cover and cook on low heat until the peas are tender. Frozen peas need about half the time.

    ⏱ 10 min

  6. Uncover and cook off any extra water. Add the garam masala, green chillies and coriander, cover for 2 minutes and serve.

    ⏱ 2 min

Tips for the best result

  • Fresh winter peas are sweetest. If you only have frozen, add them straight from the freezer for the last 5 minutes so they stay bright.
  • Old, starchy peas need a pinch of sugar and a few extra minutes.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the peas at the start with the mince. They turn grey and mushy.
  • Adding cold yogurt on high heat. It splits; keep the heat low and stir it in.

How to serve

Serve with roti or naan and raita. Leftovers make a good filling for keema paratha.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 3 days in the fridge and up to 1 month in the freezer.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
580kcal
Protein
27g
Fat
44g
Carbs
19g
Fibre
5.7g
Sodium
970mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 195

Whole dish ≈ Rs 785 · 81% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Matar Keema: questions people ask

Can I use frozen peas in matar keema?

Yes. Frozen peas are already blanched, so add them for the last 5 minutes only. There is no need to thaw them first.

Should matar keema be dry or with gravy?

Most homes make it semi-dry, with the masala clinging to the mince. If you want some gravy, add an extra cup of water with the peas and do not dry it off at the end.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All salan and qorma recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: مٹر قیمہ بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/matar-keema · Handi, DanixSoft