Keema aloo gawar is my favourite way to use cluster beans. Cooked in onion and tomato masala, this minced meat with potato and cluster beans makes a delicious side for Indian bread like chapati, kulcha or naan.
My love for meat stew with veggies is evident in my Kerala stew, Emirati stew or the Goulash! Apart from taste, it saves me time in the kitchen and fewer dishes in the sink. Don't you agree?
Inspiration
I first had Keema aloo gawar phali dish in Bangalore. My paying guest owner's wife - we call her Babhie (sister-in-law) - is the one who cooked food for all the girls. Some of her dishes are still a memory for me because I have not been able to recreate them. I am not sure of her ethnicity but they spoke Urdu and no doubt the food was exceptionally good especially during Ramadan and eid days. As the only Muslim girl in her paying guest, I did get to taste their best food for sehri and Iftar. And guess what? they love my chai 😄 I stayed there for six years which should speak volumes about their homely food and some of my first lessons in roti making. 😊
I could have just messaged her and asked for the recipe, but honestly, I have lost touch and it feels awkward to now reach out with the pretext of a recipe. Vajeeha babhie's food inspired me to try this and I adapted Cook with Faiza's aloo keema.
Cluster Beans (Gawar Phali)
Cluster beans - guar, govar, gavar, gawar, kothavarangai, gori kayi, goru chikkudu, and kothamara are regional names for cluster beans in India. I read that cluster beans are great for diabetic people as they have higher fibre content which helps maintain the blood sugar levels after a meal. Grown all over India and mostly harvested around September to November but are generally available all year these days. They need more cooking time than the regular green beans and so I add them along with potatoes. Cluster bean's taste is distinctive and compliments the meat and potato - therefore, I deem cluster beans as the star of this dish. 😋
Keema Aloo Gawar Phali is now our family favourite and sure a keeper recipe. F is hard to please with vegetables but if there is even a shy amount of meat, he will buy it. 😁Don't like cluster beans? or can't source them? You can still use this same recipe and replace cluster beans with boiled or frozen green peas and add them towards the end of the cooking.
Ingredients used in Keema aloo gawar
- Oil/Fat: Use a mix of ghee and any neutral cooking oil.
- Veggies: red onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, potato, cluster beans, green chillies, fresh coriander leaves
- Meat: I have tried with ground lamb, mutton and beef. I have used lamb mince you may use mutton or beef but cooking time may differ slightly. It would be better to use ground meat with some fat content as that adds flavour to this dish but you may use fatless meat too.
- Whole spices: cumin seeds
- Ground spices: chilli flakes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala
How to make keema aloo gawar ki sabzi?
How to cook minced meat with potatoes? Firstly, prepare the ingredients.
- Chop the potatoes and cluster beans around an inch in size.
- I don't wash ground meat but if you do, then wash and let it drain before you use it.
- You can start cooking in a pressure cooker but I find cooking in the pot more convenient and controllable.
Add the sliced onions and ginger-garlic paste and fry them until lightly golden brown. (approx 5 to 6 minutes)
Add the minced meat and cook on medium to high flame until it the meat browns and the moisture is entirely absorbed. Continue to cook until you can see the oil oozing out in the sides. (approx 10 minutes)
I like to chop tomatoes large and chunky as they will anyways get cooked down by the end. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and fresh ginger.
chilli flakes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin seeds. Cook this until the tomatoes are reduced. (approx 8 to 10 minutes)
Add the potato chunks and chopped cluster beans and mix well.
Add enough water and bring this to a boil. (approx 5 minutes)
Cover and cook on low to medium flame for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes and beans are cooked. Do stir a few times in between the cooking.
Hope you have a north Indian or Pakistani garam masala which makes a lot of difference to this dish. Open and turn the flame to high and sprinkle garam masala, fresh coriander, green chillies and switch off after a minute or two. Serve hot with kulcha, naan, chapati or any other Indian flatbread.
📖 Recipe Card
Keema Aloo with Gawar Phali
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 tablespoons sunflower oil , any neutral oil (optional)
- 1 large onion, sliced finely
- 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 500 grams ground meat, lamb or beef or mutton
- 1 inch ginger, julienned
- 1 large tomato, chopped roughly
- 2 teaspoon chilli flakes
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 to 3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup chopped cluster beans, gawar ki phali
- 1¼ cups water
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- 2 to 3 green chillies, chopped
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a saucepan or pot on a medium to high flame. Add the sliced onions and ginger-garlic paste and fry them until lightly golden brown.2 tablespoons ghee1 tablespoons sunflower oil1 large onion2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- Add the minced meat and cook on medium to high flame until it browns and the moisture is entirely absorbed. Continue to cook until you can see the oil coming out.500 grams ground meat
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes and fresh ginger, chilli flakes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Cook this until the tomatoes are reduced.1 inch ginger1 large tomato2 teaspoon chilli flakes¼ teaspoon turmeric powder1 teaspoon red chilli powder2 teaspoon coriander powder2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Add the potato chunks and chopped cluster beans and mix well.2 to 3 medium-sized potatoes1 cup chopped cluster beans
- Add enough water and salt. Bring this to a boil.1¼ cups waterSalt to taste
- Cover and cook on low to medium flame for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes and beans are cooked. Do stir in a few times in between the cooking.
- Open and turn the flame to high and sprinkle garam masala, fresh coriander, green chillies and switch off after a minute or two. Serve hot with kulcha, naan, chapati or any other Indian flatbread.½ teaspoon garam masalaFresh coriander leaves2 to 3 green chillies
Unknown says
Thank you for this lovely recipe.. my father is a foodie so he said me to cook kheema with cluster beans and aloo and I didn't ever heard about this combination .. not knowing what to do ..I searched for it and the first article was yours.. and honestly .. such an easy recipe it was ..and so it made my day