Keema Aloo Guar

Keema aloo guar is my favourite way to use cluster beans. Cooked in an onion and tomato sauce, 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 the Keema aloo guar phali dish in Bangalore while staying as a paying guest with a muslim family. The owner's wife, whom we call Babhie (sister-in-law), is the one who cooked food for all the girls. I am not sure of her ethnicity, but they spoke Urdu and no doubt the food was exceptionally good, especially during Ramadan.

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 Bhabhi's food inspired me to try this, and I adapted Cook with Faiza's aloo keema.  

Cluster Beans

Cluster beans - guar, govar, gavar, gawar, kothavarangai, gori kayi, goru chikkudu, and kothamara are regional names for cluster beans in India. They need more cooking time than the regular green beans, so I add them along with potatoes. Cluster beans' taste is distinctive and complements the meat and potatoes - therefore, I deem cluster beans as the star of this dish. 😋

Keema Aloo is now our family favourite and sure a keeper recipe. F is hard to please with vegetables, but if there is even a small amount of meat, he will buy it. 😁

Don't like cluster beans? Or can't source them? You can still use this recipe, but replace cluster beans with boiled or frozen green peas, and add them towards the end of the cooking. 

Notes on Ingredients

In Photos: How to make Keema Aloo

How to cook minced meat with potatoes? Firstly, prepare the ingredients.

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 the meat browns and the moisture is absorbed. Continue to cook until you can see the oil oozing out on the sides. (approx 10 minutes)

I like to chop tomatoes large and chunky, as they will get cooked down by the end. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and fresh ginger.

Add the chilli flakes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. 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 a low to medium flame for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes and beans are cooked. Do stir a few times in between the cooking. 

Use my 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.

Related Recipes You'll Love

If you have more minced meat, try my Keema Biryani recipe. It uses familiar flavours but transforms them into a one-pot rice dish that works well for weekends or guests.

You can also try to make oven-baked keema naan for a complete, satisfying plate. If you're planning a mixed spread, koftay ka salan is another excellent minced-meat option.

For balance, add a vegetable side such as my aloo gobi matar. And if you have leftover boiled potatoes or want a snack idea for another day, aloo bonda makes a great teatime snack.

📖 Recipe Card

Keema Aloo with Cluster Beans

Minced meat (keema), potato (aloo) and cluster beans (gawar phali) dish is cooked in onion, ginger and tomato with spices is served with Indian bread.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 3 people

Calories: 720kcal

By: Famidha Ashraf

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Ingredients

 

½x1x2x3x

• ▢ 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 powder
• ▢ 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 ghee

  1 tablespoons sunflower oil any neutral oil (optional)

  1 large onion sliced finely

  2 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 lamb or beef or mutton
• 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 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 powder
• Add the potato chunks and chopped cluster beans and mix well.
  2 to 3 medium-sized potatoes peeled and cubed

  1 cup chopped cluster beans gawar ki phali
• Add enough water and salt. Bring this to a boil.
  1¼ cups water

  Salt 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 masala

  Fresh coriander leaves chopped

  2 to 3 green chillies chopped

Nutrition Info

Calories: 720kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.49g | Protein: 33.28g | Fat: 50.14g

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani

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