Pakistani Kima - an Asian Main Dish Recipe
Rate this Asian Style Main Dish
Ground Beef Asian Style
Another great hamburger meal that you won't see everyday
This recipe is another one taken (graciously!) from my mom's cookbook. It requires a whole array of interesting spices - but it's worth the effort. This is a true, dyed in the wool recipe from Pakistan, and it is far from boring. The spices may look prohibitive but it is not overly hot nor overly spicy. We ate it as young children without any trouble, perhaps tots under age might require a slightly less spicy version.
To cook this lovely dish you only need one large skillet with a lid to cover for the final half hour of simmering. If you take my suggestion and make the hot rice, a rice cooker will do the job or an ordinary cooking pot. That means you only have two pots and pans to wash, which isn't bad.
Another way of serving it is in an Indian style tortilla, if you are lucky enough to have access to them. India and Pakistan are neighbors and many of the foods are similar.
As a side dish, I recommend a simple salad of sliced cucumber and sour cream (or sour cream combined with yogurt, if you are watching the fat intake). It is fresh and light, serving as an appropriate compliment to the spicy beef dish - and it is ethnically correct.
Asian Food Specialties
Cook Time - I allowed 10 mins for preparing the spices
Ingredients - lots of spices!
- 1 lg onion, chopped
- 2 TB vegetable oil
- 1 lb. hamburger (ground beef)
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 TB curry powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 - 8 oz can peas, or substite frozen peas, cooked
Stir fry and combine:
- Fry the onion in oil until light yellow, tender but not browned. This is an art form in itself. The oil must be hot enough to fry them, but if it begins to sizzle too aggressively, douse the skillet with a shot glass of water to cool things down a bit. Soft and tender onions are what we are aiming for.
- Now add the tomatoes, stir fry until they are slightly wilted and mushy. This will take another five minutes or so. Do not add water since tomatoes will release their own juice.
- Crumble up and add the meat to the tomato and onion mixture. Using a wooden spoon, cook the meat until it begins to firm up and get a darker shade of brown. This is important. Don't rush it, because if the meat is not adequately browned, the dish won't have its full flavor.
- Now it's time to add the seasonings. I recommend, like many other chefs have noted before me, to put together a tray of the necessary ingredients before beginning to cook. This will simplify matters and prevent the meat mixture from burning while scurrying around the kitchen for the missing spices you need to make this dish all that it can be. The seasonings are a bit zesty, so be sure to really mix them in well to the meat mixture. This will ensure a great blending of flavors and no spicy surprises due to not enough stirring.
- Now add the peas, but do not drain. The liquid from the can will work out nicely in the cooking of the meat and vegetables. If you have liquid from your frozen peas be sure to add that in too, up to 1/2 cup of liquid from your stove top pot or microwave.
- Cover your skillet and put it on low heat. The peas, meat and spices will now assimilate. The cooking process is basically finished, this is just the combining process. Give it a half hour to work its magic.
- This dish is best served on a fluffy bed of hot rice, preferably of the long grain variety. It is truly unusual, easy to prepare and economical as well. Bon Appetit! Enjoy!
(Including a 45 gram serving of cooked rice)
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: One plate | |
| Calories | 474 |
| Calories from Fat | 90 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 10 g | 15% |
| Saturated fat 4 g | 20% |
| Unsaturated fat 6 g | |
| Carbohydrates 41 g | 14% |
| Sugar 2 g | |
| Fiber 2 g | 8% |
| Protein 26 g | 52% |
| Cholesterol 72 mg | 24% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
