Vegetarian Keema Curry with Peas and Potatoes
Try this Vegetarian keema curry with peas and potatoes recipe.
Try this Vegetarian keema curry with peas and potatoes recipe.
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- sea salt to taste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 500 g frozen soy or quorn mince
- 1 4 cm piece of fresh ginger grated
- 220 g frozen peas
- 1 large potato cut into 2cm cubes
- 2 tsp curry powder (i used madras)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 400 g cans of chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml hot vegetable stock or water
- chopped fresh coriander to garnish
- Carbohydrate 35.99471 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 11.7963300043822 g
- Fiber 11.8919000597 g
- Protein 12.76245 g
- Saturated Fat 1.02834093782275 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (745g)
- Sodium 396.008 mg
- Sugar 24.1028099403 g
- Trans Fat 0.501872187553331 g
- Calories 289 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and fry the onion until soft. Then add the vegetarian mince and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, the ginger, the peas, the potato cubes and the spices and stir well. Then tip in the chopped tomatoes and the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for approximately 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the stock has evaporated, then season to taste and garnish with chopped coriander.
- Serve hot with boiled basmati rice or naan bread.
Swapping frozen soy mince for textured vegetable protein changes the hydration dynamics entirely, requiring an extra 150 milliliters of liquid to account for dry rehydration rates. Traditional meat-based keema relies on rendered animal fat to fry aromatics, but plant-based analogues demand precise control over vegetable oil application to prevent sticking in a wide skillet.
Managing Moisture and Starch in Plant-Based Curries
Building flavor in a vegetarian curry requires allowing the finely chopped onions to reach translucent softness before introducing spices. Spices contain fat-soluble aromatic compounds that release fully only when fried in oil for roughly 60 seconds, rather than dumped directly into aqueous tomatoes. Cutting the potatoes into uniform two-centimeter cubes ensures they finish softening within the thirty-minute simmer window alongside the frozen peas. Simmering uncovered allows the 500 milliliters of vegetable stock and canned tomatoes to reduce until starches from the potatoes thicken the sauce naturally.
- Avoid overcrowding the frying pan, which traps steam and prevents onions from browning properly.
- Test potato cubes with the tip of a paring knife at the 25-minute mark to check for internal resistance.
- Add frozen peas during the final ten minutes of cooking to maintain bright green color and prevent mushy textures.
