Keema Dal recipe

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I have joined the “reducetarian” movement which “aims to improve human health, protect the environment, and spare farm animals from cruelty by reducing societal consumption of animal products.” I am committing to eliminating food and water waste and reducing the use of meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, and dairy in my kitchen by at least 50 percent starting today. If you too have been alarmed by the recent global climate events and are committed to making small changes in personal behavior, then join along. Our collective action can have a significant impact on the environment. 

There are hundreds of blogs that are dedicated to promoting vegan recipes, but few that address the needs of those people who want to make responsible and conscious food choices but cannot make the transition to a completely vegan diet overnight. My new series of “reducetarian recipes” aims to bridge that gap by sharing recipes that use meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy, but sparingly. 

This Keema dal recipe (minced meat dal) is the star of ethical meat dishes or reducetarian recipes, in my opinion. It is cooked entirely in a pressure cooker, which saves energy and makes sure that you have only one pot to wash after cooking. By adding meat to a rich lentil dish, we are using less than half the meat than we would if we were making keema curry. We can add spinach, peas, papaya, more tomatoes, and even sliced green beans to incorporate more veggies. It can be eaten with rice, bread, naan, roti, parantha, or even pita. Also, it will keep in the fridge for 4 days. 

I have used minced goat meat and split pigeon peas for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever minced meat or dal you have to make your own version of keema dal. Just make sure that you are buying grass-fed meat. I use mint leaves, but don’t buy it if you think you will have no other use for mint leaves after making this dish. We don’t want to waste anything. 

Keema Dal

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6

Equipment

• pressure cooker

Ingredients

  

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• 2 tbsp Vegetable or mustard oil
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp ginger
• 1 chopped green chili optional
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric optional
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder optional
• 1 tsp Salt adjust salt to taste
• 250 grams minced goat/lamb/chicken/turkey meat washed and drained 
• 1 cup split pigeon peas or toor dal you can use Lentils or Bengal grams too
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves optional
• 1 wedge lime squeeezed

Instructions

 

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add onions and cook till golden brown (you can reserve some brown onions for garnish). 
• Add ginger, chopped tomatoes, green chili and cook until oil separates. 
• Now add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander, powder chili powder, salt, and cook for 2 more minutes. 
• Add minced meat. Once the meat starts changing color, add split pigeon peas and water. Close the lid and cook until 2 whistles are given out (it really depends on the pressure cooker, so you will know best). 
• Once the steam has escaped, open the lid and add garam masala powder, mint leaves and squeeze in the lime. 
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with more mint leaves and reserved fried onions. 

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