Kheema mattar is one of the most popular restaurant curries.
My kids absolutely love kheema mattar. In fact, it was the first curry recipe I taught them when they began to want to help out in the kitchen. I like to use minced lamb leg which is not as fatty as other cuts.
Kheema mattar is one of the easiest and fastest lamb curries to make. It goes great with rice, naan or chippati bread. Traditionally, this northern Indian specialty would have been served with naan and eaten by hand using the bread to soak up every last drop of the spicy, savoury sauce.
Kheema mattar is also used often in samosas and in special kheema naans. If you would like to try your hand at making lamb samosas, check out my crab samosa recipe and substitute this popular minced lamb for the crab meat.
The results are amazing a go very well with all of my Indian chutney or pickle recipes.
International & UK Orders
How to Make Kheema Mattar - A Traditional Lamb Keema and Pea Curry

Ingredients
- 500g (1 1/4 lbs) lean minced lamb
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 5 cloves
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 red onions finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic - mashed into a paste with a drop of water
- 1 inch ginger - mashed into a paste with a drop of water
- 3 green chillies - finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 200g frozen or fresh peas
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a large sauce pan and heat over medium heat.
- Add all the whole spices and allow to fry for about 30 seconds. Throw in the chopped onions a continue frying until the onion turns translucent and lightly browned.
- Pour in the garlic and ginger paste and sauté for about 3 minutes. Then add the chopped green chillies, minces lamb and the salt. Cook for a further 3 minutes.
- To this add about 250ml (1 cup) of water and bring to a rolling simmer. Add the tomatoe paste and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Throw in the peas and cook for another 10 minutes until the peas are just cooked through.
- Add the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately.
- I hope you like this dish as much as my family does. Be sure to stop back and let me know how you got on.
Faye
Thursday 14th of October 2021
My kids loved it as much as yours!! Thumbs up! ๐
Dan Toombs
Monday 18th of October 2021
Great, really good your kids enjoyed it! Thanks Dan
Luke
Saturday 4th of September 2021
Really impressed with this dish. I've tried lots of different Indian dishes and this is up there with one of my favourites. Fairly simply, but full of flavour.
Dan Toombs
Monday 6th of September 2021
Thank you very much, I am really glad you enjoyed the recipe. Dan
Jehni
Sunday 23rd of August 2020
Great recipe, thank you! I make keema curry a lot but was after something a bit more authentic that used the original whole spices. I veganised it really easily by swapping the lamb mince for TVP but I reckon you could use lentils just as well. Also added a can of tomatoes (as my original keema recipie always used fresh or canned tomatoes) added some corriander and turmeric powder and a bit less salt as others have mentioned and it was brilliant. Thanks for sharing!
Carol Haslam
Thursday 30th of August 2018
Curry sauce in the 60s used to buy at the curry in a bowl to take home anybody remembers this
Carol Haslam
Thursday 30th of August 2018
Hi I just to live in Manchester werethere was a curry sop ok stretdord rd Hulme use to go back in the days with our bib bowl for curry can anyone remember the name thanks