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–+ servings
Large skillet of ground beef curry with rice and naan on the side.

Ground Beef Curry (Aloo Keema)

Lindsay
Make your own mild ground beef curry at home! This recipe is done in 45 minutes and is absolutely foolproof and delicious.
5 from 54 ratings
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ large onion diced
  • 2 medium carrots diced
  • 2 medium potatoes peeled (optional) and diced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
  • ½ inch fresh ginger grated (see note)
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons Madras curry powder (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups water
  • rice and/or naan, optional for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large skillet to medium heat with a tablespoon or two of oil - whatever you like to cook with.
  • Add the diced onion and sauté for 3 minutes or so, stirring as you go, until the onion is brown.
  • Add the beef and let it cook and brown, breaking it up with a spoon as you go.
  • When the beef is brown and crumbly, add the carrot and potato to the ground beef mixture. Stir for 3 minutes to soften the veggies slightly. (if the veggies start to stick, reduce the heat)
  • Add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, curry powder, and salt to the skillet. Stir for 1 minutes to evenly distribute the flavor components.
  • Add the water to the skillet and let the mixture come to a simmer. Stir well to scrape the bottom of the skillet. Simmer the curry for 30-40 minutes, covered, until the potatoes are tender/cooked through and the curry has thickened.
  • Taste the curry and add more salt until the curry is very flavorful. Serve with rice and naan, if you'd like. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Potatoes: I like gold or russet potatoes for this recipe, but honestly any potato you like will work well.
  • Garlic and Ginger: The garlic and ginger can be fresh or in paste form here, OR you can use ginger-garlic paste which is often found in Indian kitchens. If using pastes, go for about 1 teaspoon ginger paste and 1 tablespoon garlic paste.
  • Ginger: I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and grate it using a zester from frozen. There is no need to peel the ginger when you use it this way, and it lasts forever in the freezer!
  • Curry: Madras curry powder is easily found online, but you can also substitute HALF garam masala and HALF yellow curry powder for the Madras if you have that on hand instead. Both variations are delicious.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!