Qeema matar

Start by peeling and slicing 4 medium sized onions.

In a saucepan, heat 150ml of oil.
Once the oil is hot add all the whole spices; 4 bay leaves, 4 cardamom pods, 3 – 4 cinnamon sticks and 2 star anise petals.

Once the spices have released their aromas add the sliced onions, 2 tsp of minced garlic, 2 tsp of minced ginger….and 1.5 – 2 tsp of salt.

Give all the ingredients a good mix, cover the saucepan and leave to cook over a low – medium flame for about 8 – 10 minutes, till the onions become translucent and golden in colour.

Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the mince.

Cook the mince over a high heat, stirring continuously to prevent clumps forming.
Once the mince looks brown all over, cover the saucepan again and let it cook for 5 – 8 minutes.

The mince may look dry at this stage, that’s fine as we are going to be adding ground spices and don’t want too much liquid in the pan, to allow the spices to fry properly

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder… mixed curry powder and  of dried fenugreek leaves

Mix the spices and allow to fry for a 8 – 10 minutes over a medium flame. This will not only help the spices to release their taste/aroma, it will also help any large bits of onion to break down further.

After this time is up, add water for the final boil. I added 1 pint of cold water, however if you like your curry gravy to be very loose, you may add more than this.

Bring the curry to a boil and add frozen peas just as the curry reaches boiling point.

Allow the curry to boil for 8 – 10 minutes over a high heat, then simmer gently for 5 more minutes. The Keema Matar is done when the peas are cooked and the gravy has thickened a little.

You may garnish the curry with coriander leaves or leave it plain.