Equipment
Ingredients
Keema Filling
- 500 g lamb mince, room temperature
- 30 g ghee
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic, minced
- 1 ginger, grated
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- 10 g garam masala
- 5 g ground cumin
- 5 g ground coriander
- 3 g turmeric
- 30 g tomato paste
- 200 ml beef stock
- 240 g butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 g salt
- 15 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Pastry
- 320 g shortcrust pastry, chilled
- 320 g puff pastry, chilled
- 1 egg, beaten
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 908 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbohydrates
- 61 g
- Fat
- 62 g
- Fiber
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 966 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 21 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 27 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 9 g
- Cholesterol
- 67 mg
- Potassium
- 730 mg
- Calcium
- 74 mg
- Iron
- 6.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 60 mg
- Phosphorus
- 232 mg
- Zinc
- 3.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 88 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 19 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 27 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.52 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.50 mg
- Niacin
- 9.2 mg
- Folate
- 103 mcg
- Water
- 133 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and chop the green chili. Drain and rinse the butter beans.
Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and saute until softened and beginning to brown at the edges.
Add the garlic, ginger, green chili, garam masala, cumin, coriander, and turmeric to the skillet. Cook while stirring constantly until the spices are highly fragrant.
Add the lamb mince to the pan. Break it apart with a spatula and sear until completely browned and no pink remains. Ensure the internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F.
Stir in the tomato paste, beef stock, and butter beans. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat and reduce until the liquid is thick and heavily coats the meat and beans.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the chopped fresh coriander and salt to taste. Transfer the filling to a wide bowl or tray to cool completely to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan).
Roll out the shortcrust pastry using a rolling pin and line the 23cm pie dish. Spoon the completely cooled keema filling into the pastry base, spreading it in an even layer.
Drape the puff pastry over the top of the pie. Crimp the edges together to seal securely. Using a pastry brush, glaze the top generously with the beaten egg and cut three small slits in the center to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven until the puff pastry is fully risen, crisp, and deep golden brown.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it rest in the dish before slicing to allow the filling to set.
Chef's Notes
- Cooling the filling is non-negotiable for a good pie crust. If you are short on time, spread the hot filling on a large, flat baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator to rapidly bring the temperature down.
- Butter beans add a beautiful creamy, starchy contrast to the heavily spiced lamb, but chickpeas or standard garden peas can be used as a traditional substitute.
- If your pie dish is ceramic rather than metal, you may want to blind bake the shortcrust pastry base for 15 minutes with baking weights before adding the filling to guarantee a crisp bottom.
- Blooming the dry spices in the ghee before adding the meat is crucial to extract their fat-soluble flavor compounds and remove the raw spice taste.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container once completely cooled.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze unbaked or fully baked. If baking from frozen, add 20 minutes to the baking time.
Reheating: Reheat slices in a 180°C/350°F oven for 15-20 minutes to restore pastry crispness.
Troubleshooting
Pastry base is soggy and undercooked.
Cause: The keema filling was too hot when added, melting the pastry fat, or the filling was too watery.
Fix: Cover the top of the pie with aluminum foil and bake on the lowest oven rack for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
Prevention: Always cool the filling completely to room temperature before assembling and ensure the gravy is properly reduced.
Puff pastry top is browning too quickly before the base is cooked.
Cause: Oven temperature is too high or the pie is placed too high in the oven.
Fix: Tent the top of the pie loosely with aluminum foil to slow down the browning while the base continues to bake.
Prevention: Bake on the middle or lower-middle rack of the oven.
Cultural Context
Keema is a traditional South Asian minced meat dish, typically simmered with peas or potatoes in a robust, heavily spiced gravy. Here, it is adapted into a classic British savory pie format, reflecting the deep and historic culinary cross-pollination between the UK and India.
