Easy Keema Pulao (Keema Rice)

Keema pulao, or Keema rice is a one-pot rice dish combining minced meat with fragrant long-grain basmati rice and aromatic spices. This savory ground meat and rice pilaf is perfect for main course on weeknights or you can serve it as a side dish for an indian feast. 

I use ground lamb, however mutton mince, goat keema, chicken mince, ground beef or ground turkey will also work beautifully in this recipe. Keema pulao takes about 40-45 minutes to make on stove top.

I am also including the instant pot and pressure cooker instructions (these two methods save you about 10-12 minutes of rice cooking time).

Keema pulao is not a dish that I grew up eating in mom's kitchen. The only meat pulao that she cooked was mutton yakhni pulao.

I ventured into developing this ground meat and rice recipe around a decade back when my elder one was a toddler and had a fondness for ground meat. Just like chicken pulao, it instantly became our favorite weeknight meal because it's really quick & easy to make.

What makes it even more appealing is its versatility, you can incorporate vegetables and experiment with various flavors to make it a delightful for the entire family.

What Is Keema

Keema, kheema or qeema, no matter how you spell and pronounce it - in Hindi or Urdu, it simply means minced meat. Keema is used in a ton of ways all over the indian subcontinent.

Lets talk about keema in a bit of detail, shall we? Now, all keema is not created equal.

1. Typically, in the india, keema or minced meat is made by coarsely grinding superior cuts of meat with fat. Though I am guilty of referring to ground meat as keema many times, but ground meat or chicken often has water or binders added in while grinding. Also the fat content varies- that's why you find all these 80-20 or 93-7 lean ground meat varieties at your store.

2. Dad used to purchase "haath ka bana hua keema" from butchers, which was prepared by mincing the meat with hands using very sharp knifes. As a result, the texture or keema is coarser and you could sometimes spot tiny pieces of meat in there. Ground meat is typically finer in texture.

3. Lastly, flavor! Both minced meat and ground meat are meant for different dishes. For pulao and curries, I recommend a coarse grind with strong flavor of meat but if you are making seekh kebab or burgers, ground meat with a milder flavor is a better choice.

I don't own a meat grinder and do not have the luxury of a butcher who will grind meat for me so I settle for what's available in the store shelf (sigh!). However, if you have the oppurtunity, get hold of your butcher and ask him to keep the keema slightly coarse for making keema pulao or keema biryani.

Keema Pulao

Keema pulao is made together by cooking together keema,browned onions, spices and basmati rice. I prefer using whole spices when it comes to my pulao and since meat is so flavorful on its own, I go lighthanded on the whole spices too.

To make it more hearty and since we love the combination of meat and potatoes, I add potato cubes to my keema pulao recipe. You can leave them out, but who can say no to potatoes? Definitely not me.

Is this Keema biryani?

Simple answer - No. I will tell you why.

• No Layers - Primarily, biryani is a layered rice dish. When I make biryani, I create layers of par boiled basmati rice and cooked meat (or chicken) together with crispy fried onions, fresh herbs etc. Here, in keema pulao, I simply cook rice and keema together with whole spices.
• No Dum Cooking - For me, it is not a biryani unless I dum cook the rice dish - meaning slow cooking layers of rice and meat in a sealed pot over indirect heat.
• Mild flavors - Biryani has intense flavors from birista (fried onions), biryani masala and aromatic ingredients such as kewda water or saffron. Pulao has a mild flavor and hint of whole spices.

Ingredients

• Keema - Hero Ingredient! I use lamb keema (or goat meat keema whenever I am lucky enough to find it). You could use ground beef too. The taste of will slightly vary depending on kind of keema that you will use. For this recipe, I like using 85/15 lamb keema. 85/15 means 85 percent lean ground lamb with 15 percent fat. This ground lamb brings about the best flavor without making the pulao heavy.
• Aged Long Grain Basmati Rice - I love use extra long basmati rice in our house and thats what I use for pulao. I am really obessed with fluffy, well cooked rice in my rice dishes. This brand of extra long grain basmati rice is what I use. It cooks out beautifully! Make sure that you are purchasing aged extra long grain or long grain basmati rice cultivated in india. It is different from long grain white rice. 
• Whole Spices - You could switch up whole spices to your liking or whats available in your pantry. Use green cardamom if you do not have black cardamom. 
• Fresh Mint Leaves- With lamb, fresh mint pairs beautifully.
• Onions - I prefer using red onions. Yellow onions will work too.
• Potatoes - I use russet potatoes. Cut the potatoes small so that they cook in the time that rice takes to cook. You could use vegetables like green peas, diced carrots or bell peppers.
• Mustard Oil - If you visit my website often, you already know that I love to cook north indian food in mustard oil. However, subsitute with avocado oil or any cooking oil you prefer to use at home.

Instructions

Soak The Rice

• Measure the basmati rice and place it in a large bowl. Cover with water and gently scrub with your hands. Rinse 3–4 times until the water runs clear. Soak in plenty of water for 20–30 minutes.

Brown The Keema

• In a heavy cooking pot (I use a 3 qt enamaled cast iron cooking pot), warm up the mustard oil.
• Add all the whole spices. Fry the spices for 10-15 seconds in hot oil taking care they don't burn.

• Add the sliced onions and cook over low-medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Avoid frequent stirring, as it can make the onions soft and mushy. We’re aiming for crispy, browned onions that will turn slightly stringy by the end of cooking the pulao.

• Add the minced ginger, garlic, and a tablespoon of water. For extra heat, you can also add red chili powder, minced green chilies, or slit hot Indian green chilies—but I skip the green chilies since my kids prefer mild pulao.
• Sauté for 10–15 seconds, then add the ground lamb. Season with salt and, optionally, black pepper. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and mix well with the onions.
• Increase the heat to high and brown the meat. As it cooks, it will release moisture—this is normal. After 5–8 minutes, the liquid will reduce, and the meat will turn deep brown and start to glisten. The mixture should not be too watery, but don’t dry it out completely. Adjust cooking time based on the meat’s quality.
• Once browned, add the yogurt and stir immediately to prevent curdling. Cook on low-medium heat for 2–3 minutes until the yogurt’s fat separates.
• Add cubed potatoes (if using) and chopped mint. Sauté for 1.5–2 minutes to begin cooking the potatoes.

Cooking Keema Pulao on Stove Top

• Add the soaked basmati rice and salt. Pour in 2 cups of warm water for every cup of rice, then add the lemon juice. Gently mix and taste the water—it should be noticeably salty for well-seasoned pulao.
• Bring to a gentle boil over low-medium heat. Once it starts boiling, cover with a lid, reduce to low heat, and cook for 8–12 minutes, or until the water is fully absorbed.

• Open the lid, check if all the water has absorbed,cover again and let the pulao sit for 7-9 minutes for rice to firm up. Do not fluff right now - the rice is very soft and it will turn mushy.
• After 10 minutes, gently fluff the rice. Using a soft spatula or a small saucer, scoop the pulao from side of the pot.
• Garnish the keema pulao with some deep fried onions or chopped coriander leaves. Serve with a tangy side like raita, fresh salad and green chutney with this pulao.
• Keema pulao leftovers stay well (without changing taste) for 2-3 days refrigerated.

Cook in Instant Pot Or Pressure Cooker

For Instant Pot use 1:1 rice to water ratio. Pressure Cook on high for 4 minutes and then let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes and then manually release. Open the lid and fluff the rice.

For Pressure Cooker, use 1:1.5 rice to water ratio. Cook on low medium heat for 7-8 minutes (or 2-3 whistles). Let pressure come down naturally.

Recipe Tips

• Brown The Meat - One of the best ways to get instant flavor boost in any meat dish, be it with keema or meat pieces is to take your time to brown the meat. Browning helps get rid of moisture of meat and meat releases its fat . Fat = flavor! Those charred bits of meat that contribute immensely to flavor too.
• Don't use unsoaked rice- Always soak rice. For at least for 20 minutes. Soaking helps the rice soften and contributes to even cooking. Secondly, soaking helps get rid of soluble starches in rice, reduced level of starches mean that the rice wont be sticky when you cook it. Lastly, I feel that the rice tastes much softer & takes less time when we cook it after soaking.
• Don't skimp on oil - If you reduce oil quanity, your pulao will taste like steamed rice. Also, chances are that the pulao will be sticky becasue oil prevents the rice grains from sticking to each other.
• Use a Heavy Pot - Traditional cookware like a deg(or lagan) work perfectly. Else use good old dutch oven for stove top cooking. A heavy pot retains heat, will not get scorched easily and most of all, aid in even, consistent cooking of rice.