Kheema Pav – A popular street food in India, Kheema or Keema Pav is a robust, peppery curry dish made with minced chicken or lamb cooked with onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and earthy spices! Served with lightly toasted buns or pav laden with butter or homemade ghee on the griddle makes a blissful meal!
My mom arrived last week from India, she is visiting me after a long time and I am SO excited to have her with us. With her high spirits and energy, she has already tried her hand on the Instant Pot that she has been hearing all about.
What is Kheema?
Also known as Keema or Queema, Kheema is a Urdu word for minced meat such as chicken, lamb, beef, etc. The word Kheema means ground meat and it also means a spicy curry made with ground chicken often served with paav which are similar to hamburger buns/potato rolls.
Variations for making and serving Kheema:
- Add 1/2 cup of green peas to the curry just before pressure cooking.
- Add a peeled and diced potato and sauté it with the onions. This will give more thickness to the curry.
- Add 1-2 spicy green chilies or one diced jalapeño for spicier kheema.
- Substitute ground chicken with ground lamb, turkey or beef and follow the same recipe.
- Serve as a chili topped with diced red onions, jalapeños, corn, cilantro and a squeeze of lime for a gluten-free option.
PRO tip:
- When buying the rolls or buns to be served with Kheema, check the Sugar contents on the pack. As long as sugar is 2% or less the bread does not taste overly sweet and works well with Indian curries.
Step by step recipe for Kheema Paav in Instant Pot:
From the back of the camera as I shot this video it took me back to the fond memories of my childhood. Her waiting for the oil to heat up and then adding the cumin seeds, listening for the soft sizzle sound and a whiff from gently toasting them. Adding turmeric and roasting the spices at each step, soon filled up my kitchen with wonderful aromas.
Added a finely chopped onion and sautéed it until it turned soft and translucent.
Then stirred in diced tomatoes, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, ground coriander and salt.
The last step is to add the ground chicken, breaking it in and mixing it with the other ingredients in the pot. Add half a cup of water and pressure cook for 4 minutes.
This recipe works well with either natural pressure release or quick release. Garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro and enjoy with hot ghee-ladden potato rolls!
I am so excited to post my mom’s first recipe, Kheema Paav, on Ministry Of Curry!
I was very impatient and hungry (as usual) as I shot the video and honestly, the Kheema Pav was so full of flavor with heavnly aromas. The gorgeous orange hue from the Kashmiri red chili powder and turmeric, the warmth from the homemade garam masala and the earthy flavors from roasted coriander powder were spot on!
Here is Mom’s easy Chicken Kheema recipe:
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- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon garlic grated
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 2 to 3 teaspoons mild red chili powder We used Kashmiri Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coriander powder We lightly toasted the coriander seeds and then ground them
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped for garnish
- To serve:
- 1 tablespoon butter or ghee
- 8 potato rolls
Turn Instant Pot to sauté(more) mode and heat oil. Add cumin seeds and toast them for 30 seconds. Add turmeric powder and mix well. Add ginger and garlic, mix well.
- Add onion and sauté for a minute. Cook covered for 2 minutes with a glass lid on.
- Add tomatoes, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and coriander powder. Mix well.
- Add ground chicken and breaking it with a spatula. Add 1/2 cup of water (You can add 2 tablespoons of water for a thicker curry, but I like the extra gravy to dip the bread).
- Close Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual(Hi) for 4 mins followed by Natural Pressure Release.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with potato rolls or burger buns lightly toasted with some ghee on a griddle.
Recipe Video
Variations:
- Add 1/2 cup of green peas to the curry just before pressure cooking.
- Add a peeled and diced potato and sauté it with the onions. This will give more thickness to the curry.
- Add 1-2 spicy green chilies or one diced jalapeño for spicier kheema.
- Substitute ground chicken with ground lamb, turkey or beef and follow the same recipe.
- Serve as a chili topped with diced red onions, jalapeños, corn, cilantro and a squeeze of lime for a gluten-free option.
Tip:
- When buying the rolls or buns to be served with Kheema, check the Sugar contents on the pack. As long as sugar is 2% or less the bread does not taste overly sweet and works well with Indian curries.
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Author: Archana
Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
Am going to try to make it this week!
Awesome! Let me know.
Looks scrumptious!
Thank you Freda!!
I made this last night but it did not look as good as your photo. Taste was good but I added too much vegetables so the curry was too thick. I’ll try again next week. Thanks for the recipe.
What vegetables did you add?
I added 1 large potato and frozen carrots and peas.
Yes that is def a lot of vegetables. Increase the water next time. Also you can always adjust water in the end. Just warm up some water, add to IP and set IP to saute mode to bring the kheema to a gentle boil
Enjoy your time with your Mom, Archana! I’m keeping this recipe close by!
Thank you Annika❤️❤️
This was really delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I doubled the recipe and it worked fine in a 6 qt instant pot, if anyone else is wondering that. Also topped with a bit of red onion, cilantro and squeezed lime.
Hi Anu! Thank you for your feedback. Good to know that doubling the recipe works well in a 2 QT instant pot. And I love topping with red onion, cilantro and lime too!
I just made this thanks for the recipe. Mine is not as red as yours – I used Kashmiri chili powder too
Hi Rose! So glad you made this. I feel kashmiri chili powder based on the brand could also be bit different. I hope you enjoyed the taste!
With beef keema, long with sound I put on manual for?
Hi Hina, Although I have not tried with beef kheema, a few of my followers have tried with the same timings and it has worked. Let me know how it works out for you. Kheema flavors come out amazing in the Instant Pot!!
Hi Archana! Your recipes are amazing!!! Question on this one – have you tried this with ground lamb? would cook time be the same?
Hi Leena! Thank you! I have not tried this with ground lamb but a few of my readers have. Same cook time worked well for lamb too. Hope this helps.
Hi! I am making this tonight. Is cook time same if I add a large potato and peas? How much water to add? Thank you!!
Hi Archana! You can add potato and peas with same cook time and same water amount would suffice as peas have enough water contents. Let me know how it comes out.
Hi! Turned out great! Did it for 6 minutes and added extra water as my family likes more gravy..and salt because of the potato. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Archana! Thank you for your feedback. Happy to hear that you enjoyed the flavors of this easy kheema recipe.
Can you advise how long I would need to cook for if I double the meat (2 lbs ground chicken)?
Hi Masooma, only the sauté time for onions will increase. Pressure cooking time stays the same. Let me me know if you have any questions. You will love the flavors in this kheema!
thank you so much! making this today 🙂
You are welcome! Let me know how it comes out.
Hi Archana… do you get ground chicken ? Or do it at home ? Sorry it may seem like silly question but I am fairly new to cooking non-veg. Thanks!
Hey! It’s sold in grocery stores. Ask for ground chicken
I finally started enjoying cooking….thanks to you and IP …your recipes have been foolproof…..don’t have to change a thing, just following every word and it has turned out good every single time…..Thanks a lot….you are an awesome cook!
Thank you Veena for your lovely feedback. And you are100% right, the key is to follow the recipe exactly!
Turned out delicious!!! Followed the recipe perfectly! Thank you for sharing
You are welcome! Thank you for the feedback
Hi Archana. Do you use ground thigh or ground breast?
Hi Michelle, I use both!
Made this last night! Turned out great! Yummy! Thank you
Thank you Jincy!
I’ve now made this with ground chicken and ground turkey. Both are great.
My nine year old loves this recipe! He calls it “Indian Sloppy Joes.”
Thank you! I am glad your nine year old enjoys this.
Made this today with regular chili powder instead of Kashmiri as hubby likes spicy. The family loved it. Thank you!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. We have this on repeat in our house.
Can I use frozen ground meat?
Yes! Increase the cook time to 8 minutes.
I made this tonight for dinner and my whole family loved it!! Thanks for sharing!! Definitely will be trying other recipes!
Thank you for the feedback. This is a fav in my family too
I don’t have a IP and my pressure cooker won’t let me cook anything for less than 10 mins on the manual setting.
Any advice on adjusting pressure for increased cooking time?
Hi Donna! I am not sure what brand pressure cooker you have to help you here. As an option this recipe can also be easily adapted to stovetop.