This dish may also be made with ground lamb, or, for that matter, with ground beef. When using turkey, make sure your butcher includes both light and dark meat. White meat alone will be very dry. In Hyderabad, in the very center of South India, this keema (the Indian word for ground meat) is typically served at Sunday brunches with khichri (the dish of rice and split peas from which the British kedgeree was derived; see Rice with Moong Dal, page 213), pappadom for crunch, and pickles for pizzazz. Store-bought Indian pickles such as mango, lemon, or chili will do, but if you prefer, a sweeter preserved chutney would be just fine.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Pour the oil into a frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds, the cumin seeds, and the red chilies. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, add the curry leaves and the onions. Stir and fry until the onion pieces turn brown at the edges. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir for half a minute. Add the ground turkey. Turn heat to medium. Stir as you break up all the lumps in the meat. Add the coriander, cumin, yogurt, and 1/2 cup water. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook 35 minutes. Add the peas, salt, and 1/4 cup water. Stir to mix. Cover and cook another 7–10 minutes.
