Curried Mince

This recipe is so easy to prepare that it almost feels like a cheat method for no-hassle mince. With mince, there’s no worrying about whether the meat is cooked through, as you would have with chunks of meat. Mince doesn’t have to be checked for tenderness, and other ingredients can be added and subtracted as you please. There’s also no link between effort and scrumptiousness!

Ingredients:

7.5ml salt

7.5ml Red Freezer Masala

10ml turmeric

5ml grated ginger root

10ml vinegar

400g beef or lamb mince

30ml ghee

1 onion, finely chopped

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces

7.5ml sunflower oil

375ml water

100g frozen peas

2 tomatoes, coarse chopped in a blender

Pan Spices:

2-3 cardamom pods

3-4 whole cloves

4-5 pieces Indian cinnamon

To Garnish:

5ml garam masala

30ml coriander, finely chopped

Method:

Prepare the marinade:

Mix the salt, Red Freezer Masala, turmeric, ginger and vinegar into a paste. Press this thoroughly through the mince with the back of a spoon.

Heat the ghee in a saucepan on medium-high. When hot, add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and sizzle for ½-1 minute. Add the onion and braise, stirring, for 3-5 minutes until translucent to golden brown.

Add the mince to the pot and mix well into the onion. Brown for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly , breaking up the meat to prevent clumping until the mince juices have reduced considerably.

Reduce the heat, add the potatoes then add 7.5ml oil and about 60ml water and stir. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix in the peas and chopped tomatoes into the mince, add about 200ml water Stir gently and cover, returning the pan to a simmer for 15 minutes. The dish is done when the potatoes are cooked through. Adjust for the required amount of gravy by adding water in small amounts, heating between each addition.

Garnish with garam masala and fresh coriander. Serve rolled in roti or as a filling for bread rolls or Vetkoeks.