Aloo Keema Sandwich
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What is aloo keema?
Keema simply translates to “minced meat” and “aloo” means potatoes. If you know me, you know I love my potatoes! From Aloo Paratha - potatoes in a stuffed Indian flatbread - to Potato Puff Patties - potatoes stuffed in butter puff pastry - to Samosas, potatoes are my favourite vegetable! Whether you consider potatoes an actual vegetable or not, I do! I can never get enough potato goodness, whether they’re in Indian recipes or for all of the French fry recipes I have here on the blog and on my YouTube channel!
Chicken keema - unlike my love for potatoes - has been a recent discovery for me. If you’re new here, you may not know that I was raised in a vegetarian household. So I’ll be honest with you in that this isn’t a childhood favourite or anything. My Juicy Chicken Keema Masala recipe came to be for two reasons:
Someone recommended I try making it
I really wanted to try making Chicken Keema Paratha
Ever since then I’ve been hooked on keema and my life has changed!
Now what’s the story behind this Aloo Keema? Ever since pressing “Publish!” for my chicken keema recipe, I’ve seen so many aloo keema recipes. I was asking myself “Wow, I love potatoes, why haven’t I tried this combo?”
So it’s been on my mind ever since. The real push for me making aloo keema after all these months was that it was highly requested by one of my sister’s friends. By “highly” requested, I really mean she would frequently ask me. I wanted to have it really bad, she wanted a recipe really bad, okay fine! Let’s do it!
Let me tell you about the first time I made my aloo chicken keema. I was all good till it was time to add the potatoes. I was totally distracted, and when I was going to drain the water from the potatoes, instead of draining in the sink, I drained over my perfect keema masala. Nooooo! What a disaster! All was not lost though. Tip if this ever happens to you - cook slow and low! I hadn’t added the cilantro for garnish yet, so thankfully I was saved, or else the cilantro would have completely become dark and weird. I reduced the gravy for about an hour and I was ready to go. Now don’t do that please! I’ll have some tips in the next section of this post on how to make the best aloo keema sandwich, and adding the water from the potatoes to your gravy is not one of those tips!
Aside from that little booboo, the curry was so delicious! I enjoyed it with some pita bread and sour cream, my “go-to” sides when I have no bread or plain yogurt on hand. If you haven’t tried this combo you must with your Indian food! It really works, contrary to what you may think! Let me know in the comments if you do pair your Indian food with this combo!
By the way, you can have any kind of keema, such as beef, lamb, or pork. If you want to try this recipe with another protein, then definitely feel free to do it! Mutton keema recipes are really popular, and I’m sure this sandwich would be absolutely scrumptious with mutton keema.
So how did this become a sandwich? The aloo keema masala was perfect, but then my friend said she likes to have it in a sandwich with cheese. Okay! I went ahead and made that. Yum!! Trust me, this is such a fun way to enjoy a delicious aloo keema! You’re going to love this recipe for a quick and wholesome lunch I guarantee it! Let’s get cooking!
Tips for a lip-smacking aloo keema sandwich!
Simmer the keema for a few minutes after adding the potato to ensure the flavours meld together
Use your favourite combination of cheese and go crazy with it.
If you have a sandwich maker at home, this recipe would work great with it.
My go to sauce to dip this in is ketchup, although you can use your favourite chutney, pickle or sauce.
The aloo keema can also be enjoyed with pita bread, paratha, roti or rice.
Ingredients for aloo keema
Let’s break down the ingredients we’ll need for this amazing Aloo Keema Sandwich!
Minced chicken: As mentioned before, you can certainly substitute with minced chicken with turkey, beef or lamb. This will slightly change the flavour, but feel free to experiment!
Ghee: You could use olive oil or any other oil if you’d like, but I love to cook keema in ghee because of the incredible flavour that the ghee will add to the keema. I definitely recommend it!
Essentials: Onion, green chilies, ginger and garlic. These are the base for the delicious masala and will add plenty of flavour. You can omit the green chilies if you don’t want spice.
Whole spices: Bay leaf, clove and cumin seeds.
Ground spices: Red chili powder (degghi mirch), ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala and salt to taste.
Tomato paste: This helps to add richness and sweetness to the mince! Plus, it helps reduce the cooking time.
Potatoes: I’m using one Yukon gold yellow potato for the amount of chicken keema in this recipe. I’ll first be boiling the potato,
Fresh cilantro: For garnish.
For the sandwich
Bread: I always enjoy a bread with rich complex flavours. For this recipe, I’m using sourdough bread. You could also use rye bread, Italian bread, or a ciabatta!
Cheese : Here I’m using a combination of cheddar and provolone cheeses. I love the sharpness of some good yellow cheese. Believe it or not, it really works well in combination of the spices that are added in the keema! For the provolone, it’s got a mild taste, but it’ll give you some great cheese pulls, making this almost a keema grilled cheese sandwich! I first made this sandwich without the provolone, and trust me, there is a difference, so I really recommend you add both cheeses! You could also do a combination of cheddar and mozzarella to still get the same stringiness effect.
How to Make aloo keema Sandwich
For the Aloo Keema
Heat a pan on medium heat and add ghee, once hot add whole spices (bay leaf, clove, cumin seeds).
Once spices are aromatic, add onions and saute until they soften.
Add the keema/mince, followed by deggi mirch, ground coriander, turmeric and salt. Mix well and break any lumps of keema/mince.
Add the ginger, garlic and green chiles and cook until the mince is no longer pink, break any big lumps of meat.
Create a well at the center of the pan and add tomato paste. Saute for 1-2 minutes and then mix the tomatoes with the keema/mince.
Add a splash of water and mix in the potatoes. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add garam masala and stir well, season to taste and finally, garnish with cilantro.
To Cook the potatoes
Stove
Dice the potatoes into 1 inch cubes and cook in boiling water until tender.
Instant Pot
Thoroughly rinse potatoes and scrub any dirt off.
Insert the trivet in the Instant Pot and place potatoes on the trivet.
Pour between 1/4 to 1/3 cups of water over potatoes.
Close the lid and ensure the Instant Pot is in Sealing Mode.
Select the Steam setting and cook for 10-11 minutes, let pressure release naturally.
Try inserting a fork or knife to ensure the centre of the potatoes are cooked.
Once cooked, dice into 1 inch cubes
To Assemble the Sandwich
Heat butter on a pan and place a slice of bread over the top.
Spread the aloo keema over the slice and top with cheddar cheese and provolone.
Close the sandwich with another slice of bread and apply light pressure.
Once the underside of the bread is golden brown and crispy, flip the sandwich and apply more butter on the other side.
Cook until each side is crispy golden brown and serve hot!
Serving Suggestions for leftover aloo keema
If all your Aloo Keema Masala doesn’t fit in your sandwiches, then no fear! You’ve got so many ways you can use up the leftovers and turn them into another meal! Here are some bread options you could
You could also serve with some simply steamed Basmati Rice or some Jeera Rice. You can even use this as a stuffing for paratha, as I do in my Chicken Keema Paratha! The method is exactly the same!
Watch How to Make aloo keema sandwich here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!