Keema Shimla Mirch (Ground Chicken With Bell Peppers)

By Zainab Shah

Updated April 15, 2022

Keema Shimla Mirch (Ground Chicken With Bell Peppers)
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(1,376)
Comments
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Bell peppers provide a sweet, crunchy freshness that perfectly complements spiced ground chicken in this winning mix of textures, flavors and convenience. A weeknight staple in many Pakistani households, this dish includes lemon juice, garam masala and fresh cilantro for a layer of brightness and warmth no matter the time of year. It all comes together in 30 minutes with very little prep.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • ¼cup ghee or any neutral oil
  • 1medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1pound ground chicken
  • 1teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
  • 1teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
  • 1teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½teaspoon kashmiri red chile powder or other ground red chile
  • ¼teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2medium plum tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1large green bell pepper, halved, seeded and thinly sliced about ¼-inch thick
  • 3fresh Thai green chiles, stems removed, chopped
  • ¾teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 to 3tablespoon lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
  • 2 to 3tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

329 calories; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 635 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium (9-inch) pot or wok, heat ghee over medium-high until it has melted, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add onion and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add chicken, ginger, garlic and salt, and cook on high, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and some bits of the chicken start to crisp, about 7 to 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Lower heat to medium and stir in cumin seeds, chile powder, coriander and turmeric. Add tomatoes and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down, about 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add bell pepper and green chiles. Continue cooking on medium, stirring occasionally, until the bell pepper starts to soften but still maintains some crunch, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the stove, then sprinkle with garam masala, lemon juice and fresh cilantro.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,376 user ratings
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Comments

S

This dish would be great as one of the main elements of a desi (South Asian) food plate: This keema A vegetable dish: e.g. aloo gobhi (potato-cauliflower) or any greens (saag) Raita and/or a sliced veg salad Serve with rice (plain or spiced) or roti/naan/pita bread/chapatis.

Anna

This dish can be served with naan, roti or plain rice and is particularly good when lentils are added as well. A simple salad of diced tomato, cucumber and onion with lemon juice served with the keema goes really well with this meal.

Andy Dufresne

In lieu of tofu, I have made Keema using Bob's Red Mill textured vegetable protein (TVP), which turned out beautifully. TVP is also known as soy granules. I believe TVP is what the NYC restaurant, Indian Accent, uses for their excellent (and decadent tasting) Soy Keema.

Junko

I added a can of chickpeas. I loved the flavor of added lemon. Really good.

Samantha

This has been a regular dish at my house for about a year. It is wonderful as written and also very forgiving for adjustments. I usually add in a couple extra bell peppers and chop them instead of slicing. And, I think I stopped using the exact list of spices and amounts a few months ago - a great "taste as you go" recipe. A little turmeric is a family-favorite addition to this. Agreeing with others who commented - nice to serve with a yogurt, naan, and cucumber/tomato/onion salad.

Jeff in Raleigh

Honestly, I was expecting much more for a 5-star recipe with 1000+ reviews. This recipe took a lot of doctoring to make it dinner-party ready. I was skeptical when I saw the cumin seed added without activating in the oil beforehand. i started out making no adjustments, and then added ground cumin and extra ground coriander to have their flavors come through. This also needed more salt. I also added garlic powder because the garlic base didn’t shine through. The addition of lemon at the end really helped a ton, but I found that it needed more flavor base. Things I would do differently next time: - Double:triple the garlic and ginger - Add cumin seed earlier to let the cumin flavor out - Double the salt (maybe it’s because it called for fine sea salt and I used diamond crystal - proceed with caution) - Add tomato paste earlier on and caramelize to add umami and a flavor base - Add onion powder and garlic powder to taste (agin, I found this dish to be lacking a flavor backbone)

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