Minted Kheema Pav Recipe

Temper whole spices

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the oil or ghee. When hot, add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. Sizzle for 20–30 seconds until fragrant.

Sauté aromatics

Add the finely chopped onion and cook, stirring, until translucent and beginning to brown at the edges, about 6–8 minutes. Add minced ginger, garlic and chopped green chilies and cook for 1–2 minutes until raw smell disappears.

Spice it

Stir in ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, red chili powder and 1 tsp salt. Cook the spices for 30–45 seconds to bloom.

Add tomato and mince

Add the chopped tomato and cook until it softens and oil starts to separate from the mixture, about 3–4 minutes. Add the minced meat, breaking it up with a spoon. Increase heat slightly and cook until the meat is browned and most of the moisture has evaporated, about 8–10 minutes.

Finish kheema

If using peas, stir them in now and cook 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle garam masala over the kheema, stir in chopped mint, cilantro and lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt. Cook another minute to marry flavors, then remove from heat and keep warm.

Soften tamarind paste by stirring it into 3 tbs hot water; set aside for a minute. In a blender, combine the softened tamarind, packed mint leaves, packed cilantro leaves, green chili, ginger, jaggery (or brown sugar), cumin powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbs water. Blitz to a smooth to slightly coarse chutney. Taste and adjust sweet, sour, salt or heat — add a little more water if too thick. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Toast pav

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Butter the cut sides of each pav lightly (or halved buns). Place buttered sides down in the skillet and toast until golden and crisp, about 1–2 minutes per side. Toast all buns in batches, adding more butter as needed.

Assemble minted kheema pav

To serve, spoon a generous portion (about 1/3 cup) of hot kheema onto the bottom half of each toasted pav. Drizzle or dollop 1–2 teaspoons of the tamarind-mint chutney over the kheema (adjust to taste). Sprinkle a pinch of chaat masala and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Top with the other half of the pav and serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

Serve

Serve warm with extra chutney on the side for dipping. Leftover kheema keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days; gently reheat before assembling.