Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice)
Spiced ground beef cooked into basmati-style rice — a one-pot Indian weeknight.
Ingredients
- 400 g Ground beef
- 300 g White rice
- 1 Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Ginger
- 200 g Canned tomatoes
- 1½ tsp Garam masala
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Ground coriander
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil
- 1½ tsp Salt
- 1 Cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1 Bay leaves (optional)
Method
- Finely chop the onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium. Fry the onion with the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, stirring often, until deep golden, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute. Add the dry spices and toast for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the beef, breaking it up into crumbles, and brown for about 5 minutes until no pink remains.
- Stir in the tomatoes, salt, and rice. Pour in hot water to cover the rice by about a finger's width. Bring to a simmer.
- Cover with a tight lid, drop to the lowest heat, and cook for 18 minutes, then rest 5 minutes covered off the heat.
- Fluff with a fork and remove the whole spices.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice)
Keema pulao is a one-pot rice dish from the Indian subcontinent that folds spiced ground beef — keema — directly into long-grain rice as it cooks, so the grains absorb the meat's fat and spice instead of sitting beside a separate curry. It sits between a plain pulao and a full biryani: simpler and quicker than biryani's layered dum method, but far more aromatic than steamed rice. Whole spices like cinnamon and bay bloom in the oil at the start, while ground garam masala, cumin, coriander, and turmeric build the backbone. The onion is fried a deliberate deep golden, which is where much of the dish's sweetness and color come from.
On the plate it is comforting and gently spiced rather than fiery, with tender crumbles of beef running through fluffy, separate grains and the perfume of cinnamon lifting each bite. The tomato adds a quiet tang that keeps the richness in check. It is a classic weeknight answer because everything cooks in a single covered pot — brown, spice, add rice and water, then leave it to steam undisturbed for its final eighteen minutes. Serve it with plain yogurt or a cucumber raita to cool and round it out, and it holds up well reheated the next day.
Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice): frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice)?
A serving has about 604 calories — 26g protein, 70.1g carbs, 23.6g fat, 3.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 26g of protein, roughly 17% of its calories.
Is Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice) gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice) has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice) take to make?
About 40 minutes start to finish, but only around 25 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice)?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out cinnamon stick, bay leaves — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Keema Pulao (Spiced Beef and Rice) make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.