Keeping things colorful and seasonal today with this Indian inspired well seasoned ground turkey pea curry called Keema Mataar. Together with a light creamy tomato curry sauce this dinner is all about aromatic flavors, seasonal vegetables in a delicious, healthy bowl for summer nights. The Keema is flavorfully spiced with sautéed onions, ginger, garlic, garam masala, inner pulp of the scooped out zucchini ( no wasting food here), raisins, lots of fresh cilantro and peas for good measure. It is simple, nutritious, mouthwatering and made in no time despite the long list of ingredients.
This year my garden has the best vegetables ever since we moved to this house almost 2 decades ago. Early in the spring we planted a couple of different varieties of tomatoes, zucchinis, eggplants, basil, cilantro, oregano, strawberries, rainbow chard, Thai basil, chives, dill, spinach, kale, red peppers, cayenne, jalepeno, radishes and we are enjoying them throughly. I have so many zucchinis, I have been giving them to my family, neighbors, friends and some to the shelter.
For this recipe we start by scooping out the zucchini pulp to create a cavity. Then prepare the filling by cooking the turkey with all the flavor makers. While it cooks we make the worlds easiest curry in a blender. It’s my lazy girl’s curry sauce I make on days when I want to eat a curry but without the hassle of going through all the steps. This recipe can totally be made vegetarian or vegan by replacing the turkey with moong beans or tofu+ quinoa or rice for a high protein plant based option. In fact Ive made this recipe vegetarian several times with different vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and we love them all. Hope you give this recipe a try.
Keema Stuffed Zucchini with Creamy Tomato Curry Serves 6
Ingredients
- For the filling
- 12-16 ounce ground organic turkey or chicken depending on the number of vegetables you’re filling
- 1 cup shelled peas, defrosted
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½-1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or any hot chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon any neutral oil plus more for brushing
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons dried raisins or cranberries
- 6-8 pieces of vegetables (globe zucchini, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes)
- For the Curry
- 4-5 Roma tomatoes, about 2 cups fresh tomatoes chopped or one 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 inch piece ginger
- 1 teaspoon hot chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves also called kasuri methi
- 1 can coconut milk, light or regular
- kosher salt to taste
- To Serve
- cooked brown or white basmati rice or Jeera pulao
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Heat a saute pan with the oil. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Now add the garlic, ginger and sauté for another minute. Add the minced turkey and sauté to break up the clumps and the meat starts to brown evenly.
- Add the spices, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes until the meat has fully cooked. Add the peas, chopped cilantro and raisins and allow to heat through. Take it off the heat.
- Meanwhile using a melon baller or sharp teaspoon scoop out the inner pulp of the zucchini carefully making sure you don’t go too close to the edges. Chop the pulp and either add to to the filling or to your smoothie, its delicious.
- Brush the veggies with oil. Fill the cavities with the filling.
- Place them on a baking dish and drizzle some oil. Add a little water to keep the veggies moist and place the baking dish in the oven.
- Bake the veggies for 15-20 minutes until soft. Some veggies may take longer to cook depending on the thickness of the veggie skin, check before taking them out.
- While the veggies cook make the quick curry sauce. Blend all the ingredients for the curry in a high speed blender till smooth.
- Pour the sauce into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Cook on low-medium heat covered for 10-12 minutes until thick and the raw flavor of tomato and garlic is gone. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- To serve divide rice into bowls add 1-2 stuffed baked vegetables, pour the curry sauce as much as you want and enjoy.
Leave a Reply