Beef mince recipes - ground beef | RecipeTin Eats

Qeema – Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince

Nagi — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 03:26:28 +0000

This is an authentic Indian curried beef mince recipe called Qeema (or keema or kheema). It’s a gem of a find because it tastes incredible but unlike many Indian dishes, there are no hard-to-find spices in the ingredients. And it’s super fast – on the table in 20 minutes!

Qeema – Quick & Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince

This recipe is an excellent way to get an Indian food fix without having to hunt down hard-to-find Indian spices.

It’s also an excellent way to change up your usual rotation of beef mince recipes. Spag Bol, we love you, but sometimes it’s nice to try something new!!

And new this is. You probably haven’t seen Qeema on Indian restaurant menus because it’s a home cooking meal. But blimey, it’s a great find! 100% legit Indian flavours, 7 minute prep, 13 minute cook. Get all the spices from regular grocery stores – turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper.

What you need for Qeema

The key to achieving the bold, authentic Indian curried beef flavour in this quick ‘n easy recipe is a good amount of fresh garlic and ginger, and a generous amount of ground spices.

Here’s what you need:

Beef mince – That’s ground beef to those of you in the States! I’m using lean today, but regular is fine (fattier – juicier). I also made this recipe a few years ago using chicken mince which was terrific.
Fresh garlic and ginger – Key to flavour in this otherwise simple Indian dish, so don’t skip these.
Spices – Garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. You can get all these at regular grocery stores here in Australia. Garam masala is an Indian spice mix which I tell people is the “better curry powder” because it tastes more legit, whereas the curry powders you get at regular grocery stores are very Westernised.
Fresh coriander/cilantro for garnish. (Skip if you’re not a coriander fan).
Green cayenne pepper (optional garnish) – This is for garnish, and it adds fresh chilli flavour without much spiciness because cayenne peppers are not that spicy. But it’s entirely optional, so feel free to omit!

How to make Qeema

Sauté – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until golden, don’t let it burn! Add onion and cook for 1 minute until it is starting to turn translucent.
Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from pink to light brown. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the spices bloom.
Cook 10 minutes – Add water, give it a stir, then put a lid on (or cover with a baking tray if you don’t have a lid for your pan). Turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated, but still a bit juicy.
Serve over with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with extra chilli and coriander/cilantro, and lots of Mint Yogurt. Naan or flatbreads would make it even better, though if time is not your friend, try frozen roti (pictured in post, more on this below the photo).

What to serve with Qeema

Serve over basmati rice and mint yogurt or plain yogurt (recipe below for mint yogurt). Then mix up the beef into the rice so it flavours the rice, then dig in!

It’s also pictured above with flaky, buttery roti which I stuffed with the Qeema and rice. Not homemade. I always have a stash of frozen ones which you can get at regular grocery stores. I love them because they can be cooked from frozen in a few minutes – how good is that! Ideal to use for any and all Indian / South East Asian saucy foods, like curries.

Though, if I have the time (or foresight to plan in advance), you can’t beat homemade naan. 😊

For vegetable sides, try one of these:

Indian Tomato Salad with Mint Raita Dressing
South Indian Carrot & Cabbage Salad with Coconut is fresh and popping with flavours – love the coconut flavour in this!
Give this Everyday Cabbage Salad an Indian spin by sautéing garlic and cumin seeds in oil before mixing up with other Dressing ingredients.

Indian Tomato Salad with Mint Dressing

Cabbage & Carrot Thoran-style Indian Salad

Everyday Cabbage Salad

I really hope you try this Qeema recipe, the flavour is so authentic! Something a little different to make with that packet of beef mince you threw in your shopping trolley on the weekend. – Nagi x

recipe credit

This Qeema recipe is very slightly adapted from this Authentic Indian Minced Meat Qeema recipe from Scrambled Chefs. I just spied a 5 Ingredient Indian Potato Curry and this Chicken Curry has just jumped to the top of my Must Try list!

Watch how to make it

Qeema Indian Curried Beef

An authentic Indian spiced ground (minced) beef recipe known as Qeema (or keema or kheema). This is a gem of a recipe because it tastes incredible but unlike many Indian dishes, there are no hard-to-find spices in the ingredients. And it's super fast – on the table in 20 minutes!

Serve over basmati rice. Great with plain yogurt, even better with Mint Yogurt.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Keyword beef mince curry, curried beef, queema

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 255cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil , or other neutral oil
4 tsp ginger , finely mince
5 large garlic cloves , minced (about 4 tsp)
1 large onion , finely diced
500g / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef)
3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder (pure, not US chili powder spice mix), omit for not spicy
1 1/4 tsp garam masala (Note 1)
1 1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup water

Garnish

1 green cayenne pepper , deseeded, finely sliced
Cilantro/coriander leaves
Plain yogurt or Mint yogurt (below)

Mint yogurt (optional, pictured in post)

3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup (lightly packed) mint leaves
1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Instructions

Sauté – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until golden, don't let it burn! Add onion and cook for 1 minute until it is starting to turn translucent.
Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from pink to light brown. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the spices bloom.
Cook 10 minutes – Add water, give it a stir, then put a lid on (or cover with a baking tray). Turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.
Serve over with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with extra chilli and coriander/cilantro, and lots of Mint Yogurt. Naan or flatbreads would make it even better, though if time is not your friend, try frozen roti (pictured in post, Note 3).

Mint yogurt

Blitz then stir – Put just 1/4 cup of the yogurt with the mint leaves and salt in a jug just big enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until mint is very finely chopped. Then stir in remaining yogurt. (Note 4) Refrigerate until required.

Notes

Recipe credit – very slightly adapted from this Indian Queema Minced Beef by Scrambled Chefs.

1. American “Chili Powder” is not pure ground chilli, it contains other spices like paprika and is not very spicy. This recipe calls for pure ground chilli for spiciness, or cayenne pepper.

2. Garam Masala – Spice mix used in Indian cooking, a more legit curry powder. Sold at regular grocery stores in Australia -> Coles, Woolworths, Harris Farms.

3. Roti – Flaky Indian round flatbread that’s sold in the freezer section of large grocery stores these days. Love them because they’re so handy – cook from frozen on the stove in just a couple of minutes. Cheap, tasty, if you’ve never tried it, it’s a game changer! 🙂

4. Mint yogurt – Blitzing makes yogurt watery. So just blitz the minimum to puree the mint, then stir the rest in which thickens the sauce up again.

5. Leftovers keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition for beef only, not including rice or yogurt sauce.

Nutrition

First published April 2016. Republished 7 years later with sparkling new photos, brand new recipe video (couldn’t make them back then!) and of course added a Life of Dozer section!

My easiest Indian recipes

More easy Indian recipes!

Butter Chicken

One-pan Baked Butter Chicken

Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken

Naan recipe – chewy & fluffy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Beef Biryani

Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

Indian Recipes

Life of Dozer

He doesn’t realise it’s a vegetable platter. (Yet).

The post Qeema – Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

Nagi — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 06:00:00 +0000

This is a beef pasta cooked with Italian seasonings in a creamy tomato sauce. The epitome of easy homemade comfort food with the convenience of one-pot cooking!

One Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta

I’m quite selective about one-pot pasta recipes. I only use it for saucy pastas, like today’s. It just doesn’t work properly with less saucy pastas, like Puttanesca and pesto pasta, because there’s not enough liquid to cook the pasta evenly.

So, any one-pot pasta recipe you see here on my website is saucy and oozy.

I’ve never heard any complaints. Everybody loves sauce!

Today’s is a beef pasta that comes with a creamy tomato sauce. It’s essentially a variation of Bolognese, with Italian seasonings plus a dash of cream. Total crowd pleaser!

Proof of ooziness:

Ingredients in this One Pot Beef Pasta

Following on from my introduction about the sauciness of one pot pastas, it will be no surprise when I say that the key to cooking one pot pasta recipes is to have plenty of liquid that the pasta can absorb! Dried pasta absorbs more than double its own weight in liquid as it cooks. Today, we use 4 cups of stock plus a can of tomato for 360g/12 ounces of pasta.

Beef mince (ground beef) – I use lean here (90% or 95%) but any fat % will do. Actually, the fattier the beef, the beefier the flavour – because fat is where all the flavour is! If you mix, say, lamb fat into very lean beef mince and cook it up, you’d swear you’re eating lamb.
Chicken stock/broth – The cooking liquid of choice. Tastier than water! I use the liquid cartons regularly in my cooking so I stock up when it’s on sale. For an economical option, I recommend using Vegeta stock powder or Chinese chicken stock powder (Knorr) plus water. I prefer the flavour of these over other Western stock powders.
Pasta type – I used the spirals (fusilli), but other similar sized short pastas will work just fine too. Penne, ziti, elbow macaroni, shells. Avoid the really small pastas like risoni/orzo, tiny stars etc. If using long pasta, it’s easiest to break in half. You can also use a little more – increase up to about 400g/14oz.
Cream – Just 3/4 cup, stirred in right at the end transforms a normal tomato sauce into a creamy tomato sauce! You really do only need 3/4 cup to get the flavour and colour impact of the creaminess.
Garlic and onion – Essential flavour base.
Tomato paste and canned tomato – Tomato paste gives a boost to the tomato flavour as well as thickening the sauce a touch.
Italian herbs – Seasoning! I use a store bought mix, it’s a staple in the dried herbs and spices aisle at any grocery store and doesn’t cost any more than other dried herbs. If you don’t have it, use any mix of dried oregano, basil and parsley. Or, a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Just something to add flavour.
Red pepper flakes (chilli flakes) – 100% optional. I like to add a tiny touch of warmth into this to keep things interest but you can just leave it out if you prefer!

How to make One Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta

Don’t be alarmed by how saucy it is at the end as you take it off the stove, that’s exactly what you want. Pasta absorbs liquid really quickly, so by the time you ladle into bowls, garnish with parmesan, put the bowls on the table, yell at everyone to sit down then start eating, the pasta will go from a little bit too soupy to the perfect level of ooziness.

Cook beef – Sauté the garlic and onion. Then add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red.
Toast seasoning – Add the Italian herbs then cook for 30 seconds. This really brings out the flavour of the herbs and spices, and improves the flavour by toasting it. Then add the tomato paste and stir for a minute. This cooks out the rawness and also improves the flavour.

Add liquids and pasta – Add the stock, canned tomato, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir, then add the pasta.
Cook 15 minutes – Once the liquid comes back up to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes until the pasta is just about cooked. Stir every couple of minutes at the start then more regularly towards the end to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the base of the pot. As you cook, the liquid will reduce and thicken but should still be soupier than you’d expect.

Cream it! Stir in the cream, bring it back up to a simmer then keep cooking for another minute until the pasta is fully cooked. It should still be slightly soupier than you think!
Serving – Remove from the stove, then give it a good stir and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan and a little parsley if using, then devour!
As noted at above, pasta absorbs liquid quite quickly so it will go from a little too soupy to perfect ooziness in the time it takes between taking it off the stove and eating it. In any case, saucier is better than dry. Nobody wants a mound of gluey, stodgy pasta!!!

YUM. That’s a bowl of food that is 100% me. It’s not fancy. It’s fuss free to make. It’s hearty and cosy and easy and rustic and full of flavour.

I know it’s a cliche to say “it’s me on a plate”, but it really is. (Well, bowl).

Love to know what you think if you try it! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

Recipe video above. This is a beefy pasta cooked with Italian seasonings in a creamy tomato sauce. Epitome of homemade comfort food with the convenience of one-pot cooking! Love how the pasta absorbs the flavour of the sauce.

For more, see the full One Pot Pasta recipe collection.

Course Mains

Cuisine Italian, Western

Keyword beef pasta, creamy tomato beef pasta, easy pasta dinner, One Pot Pasta

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings – 5 people

Calories 610cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
1 onion , finely chopped
500g/ 1 lb beef mince / ground beef
2 tsp Italian herbs (Note 1)
2 tbsp tomato paste
400g/ 14 oz can crushed tomatoes (or tomato passata)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (chilli flakes, optional)
1 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups (1 L) chicken stock/broth , low sodium (Note 2)
350g/ 12oz fusilli, penne, elbow macaroni or other short pasta (Note 3)
3/4 cups thickened / heavy cream

Serving:

Parmesan cheese , finely grated
Parsley , finely chopped, optional

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Sauté – Heat the oil on high heat in a large heavy-based pot. Cook garlic and onion for 1 1/2 minutes.
Cook beef & seasonings – Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you can no longer see red meat. Add the Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds, then add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to cook out the raw flavour.
All in – Add crushed tomato, chicken stock, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir, then add the pasta.
Cook 15 min – Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cook for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes then more frequently towards the end (ensure pasta doesn't stick to base) until the pasta is just about cooked.
Creamy – Add cream, then simmer for a further 1 to 2 minutes. It will still be quite saucy – this is what you want! Pasta absorbs liquid quickly, so it will still be nice and oozy when you start eating.
Serve – Remove from the stove. Give it a good stir then ladle into bowls. Serve with parmesan and parsley.

Notes

1. Italian Herbs – Just a store bought mix, very common at grocery stores. If you don’t have any, just use a mix of dried oregano, parsley, basil. Or sub with a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.

2. Chicken stock/broth – Tastier than water! I stock up when on sale. Economical alternative – I recommend using Vegeta stock powder (info here – I use it regularly) or Chinese chicken stock powder (Knorr) plus water. I prefer the flavour of these over other Western stock powders.

3. Any short pasta will work here, like macaroni, penne etc but not tiny ones like risoni/orzo. If using long pasta, easiest to break in half and you can cook about 400g/14oz (a little more than short pasta).

4. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings using 90% lean beef.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

I caught him snuffling a tub of rice in the pantry so he was made to walk around with a sticker of shame. (Raw rice grains. I think there was a smear of sauce on the tub. It can surely be the only explanation).

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Arayes – Lebanese Meat-Stuffed Crispy Pita

Nagi — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Meet my latest obsession – Arayes! Pita pockets stuffed with seasoned meat kofta filling, then pan fried until crispy. Think: Lebanese quesadillas / easy gozleme. Enjoy for dinner or pass them around as an appetiser. I can’t stop eating these!

Arayes – Lebanese street food!

Every now and then I happen across a recipe that really catches me by surprise. Something I’ve never heard of before that’s devilishly tasty, a little different to the usual yet easy and relatively fast to make.

Today’s Arayes is one such recipe, introduced to me by Chef JB, discovered during his globe trotting days.

Originating from the Middle East, Arayes is a pita or flatbread that’s stuffed with raw seasoned meat kofta filling then pan fried, grilled or baked until crispy. Think of it like quesadillas – but with Middle Eastern spiced filling – or an easier version of lamb gozleme.

As with many traditional recipes, there are variations between countries, including the seasoning in the meat, the type of bread used, thickness of meat etc. The Arayes I’m sharing today is a Lebanese one. It’s easy. You can get all the ingredients at any grocery store.

And it’s Outrageously Delicious. (You know I’m deadly serious when I capitalise!)

Quick whipped Tahini Yogurt makes the perfect dipping sauce!

The meat is cooked from raw inside the pita so it melds with the pita bread

Ingredients in Arayes

Here’s what you need to make Arayes.

Spiced kofta filling

Here’s what you need for the spiced kofta filling used to stuff the pita bread.

Protein – Lamb is a favoured protein in the Middle East and goes so well with the Lebanese spice mix we’re using today! However, beef is a very close second.
Spice mix – No unusual players here in this Lebanese kofta spice mix! There’s a fairly generous amount – almost 3 tablespoons – which sounds like a lot. This is because the meat is spread very thinly inside each pita bread so you actually don’t end up with very much with each bite. So you want it to be heavy on the spicing!
Spice note: Mild kick, only 1/2 tsp cayenne across 10 pita bread halves. To reduce to subtle, cut down cayenne to 1/4 tsp. Or omit.
Onion and fresh garlic – For aromatic flavour in the kofta filling.
Parsley – Optional for nice little bits of green throughout.

Pita bread and oil

Arayes is and can be made with all sorts of pita breads – large, small, thin, thick. Have fun and experiment!

Pita Bread – The pita bread I use is 15cm / 6″ wide. You need pita bread pockets that can be split open to stuff the meat inside. Thinner is better as it’s easier to cook the meat through. Fellow Aussies – I use Nana brand pita bread from Woolies, Coles.
Alternatives/variations – I’ve made this with the breadier, thicker pita bread pockets too (like used in this recipe) and it works great, just takes a minute or two longer for the meat to cook. Large Lebanese bread ~30cm/12″ wide also works! You need 2 to 3, spread the meat inside using a butter knife, pan fry until crisp then cut into pieces. And if you can’t find any pita pockets at all, you could even make Arayes using any flatbreads you can get your hands on, or even tortillas! Just make them like quesadillas – spread the meat filling on half then fold over.
Olive oil spray works best for cooking, I found. Using oil in the pan makes the pita pockets a little too greasy. If you don’t have spray, just brush the surface with olive oil.

How to make Arayes

A unique step in making Arayes is that the meat is raw when stuffed inside the pita bread. So as it cooks, the meat juices flavour the inside of the pita bread while the outside goes golden and crispy. It’s sooooo good!!

Grate the onion using a standard box grater. Why grate rather than chop? Because grated is finer than chopped so you don’t need to cook the onion separately before mixing into the meat. It will cook enough with the meat. Plus, the onion juices make the meat mixture even tastier!
Filling – Add the meat and all the other filling ingredients, then mix well with your hands.
Semi-circle shape – Divide into 10 portions, roll into a ball then pat into a thin semi-circle shape approximating the size of half a pita bread.
Stuff the meat inside the pita bread. PRO TIP: If you have trouble prying the pocket open, microwave for 15 seconds on high to soften then run a butter knife inside the slit.

Flatten – Close the pita bread then press down and out to spread the meat to the edges of the pita bread. Though – no need to be too meticulous here! You just don’t want giant areas of meat-less pita bread.
Spray each side with oil. I prefer spraying because I found using oil in the pan makes the Arayes too greasy. Plus, you use far less oil!

Pan fry 4 min – Then pan fry on medium high for 2 minutes on each side until crispy. The meat will cook through in this time because it’s so thin! I do 2 or 3 halves at a time. Cook as many as you can fit in a single layer.
Keep cooked Arayes warm in a low oven on a rack set over a tray (rack prevents underside from getting soggy) as you continue cooking. Or – get 2 pans going to speed things up!
Serving – Pile Arayes onto a platter and serve with Tahini dipping sauce. Serve them whole, as they are. Or cut them into smaller pieces – it’s up to you!

Whipped Tahini Yogurt Dipping Sauce

I think you’ll really like the Whipped Tahini Yogurt dipping sauce too. It’s got a unique texture almost like soft whipped cream. Made with just tahini, yogurt, lemon and garlic, the trick is to warm the mixture in the microwave slightly before whisking. Then as you whisk it, it becomes almost a bit aerated like whipped cream! Neat little trick I picked up from a Fatteh recipe by Nigella Lawson.

If you’ve got any of the sauce leftover, use it as a dip or slather onto toast like you would with goats cheese, then pile on marinated mushrooms or roast vegetables for a delicious crostini. Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Crispy Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pita – Arayes

Recipe video above. Lebanese street food – pita bread stuffed with spiced kofta meat, pan fried until crispy! Think of these as Lebanese quesadillas or easy Gozleme. The unique method here is that it's cooked with raw meat inside, so the tasty meat juices soaks into and flavours the pita bread as it cooks. It's outrageously delicious. I bet you become as obsessed with these as I have!

Course Appetiser, Main

Cuisine lebanese, Middle Eastern

Keyword arayes, stuffed pita bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Servings pita halves

Calories 226cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

5 pita bread , the thin pocket type, ~15cm/6" diameter (250g/8oz pack), cut in half (Note 1)
Olive oil spray (or brush with olive oil)

Spiced meat filling:

1/2 brown onion
500g/ 1 lb lamb or beef mince (ground meat) (Note 2)
2 garlic cloves , finely grated
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley , optional
3 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (sub plain paprika)
3/4 tsp ground allspice (sub mixed spice)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (reduce/omit for less spicy – Note 4)
1 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Whipped tahini yogurt sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp tahini (or Chinese sesame paste – Note 5)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove , finely grated
1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Spiced meat filling:

Grate the onion in a bowl using a standard box grater. We want the juices and all! (Note 4)
Meat filling – Add remaining meat filling ingredients. Mix well with your hands.
Divide stuffing in 10 (about 55 to 60g per portion, 1/4 cup). Flatten into a semi-circle shape slightly smaller than the pita bread half.
Stuff – Gently open a pita then place the meat inside. Close, then press to spread to the edge and make it fairly evenly flat. (Is your pita tearing? See Note 5 for tip!)

Cooking Arayes:

Preheat oven to 50C/120F. Place a rack on a tray. (To keep cooked Arayes warm.)
Cook – Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Spray both sides of the pita with olive oil then place 2 or 3 pieces in the pan (whatever you can fit). Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, pressing down lightly with a spatula, until golden and crispy. The meat is spread so thin it cooks really quickly! {Sandwich press – Note 7}
Keep warm – Transfer cooked Arayes onto the rack and put in the oven to keep warm. Cook remaining pita.
Serve – Cut in half if desired (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't!). Pile Arayes onto a serving platter. Serve with Whipped Tahini sauce. Enjoy!

Whipped tahini sauce:

Place ingredients in a heatproof bowl and whisk to combine. Microwave for 15 seconds on high. Whisk again – it should resemble soft whipped cream. Use slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes

1. Pita bread – You need pita bread pockets that can be split open to stuff the meat inside. Thinner is better as it’s easier to cook the meat through but I’ve made this with thicker pita bread pockets too and it works great, just takes a minute or two longer for the meat to cook. (Aussies – I use Nana brand from Woolies, Coles.)

Other breads –

Large Lebanese bread ~30cm/12″ wide also works! You need 2 to 3, spread the meat inside using a butter knife, pan fry until crisp then cut into pieces.
Tortillas or other flatbreads – Smear meat on half, fold over like a quesadilla and cook!

2. Meat – Lamb is a favoured protein in the Middle East and goes soooo well with the spicing. But beef is a close second!

3. Spiciness: Mild kick, only 1/2 tsp cayenne across 10 pita bread halves. To reduce to subtle, cut down cayenne to 1/4 tsp. Or omit.

4. Grated onion is finer than chopped so it doesn’t need to be cooked separately before mixing into the raw meat. It cooks through with the meat! Plus, juices adds more flavour.

5. Tahini – A paste made with sesame seeds. Usually found in the health food aisle at grocery stores. Use hulled tahini (more common), not un-hulled which is darker and more bitter. The jar label will specify whether the tahini is hulled or un-hulled.

Use Chinese sesame paste as a sub if you have leftovers from another recipe I’ve shared, like this one or this one!

6. Trouble opening the pita bread? Can happen if it’s not super fresh! Microwave 30 sec on high to warm – this will soften it. Then insert a butter knife and run it along the pocket to loosen, then open. Warm one at a time, then do more as you get faster with stuffing!

7. Sandwich press – I tried making these in a sandwich press and while it does work, the bottom is not quite as crispy as pan frying because the weight of the lid presses down on the meat more which makes more fat come out. But for convenience, it’s excellent!

8. Make ahead! Assemble the pitas then keep them in the fridge for a couple of days, ready to cook on demand. Or – freeze!

Serving size – I find 3 pita halves sufficient for a meal with a side salad though heartier appetites would want more.

Nutrition for one piece (ie half a pita).

Nutrition

Similar crispy breads with tasty things inside

Quesadilla!!!

Gozleme!

Aloo Paratha (Indian Potato Stuffed Flatbread)

Mushroom Quesadillas

Oven Baked Chicken Quesadillas

Life of Dozer

This dog really will eat anything. (Well, except kale! 😂)

The post Arayes – Lebanese Meat-Stuffed Crispy Pita appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Beef chow mein – great mince/ground beef recipe!

Nagi — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Here’s a great beef mince recipe for you that’s quick to make, economical and full of hidden vegetables so it’s a complete meal – Beef Chow Mein! It’s the beef version of everybody’s favourite Chicken Chow Mein, made with the convenience of ground beef.

Beef chow mein

Here’s something new to try with that packet of beef mince you throw into your shopping cart every week! The beef is stir fried with chow mein sauce until it’s beautifully caramelised then tossed in a tangle of noodles and vegetables.

A neat trick in today’s recipe is to scramble up an egg with the beef. It makes the beef bits stick to the noodles better, with the added bonus of upping the protein.

Another bonus: chow mein actually has a vast amount of noodle-shaped vegetables hidden in the noodles. A carrot, 2 heaped cups of cabbage and a heaped cup of bean sprouts. That’s a good veg serving for a meal!

What you need

Here’s what you need to make this:

Noodles & add-ins

Noodles – Chow mein noodles are sort of dry and crinkly, rather than oily and straight like hokkien noodles, lo mein noodles. But this dish can really be made with any noodles – or even spaghetti (yes really, who’s going to know once tossed in chow mein sauce??). Use the same weight.
Garlic – Rarely do Asian stir fries happen without garlic, and this one is no exception!
Beef mince – That’s ground beef to Americans. Any fat % is fine here though lean beef won’t caramelise quite as well.
Other proteins – Any other mince will work just fine here. Chicken, pork, turkey, even lamb! Though bear in mind the sauce is quite intense flavoured to suit the beefy flavour of beef, so you won’t taste the flavour of white meats through the sauce.
Egg – We use this to scramble into the beef. Neat trick to make the beef stick to the noodles better with the added bonus of a free protein boost!
Green cabbage – Or Chinese cabbage. Finely sliced so it disappears into the tangle of noodles.
Bean sprouts – Excellent grab-and-throw-in vegetable option! STORAGE TIP: Keep bean sprouts in water in an airtight container. Change the water every couple of days. This will increase the shelf life of beansprouts 3x.
Carrot – Cut into thin batons. More noodle shaped vegetables so it all jumbles up together!
Green onion – We use 3 whole stems here. They are the onion in this dish, as well as some fresh green colour.

Chow Mein Sauce

The combination of sauces used in Chow Mein is common in Chinese dishes.

Soy sauces – We’re using both light and dark soy sauce in this recipe. What’s the difference? Dark soy stains the noodles a lovely warm mahogany colour as well as adding soy flavour. Light soy sauce provides the salt without overwhelming with soy flavour, and does not stain the rice.
Substitutions -You can use only light soy sauce or just an all-purpose soy sauce (ie bottle just labelled “soy sauce” without “light” or “dark” in front of it) instead of dark soy sauce. But you cannot use only dark soy sauce as the flavour is too strong! More on different types of soy sauces here.
Oyster sauce – A load of flavour, all in one sauce! It’s sweet and savoury and adds a neat flavour shortcut in dishes. Makes a regular appearance in Asian dishes, from Pad See Ew to Asian Glazed Salmon to Honey Pepper Beef to Supreme Soy Noodles. And Steamed Asian Greens with Oyster Sauce!
Vegetarian oyster sauce is available these days, at Asian stores and some large grocery stores (Australia – there’s Ayam vegetarian oyster sauce at Woolies). Otherwise, hoisin is a good alternative. Slightly different flavour profile (hint of Chinese five spice) but similar savoury / sweetness.
Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant tasting” Chinese dishes. Without it, the dish will be lacking something. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry.
Non alcoholic sub – sub both the cooking wine and water with low sodium chicken broth/stock.
Cornflour / cornstarch (left out of photo – oops!) – For thickening the sauce so it clings to the noodles. It also makes the sauce lovely and glossy.
White pepper and sugar – For seasoning.

How to make Beef Chow Mein

Be sure to cook the beef well once you add the sauce to get it really nicely caramelised, for a free flavour boost!

1. Sauce & thickener

Sauce – Mix the soy sauces, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sugar and pepper in a small bowl. We’re going to use some to flavour the beef, then we will mix the rest with the sauce thickener (next step) to make the noodle sauce.
Sauce thickener (cornflour slurry) – Mix the cornflour / cornstarch and water in a separate small bowl. This is what thickens the sauce so it coats the noodles, as well as making it shiny and glossy.

2. Making the stir fried noodles

Prepare the noodles per the packet directions then drain. I usually get the water boiling while I’m prepping the vegetables then cook the noodles when I start cooking. The chow mein noodles I get just call for soaking in hot water for 3 minutes. Some brands need to be boiled.
Caramelise beef – Using a large non-stick pan, cook the garlic first to flavour the oil. Then cook the beef, breaking it up as you go, until you can no longer see raw beef.
Then add the white part of the green onions and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Sauce. We add the white part of the green onions first as it takes longer than the green part. Cook for another 2 minutes to get the beef nicely caramelised.

Finish sauce – Meanwhile, mix the cornflour slurry into the remaining sauce.
Scramble egg – Add the egg into the pan then mix it through the beef, it will sort of scramble into the mixture. This is what makes beef stick to the noodles better!
Keep cooking! – When the egg is mostly cooked, add the carrot and cabbage. Cook for 1 minute until cabbage starts to wilt.
Sauce & noodles – Give the sauce a quick mix. Add the bean sprouts, noodles and sauce into the pan. Toss well for 1 minute or until sauce is dispersed through the noodles. Add green part of green onions. Toss for another 1 minute, then serve!

So there you go! Stir fried noodles for dinner, relatively low effort and quick to make. Great way to get a noodle fix, very economical, and highly versatile – switch out the vegetables and proteins with what you’ve got or what you love.

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Beef Chow Mein – great beef mince noodle recipe!

Recipe video above. The beef mince version of everybody's favourite Chicken Chow Mein – great way to cook up ground beef with noodles. Economical and no meat chopping required, with plenty of hidden vegetables so it's a complete dinner!

Scrambling up an egg with the beef is a neat trick to make the beef cling to the noodles better.

Course Mains

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Keyword beef mince recipe, beef noodles, Chow Mein, ground beef stir fry

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Servings

Calories 664cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chow Mein:

200g/ 7 oz chow mein noodles , or other thin yellow egg noodles or 3 ramen cakes (Note 1)
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
200g/ 7 oz beef mince / ground beef (any fat %)
3 green onion stems , cut into 5cm/2″ lengths, white and green parts separated
1 egg
2 cups green cabbage , finely sliced (or Chinese cabbage)
1 carrot , peeled, cut into thin batons
1 heaped cups bean sprouts (~ 75g / 2 1/2 oz) (Note 5 – storage tip)

Chow Mein Sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce or all-purpose soy sauce (Note 2)
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 3)
1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing) (Note 4)
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
Pinch white pepper

Sauce thickener:

1 1/2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
3 tbsp water

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Sauce – Mix ingredients in a small bowl then set aside. Some is used to flavour the beef, then the rest for the noodles.
Sauce thickener (cornflour slurry) – Mix the cornflour / cornstarch and water in a separate small bowl.
Prepare noodles per packet directions then drain.
Cook beef – Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Cook garlic for 10 seconds, then add the beef and cook until you can no longer see pink. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Sauce and the white part of the green onions. Cook for another 2 minutes to get the beef nicely caramelised.
Finish sauce – Mix the cornflour slurry into the remaining sauce.
Egg – Add the egg into the pan then mix it through the beef, it will sort of scramble. Egg makes the beef stick to the noodles better!
Cabbage & carrot – When the egg is mostly cooked, add the carrot and cabbage. Cook for 1 minute until cabbage starts to wilt.
Sauce & noodles – Give the sauce a quick mix. Add the bean sprouts, noodles and sauce into the pan. Toss well for 1 minute or until sauce is dispersed through the noodles. Add green part of green onions. Toss for another 1 minute.
Serve – Divide between bowls and serve!

Notes

1. Noodles – Chow mein noodles are sort of dry and crinkly, rather than oily and straight like hokkien noodles, lo mein noodles. But this dish can really be made with any noodles – or even spaghetti (yes really, who’s going to know once tossed in chow mein sauce??). Use the same weight.

2. Soy sauce – Light soy sauce and all-purpose soy sauce add salt but doesn’t add much soy flavour or colour. The dark soy sauce stains the noodles a brown colour and adds soy flavour. It’s intense so you don’t need much!

3. Oyster sauce – Sweet and savoury, adds depth of flavour to an otherwise simple sauce. Sub with vegetarian oyster sauce (available in some large grocery stores and Asian stores these days) or Hoisin (different flavour with hint of five spice but similar savouriness and sauce thickness).

4. Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Asian noodles. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry.

Non alcoholic sub – sub both the cooking wine AND water with low sodium chicken broth/stock.

5. Keep beansprouts submerged in water in an airtight container in the fridge. Change the water every couple of days. This will extend the shelf life 3x. Also, here in Australia, bean sprouts at Asian stores are much better quality than ordinary grocery stores!

6. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Will freeze fine but not ideal – noodles get a little soft.

Nutrition per serving. Serves 2 very generously – more like 2 1/2 servings.

Nutrition

My noodle life

Chow Mein

Lo Mein Noodles

Chinese Crispy Noodles (Chow Mein)

Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

Singapore Noodles

Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

Supreme Soy Noodles (NEW recipe – finally!)

Noodles

Life of Dozer

Visited our old stomping ground on the weekend – Bayview dog beach! Plenty of Dozer smiles that morning. 🥰

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