This delicious keema paratha recipe is an ode to the classic Pakistani street food. A combination of minced meat and aromatic spices cooked to perfection and stuffed inside a homemade paratha (or flatbread) will leave you with the perfect on-the-go meal. Get ready to take your paratha game to the next level with this recipe!
In Pakistan, we consider keema paratha comfort food and regard it as an incredibly customizable meal. While this recipe uses ground beef, you could switch it up by using alternatives. Mutton or chicken are popular alternatives, or you could make it vegetarian by using aloo (potato).
This meal is also easy to prep in bulk and freeze for busy nights. It’s a crowd-pleaser that will satisfy both kids and adults!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy and delicious: This easy-to-follow recipe is fun and unique and will be a guaranteed showstopper in your house!
- Versatility: It works great for any meal, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even sehri in Ramadan.
- Utilize leftovers: Keema paratha is a great way to eliminate waste. Use those leftovers you are getting ready to toss!
Ingredient notes
- Ground beef: In Pakistani recipes, ground beef is typically the most common meat for keema. However, if you're looking for a leaner option or don't like beef, you can use ground chicken or ground mutton instead.
- Dough: Traditional paratha dough is prepared with Durum wheat flour or "atta", water, cooking oil, and salt.
- Spice blend: I like to create my own spice blend for this recipe, using salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Feel free to customize the blend to your liking and taste buds!
- Coriander seeds: Using coriander seeds adds a slight tang and sweetness to the keema paratha.
- Pomegranate seeds: Pomegranate seeds are another ingredient I love using in my recipes. They add a bit of tanginess, but they have a very powerful flavor, so be sure to use them sparingly!
- Serrano chili: Serrano chilies are usually my go-to for Pakistani cooking, but a different variety can easily be substituted.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
- Meat: Use mutton or chicken keema instead of ground beef.
- Flour: If you don't have wheat flour, use white all-purpose flour or a 2:1 blend of wheat and white flour.
- Fat: Replace the oil with ghee or butter as your fat for the keema paratha.
- Make it vegetarian: Use a plant-based ground meat substitute or a vegetable filling such as aloo, dal, or other vegetarian leftovers.
- Leftovers: Use leftover keema from the filling to make samosas, egg casserole, or puff pastry.
Step-by-step instructions
- Step 1: Heat the cooking oil and sauté with the garlic and ginger paste for 1 minute.
- Step 2: Add in your ground beef and cook through.
- Step 3: Add your spice blend to the keema and sauté for 1 minute.
- Step 4: Add a half cup of water, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Step 5: Uncover and turn your stove to high heat. Continue to sauté your meat until all of the liquid evaporates, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Step 6: Dry roast the coriander seeds for a few minutes. Add them to a mortar, pestle with the pomegranate seeds, and grind coarsely. Once finished, add them to your meat mixture.
- Step 7: Chop up your onion, serrano chilies, and cilantro and mix those in with the meat mixture.
- Step 8: Split your dough into six equal portions and roll each into a ball.
- Step 9: Flatten each ball into a 6" disc using a rolling pin.
- Step 10: Add two heaping tablespoons into the center of each disc.
- Step 11: Wrap the dough around the meat mixture and pinch together to seal. Roll the dough out into 8" discs.
- Step 12: Preheat your griddle on high heat, then turn down to medium heat for the remainder of cooking. Add the flatbread to the griddle and cook for 30-45 seconds before flipping it over; then spread one tablespoon of oil on the par-cooked side. Flip the paratha, add another tablespoon of oil to the other side, and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, pressing down with a spatula to ensure even browning. Once dark brown blisters appear, remove your keema paratha from the griddle and repeat the process for the remaining parathas.
Expert Tips
- The texture: Knead the dough well to release the gluten and give your parathas a softer texture.
- The spice: Add more spice to the keema, as it can sometimes taste bland with two layers of bread encasing it.
- Cooking temperature: Cook the parathas on medium heat so the inside cooks through.
- The filling: Don’t overfill the keema parathas; they will crack, and oil will seep in, making them limp and greasy.
Recipe FAQS
Keema paratha is full of flavor and can be eaten on its own. However, if you want to kick it up a notch, pair it with some cucumber raita or cilantro mint chutney!
Parathas are typically made with wheat flour and fat (ghee or butter), and they are often filled with keema (ground beef) or aloo (potato). They’re flaky and chewy and enjoyed with raitas or chutneys. Roti, also wheat-based, is made with water and salt, sometimes chickpeas or cornmeal, and has a softer texture than paratha. Naan is thicker and smoother, made with white flour, yogurt, and eggs, and is typically baked to accompany rice or curries.
I typically don't recommend leaving your leftover parathas in the fridge for over two days (if they even last that long)! After two days, you can freeze them, and they should be okay to eat for up to two months.
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Keema Paratha
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Ingredients
The dough
- 3 cups atta (see notes)
- 1½ cups water
- 1½ teaspoon cooking oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
The keema
- ½ lb extra lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ cup water
The parathas
- ¾ cup cooking oil
- the prepared dough
- the prepared keema
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
- ½ chopped yellow onion
- 2 serrano chilies
- ⅓ cup cilantro
Instructions
The dough
- Add all the ingredients to your kitchen aid and mix everything using the dough hook. (see notes for alternate methods)
- Knead the dough for atleast 5 minutes, shape into a disc, cover with a damp kitchen towel and set on the counter to allow it to rest.
The keema
- Heat the cooking oil, add the garlic and ginger paste, and saute for one minute.
- Add the ground beef and sautee until it's no longer pink.
- Add all the spice powders, and saute for one minute to allow the spices to bloom.
- Add the half cup of water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Uncover and turn the heat to high. Saute until all of the liquid evaporates.
- Set aside to cool to room temperature.
The parathas
- Dry roast the coriander seeds for a few minutes to release the aroma.
- Add the roasted coriander seeds and pomegranate seeds to a mortar and pestle and grind coarsely.
- Chop the yellow onion, serrano chilies and cilantro.
- Add all of the above to the cooked ground beef and mix well.
- Divide the dough into six even portions, shaping each one into a ball.
- Use a rolling pin to flatten each ball into a 6" disc.
- Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the keema mixture in the center of each disc.
- Wrap the dough around the meat and pinch it together to seal it completely.
- Roll out the stuffed dough until you have an 8" circle. (see notes)
- Preheat your griddle on high heat and then reduce to medium heat for the remainder of the cooking.
- Add the flatbread to it and cook for 30-45 seconds before flipping it over.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil on the par cooked surface, spreading evenly.
- Flip the paratha over and add a tablespoon of oil to the other side.
- Continue to cook the paratha for 1-2 minutes on each side, pressing down with a spatula to help it brown evenly, (see notes)
- Once you see dark brown blisters on the surface of the paratha, remove it from the griddle and repeat the process until all your parathas are cooked.
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