Najdi Qeema
An Iraqi-style qeema dish: minced meat cooked and seasoned in a pot.
An Iraqi Najdi-style qeema dish cooked in a pot.
Like a spiced minced meat stew.
Qeema usually means a savory minced-meat preparation; this version is described as Iraqi.
Ingredients
- 4 kilos veal
- 4 kilos lamb
- onions
- 7 kilos chickpeas, soaked and previously boiled
- meat cooking water
- 8 tablespoons ground Basra loomi (dried lime)
- 8 tablespoons ground cardamom
- 4 tablespoons cumin
- 8 tablespoons cinnamon
- a pinch ground cloves
- a pinch black pepper
- 8 tablespoons ground cubeb pepper
- 2 and a half kilos tomato paste
- 8 tablespoons salt
- timman rice
- ground chickpeas
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil the veal and lamb until completely cooked.
- In another large pot, boil the soaked, previously boiled chickpeas.
- In a pot over the heat, toast the onions only, without oil, fat, tail fat, or anything else.
- In the same pot, add the boiled meat with the onions and toast the mixture.
- In the same pot, add the boiled chickpeas and stir the ingredients.
- In the same pot, strain the meat cooking water, then add it back to the mixture.
- In the same pot, add ground Basra loomi, ground cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, a pinch of ground cloves, a pinch of black pepper, and ground cubeb pepper.
- In the same pot, add the tomato paste gradually until the color becomes red.
- In the same pot, add the salt at the end.
- In the same pot, continue stirring over low heat so that the qeema does not stick and retains its flavor.
- In the same pot, leave the qeema for about an hour after adding the spices, until its color changes and becomes red.
- On a serving platter, place the timman rice, then pour the qeema over it.