Chicken keema pav – minced chicken, whole spices, butter, fresh coriander leaves and buttered up crispy pavs to soak it all up! I always think of keema pav as a non-vegetarian’s version of the Bombay pav bhaji. It was the Portuguese that first introduced ‘pav’ in India when they colonized Goa in the 1500s. Keema pav is a common favourite in Parsi cafes across Mumbai and Pune with many variations
history and versions of keema pav
Keema pav is a staple in Bombay and its popularity has grown to other parts of the country with their own versions. When the Portuguese invaded Goa, they missed their breads and that is what led to the invention of pav buns. When they travelled to Bombay, the breads went along and some of the most famous Bombay street foods are now incomplete without pav – vada pav, missal pav, pav bhaji! Pairing meat stews with bread that soaks up all the gravy is a very European thing – and that is probably how keema pav came into existence.
There are many versions of keema pav now – including keema matar, keema kaleji, and keema ghotala with is topped with an egg broken into keema. You can find insanely good keema ghotala at Social Offline across outlets, read about my first time devouring these here.
Ingredients for chicken keema pav
- Chicken mince – 500g
- Desi ghee – 2tbsp
- Bay leaves – 2
- Green cardamom – 2
- Black cardamom – 1
- Cinnamon stick – 2 inches
- Black peppercorn – 4 to 5
- Onions, roughly chopped – 1-1/2 cup
- Green chilli – 1, split
- Ginger and garlic paste – 2 tsp
- Tomato puree – 1/3 cup
- Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
- Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Salt – to taste
to serve
- Pav buns
- Butter
- Sliced onions
- Lemon wedges
- Coriander leaves
Method
- Heat ghee in a kadhai, and add bay leaves, black peppercorns, green and black cardamom, and a cinnamon stick — sautee for a minute.
- Add the chopped onions and mix well. Sautee the onions for 10 minutes of medium heat. As the onions start to brown, add a slit green chili, ginger and garlic paste, and tomato puree. Mix well.
- Season with turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt with 1 cup of water. Mix and cook on medium-high heat until the masala releases oil for another 10-12 minutes.
- Add the minced chicken, and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in 1 cup of water, mix and bring to a boil. Cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat and turn off.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, and serve with lemon, butter and toasted pavs.