The Spice Mess

Keema Masoor Pulao – Ground Beef and Lentil Pilaf

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Our Keema Masoor Pulao Recipe is a hearty one-dish meal with seasoned lentils and ground beef, cooked with Basmati rice for a simple, yet flavorful meal.

plate of keema masoor pulao

Keema Masoor Pulao is a simple one-pot meal dish, that is a perfect meal for when you want a hearty dinner at home, or if you’re looking to feed a crowd!

When we think of rice-based main dishes, we often think of traditional options like Chicken Biryani, or a Beef Pilau. But this Keema Masoor Rice Pulao will change your mind!

The lentils along with the rice and seasoned meat, create a wholesome, and filling meal.

Why you’ll love Keema Masoor Pulao

  • Wholesome and hearty meal with lentils, ground beef and rice
  • Simple enough for a weeknight dinner
  • Easy to feed a crowd
  • One-dish meal – no need to add any side dishes to this meal

If you’re looking for more simple Pakistani keema (ground beef) recipes, here are some of our favorites:

keema masoor pulao rice close up

Masoor Pulao Ingredients

  • Masoor dal (whole red lentils) – You can either use canned lentils to make this a quick dish, or soak and boil the lentils until tender.
  • Ground Beef – We typically use medium or lean ground beef for this recipe. You can even skip the ground beef and add more lentils to make this a vegetarian friendly dish!
  • Rice – We typically use long-grain-aged Basmati rice for this recipe. We love using Royal Basmati Rice.
  • Whole spices – this recipe uses black pepper, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, black cardamom, and cumin. They get added at the beginning of the cooking process so they can bloom.
  • Ground spices – Turmeric, Cumin powder, Red chili powder. These get added later on so that they do not burn.
  • Fried onion – You can fry onions at home, but but most Indian / Pakistani stores have packaged fried onions, making this dish a lot easier. Try to find a brand that doesn’t use flour to coat the fried onions for best results, like the Nawabi brand we found on Amazon.
  • Garam Masala – is a popular spice blend used in South Asian cooking, usually found at many grocery stores.
  • Ginger & garlic paste – This is a popular addition to lots of Pakistani and Indian dishes. It is made with equal parts of crushed ginger and crushed garlic. If you opt to make your own, you can make a big batch ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for about two weeks.
  • Tomatoes – For this recipe, you can use either fresh or canned crushed tomatoes, whichever you have on hand!
masoor pulao in bowl, with masoor pulao in plate to the left.

Tips for Keema Masoor Pulao

  • This dish is traditionally made with whole masoor dal, which typically takes longer to cook and has a bite at the end.
  • The longer you soak the lentils the quicker they will cook. The lentils are ready to cook when the skin peels off easily. 
  • Opt for canned lentils if you are short on time. The recipe below details how to cook the lentils, but if you are short on time, using canned lentils is great!
  • We used ground beef in this recipe. Any ground meat will work. Or omit the ground beef, and add more lentils to make this dish vegetarian friendly.
  • Fried onions add a lot of flavor to this dish. We typically stock our pantry with fried onions to cut down on cooking time. Try to find a brand that doesn’t use flour to coat the fried onions for best results, like the Nawabi brand we found on Amazon.
  • Like many South Asian dishes, the order of when the ingredients are added build flavor. Make sure to allow the ingrdients to cook between each step for optimal flavor.
  • The final step in this dish is to layer the meat and lentil mixture and let it cook on low heat (similar to a Biryani). Allow at least 30 minutes on low heat for this final step for best results.
masoor pulao in plate with cucumber salad

What to serve with Keema Masoor Rice Pulao?

Once you’re ready to serve this pulao, garnish it with chopped cilantro, and fried onions.

This Keema Masoor Pulao is a perfect meal on its own, with some plain yogurt to mellow the spices.

If you want to add a few trimmings, here are some of our favorite condiments to serve with this Keema Masoor Rice Pulao:

masoor pulao in bowl

If you give this Keema Masoor Pulao recipe a try, we’d love to see it! 

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Keema Masoor Pulao

This Keema Masoor Pulao Recipe is an elegant dish with seasoned lentils and ground beef, that can be served as a one dish meal.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Pakistani

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Masoor dal (whole red lentils)
  • 2 cups Basmati rice
  • 3/4 cup Neutral Oil
  • ½ lb ground beef about 1 cup
  • 1 cup Fried onion
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped or 1 cup crushed
  • 1 tsp Salt adjust to taste
  • 1 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 1 tsp Red chili powder
  • ½ tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Garam masala
  • 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
  • 3-4 Green chilli, chopped adjust to taste
  • 6-8 Whole black pepper
  • 2 Whole black cardamom
  • 2-3 Cloves
  • 1 Cinnamon stick, 2-inch stick
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • biryani essence optional
  • cilantro, chopped garnish

Instructions
 

Prepare Lentils

  • In a pot soak the lentil for at least 2 hours, or overnight. The lentils are ready to cook when the skin peels off easily. Boil lentils until tender, then drain.
    You can also use canned lentils instead of dry lentils.

Rice

  • Wash, then soak 2 cups of Basmati rice for 20-30 minutes.
  • In a medium pot, on high heat, let 4 cups of water come to a boil with the salt.
    Drain, then add the soaked basmati rice to the boiling water. Turn heat down to medium. Let rice cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Strain rice in a colander or sieve.

Meat & Spices

  • In a large pot, on low heat, add oil and whole spices. Cook the spices until fragrant.
  • Then add the ground beef, and cook until brown. Add the fried onion and cook for couple of minutes. Next add the powdered spices (cumin, turmeric, red chilli powder, and garam masala) and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  • Finally, add the crushed tomatoes if fresh chop in small pieces and cook till all is blended well mix the boiled lentil.

Layer the Pulao

  • In a large pot, layer the ingredients: add half of the prepared rice, followed by the ground beef and lentils, and then top with other half of the rice.
  • Optional: add biyrani essence if desired.
  • Cover the pot and cook on very low heat for 30 minutes.

Notes

Notes: The ground beef can be replaced with any ground meat, or leave the meat out completely for a vegetarian alternative. 
Keyword keema masoor pulao, masoor pulao, masoor rice