Gurdeep Loyal’s kasundi keema lasagne rolls recipe

Food writer Gurdeep Loyal grew up eating keema – a type of spiced mince, often made with lamb.

In this dish, he’s reinvented keema by adding cheese, cavolo nero, mustard and more – and fashioned it into lasagne rolls.

Kasundi keema lasagne rolls

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

For the kasundi keema:
2tbsp ghee
2 large onions, finely chopped
1tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
1tbsp black mustard seeds
1tbsp cumin seeds
8 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
2tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2tsp chilli flakes
500g minced lamb (20% fat)
2tbsp garam masala
2tsp fine sea salt
5tbsp tomato purée
2tbsp dark brown sugar
3tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ 400g can of chopped tomatoes

For the cheese paste:
200g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
2tsp cumin seeds, crushed
3tbsp coarse semolina
1tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the greens:
200g cavolo nero, coarse stalks removed
1tbsp English mustard
4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped or grated
4tbsp lemon juice

For the lasagne rolls and tarkha:
10-12 lasagne sheets
500g jar of tomato pasta sauce
2tbsp vegetable oil
30-35 fresh curry leaves
1½tbsp black mustard seeds
1tsp chilli flakes

Method:

1. To make the keema, heat the ghee in a large pan, add the onions and cook for seven to eight minutes until golden.

2. Next add the coriander, mustard and cumin seeds, cooking for another two to three minutes, before adding the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes. Now add the lamb, browning for four to six minutes before mixing through the garam masala and salt. Finally add the tomato purée, sugar and vinegar, along with the tomatoes. Simmer and reduce for five to seven minutes, then set aside.

3. To make the cheese paste, combine all the ingredients together into a crumbly mixture.

4. For the greens, boil the cavolo nero in salted water for five to six minutes until tender, then blend with the mustard, garlic and lemon juice into a thick smooth paste. Add a little water if needed, then let it cool.

5. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

6. Cover the lasagne sheets with boiling water and leave for four to five minutes to soften a little. Slice each lasagne sheet down the middle lengthways, making two strips ready for rolling.

7. Take one pasta strip, spread with one tablespoon of the mustard greens, sprinkle over some cheese paste and finally add a spoon of keema. Roll up tightly into a snail. Repeat to form all the lasagne rolls.

8. Pour the jarred tomato pasta sauce into an ovenproof dish and tightly pack in the lasagne rolls.

9. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a final 10-15 minutes, until piping hot and crusty on top.

10. Meanwhile, for the tarkha, heat the vegetable oil in a pan, then add the curry leaves, mustard seeds and chilli flakes. Sizzle for one minute, then drizzle over the baked lasagne rolls just before serving.

Mother Tongue: Flavours Of A Second Generation is published by Fourth Estate, priced £26. Photography by Jax Walker. Available March 2.