Kid-Friendly Keema and Crumble

A comforting midweek meal that can be enjoyed by all ages – with instructions for a vegetarian version too. Words by Shahnaz Ahsan. Images by Sanskriti Bist.

Apr 09, 2025

∙ Paid

Welcome to Vittles Cooking! Today, Shahnaz Ahsan writes about cooking a midweek meal of gently spiced keema and fruit crumble – beloved by parents and children alike – that expresses the two proud culinary cultures in her household.
We have finally managed to sort a solution for international magazine orders, and Issue 1 is now available to preorder from anywhere in the world, including the EU. As this is our first run, and as we have self-funded the magazine, we are being cautious with how many copies we print, so we would highly recommend pre-ordering before 24 April if you wish to guarantee a copy.
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Issue 1

Keema and Crumble

A comforting midweek meal that can be enjoyed by all ages – with instructions for a vegetarian version. Words by Shahnaz Ahsan. Photos by Sanskriti Bist.

It’s a midweek evening and my kitchen is filled with the sizzle of the holy trinity of onions, garlic, and ginger, intermingling with the warm fragrance of cinnamon and apples baking in the oven. I am cooking my children’s favourite dinner: keema and crumble.

Keema – gently spiced minced beef or lamb, studded with green peas and soft chunks of potato – is my go-to for a versatile, family-friendly dish that never fails and always forgives. For my comfort crumble, I pair apples or pears with whatever soft fruit we have in the fridge – blueberries or blackberries, or even plums, and top it with a buttery, oaty mix.

These dishes are the culinary embodiment of the two proud cultures that coexist in our home: Bengali Muslim and Ashkenazi Jewish. The inheritors of these cultures are our four-year-old son and one-year-old daughter, both of whom already have strong gastronomic preferences (one loathes cardamom, the other is obsessed with raw red onion; both are gluttons for the humble potato chip). They are also prone to dramatic shifts in what they deign to eat at any given time: the reliable pesto and cheese toastie has been in, out, and in again more times than skinny jeans, while roast chicken, once heralded with an excited cheer, is now received with a deflated ‘not again’.

Much to my relief, the keema–crumble duo remains a firm favourite. My vegetarian husband gets a variation made with red lentils and kidney beans instead of minced beef, and so we can all eat pretty much the same thing – a modern marvel in households with fussy toddlers. Each dish can yield several different potential meals (culinary purists: look away now). Leftover keema becomes a whole new dish when served in taco shells with some shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, tomato salsa, and grated cheese. Or you can spoon the leftovers onto circles of shop-bought puff pastry, fold them over, and quickly glaze with egg wash to make turnovers – perfect for a lunchbox. Any remaining crumble, meanwhile, is mixed with Greek yoghurt for an indulgent breakfast the following day.

This utilitarian approach – extending every dish I make – is a world away from how I used to cook before having children. I’ve had to learn how to navigate the shift in what cooking has come to represent for me: from passion, to purpose, to obligation. In this season of life, cooking can be – and often is – all of these at the same time. I find myself falling back on trusted dishes that may not win awards for innovation, but they are easy, they are kind, and, right now, they are exactly what I need. I am delighted to share them here, just in case you need them too.