Nothing hits all the winter “comfort eating” spots as this pot of warming, spicy EASY kofta curry. You could either mince or a mix of paneer (firm, Indian cottage cheese) and mashed potatoes. This is an adaptation of my Nani’s kofta curry recipe.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE KOFTAS
Mince 1 kg OR
Paneer (grated) 500 gms + Mashed Potatoes 2 cups *
Brown Onion (chopped fine or put through a food processor) 1 small
Coriander leaves & stalks (chopped fine) 2 tbsp
Ginger (finely chopped or grated) 1 tbsp
Garlic (finely chopped) 2 cloves
Meat Mix Spice Blend 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
FOR THE CURRY
Oil 2 tbsps
Clarified butter (ghee) 1 tsp (optional)
Brown Onion (chopped fine or put through a food processor) 1 large
Garlic (finely chopped / crushed) 4 cloves
Hurry Curry Spice Blend 2 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Chopped Tomatoes 1 can (or 3 large)
Coriander stalk & leaves 2 tbsps
Ginger (finely chopped or grated) 1 tbsp
METHOD
FOR THE KOFTAS
Add all the ingredients in a large bowl.
With wet hands, work in the Meat Mix spice blend and the crushed ginger / garlic, coriander & salt.
To get even sized balls, divide the mixture in half and then keep halving till. You should get about 24.
Using firm pressure, roll the mix into balls ensuring there are no cracks in the mix, or else it will split when you put them into the sauce.
You can either make these ahead and keep covered in the fridge, or make these and keep in a plate on the side, ready to drop into the pan of curry.
*You may want to crack an egg into the paneer & potato mix to help these koftas hold their shape while cooking.
FOR THE CURRY
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and the ghee (if using) together.
When hot add the chopped onion.
When the onions are transparent add the crushed garlic and stir well.
Add the chopped tomatoes, crushed ginger, chopped coriander stalks, and the Hurry Curry spice blend. Mix well.
The curry / sauce is done when it kinda leaves the edges of the pot and starts coming in together, leaving in its trail a lovely red oily juice at it’s edges. This will take about 6-8 minutes.
Add in the salt.
Add 1/4 cup of water and heat through. The meatballs will also add some more liquid so don’t make the sauce too runny.
Start dropping the meatballs into the sauce, one at a time swirling them well into the sauce. Take care not to stir too hard, just roll them about in the pan to ensure they’re well coated with the sauce and you don’t end up with mince!
As they start cooking, the meatballs will hold their own shape and suck in all the juices and spices from the curry.
Keep covered, shaking the pan occasionally to mix things up. Cook about 20 minutes or so.
Gently spoon the sauce evenly over all the meatballs.
Garnish with chopped coriander.
Stir well (but gently) before serving and eat with either fluffy rotis & rice and pickled red onions.
YUMMMMMMMMMM….