MISSION KOFTA CURRY
Dos Hermanos may not be exactly dead yet, but it’s certainly been coughing up blood lately.
HP seems to be eating all his meals in Chiswick these days, which is great for him, but wouldn’t make for fantastic reading. I, on the other hand, am all over the place and rarely get time to sit down to do the writing I am paid for let alone keeping you saps, suckers and ne’er do wells entertained with my Shavian musings.
So, here’s the deal. I shall continue to post when I can and, if you remain even vaguely interested, you can tune in every now and again to see what we are up too.
There won’t be many restaurant reviews anymore. As I said, HP will probably soon own a debenture at Hedone, and I don’t care enough about the Los Angeles dining scene to post a series of consistently expensive and mediocre meals just to keep the blog current.
What I can do is post about my trips (when time allows) and about the increasing amount of time I am spending in our little kitchen trying to improve my skills and test recipes for some book and TV ideas.
I can’t promise the recipes will be life changing, but hopefully they will be worth trying and worth eating. That is about all I gotsta put on the table at the moment. I hope it sounds fair enough?
Starting as I mean to go on in 2012, here’s a terrific recipe for that Northern Indian favourite, Kofta Curry. It’s a stunning dish of lamb meatballs cooked in a sauce of pureed onions, yoghurt and fresh ground spices.
It has already become a “must cook again” for my Mrs, which is high praise indeed. Let me know if you try it and if you feel the same way as she does if you do.
LAMB KOFTA CURRY (Serves 4)
INGREDIENTS
For the Kofta
1 ½ lb Ground Lamb Shoulder (I mince my own)
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Whole Egg
1 Cup Fresh Breadcrumbs
To make the kofta, combine all the ingredients well. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill for at least an hour. After they have chilled, form the meat into the size and shape of meatballs you prefer, cover again in cling film and place back in the fridge.
For The Sauce
1/2 Cup Cashew Nut Paste (made from soaking raw cashews in milk for 30mins and then blending with a little of the liquid to a fine paste)
1 Large White Onion (Pureed to a Paste)
Ginger/Garlic Paste (made from blending 2in fresh ginger with 4 big garlic cloves + a little water and salt)
2 Green Chilies (de seeded and finely minced)
1 12oz Can Tomatoes
2 Tbs Thick Yoghurt (whipped)
2 Tsp Garam Masala (I made mine from freshly toasted spices including bayleaf, fennel seed, cinnamon bark, black cardamom and clove)
½ Tsp each of Ground Turmeric, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Chili Powder and Salt
To make the sauce, heat up two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a deep sided frying pan.
Add all the ground spices (except the garam masala) and cook for three minutes making sure it does not burn.
Add the ginger/garlic paste and cook for a further three minutes.
Add the minced green chili and cook for a further three minutes.
Add the cashew nut paste, combine well and cook for a further three minutes.
Add the pureed onion and cook for five minutes.
Add the whipped yoghurt and the garam masala spices and cook for a further five minutes.
At this point, I like to blend my sauce with a hand blender and pass it through a sieve. This is optional, but I think it gives a much better end result.
While the sauce is cooking, remove the Kofta from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
If you blend the sauce, return it to the pan and add the Kofta. Cover the pan and cook on a gentle heat for fifteen minutes.
Uncover the pan, turn over the kofta and cook for a further fifteen minutes.
Reduce the sauce over a gentle heat until it reaches the desired consistency. I like mine to be a thick, dark, rich gravy. Be sure to turn the kofta every few minutes so they do not dry out.
Serve with plain boiled rice (or Indian breads) and more whipped yoghurt.
Enjoy.
Labels: Home cooking, INDIAN, Kofta
9 Comments:
Terrific! Thanks for posting the recipe. For what it's worth, it is ALWAYS better, when a recipe calls for ground or minced meat, to do it yourself.
good to see you here again Simona nd know that wnen you are not here it's for a good cause. perhaps you could keep posting links to your recent stuff here?
The kofta curry looks very interesting and having your own grinder at home...sometimes I wish I could spend weeks experimenting with dishes involving pork, beef, lamb....medical science be damned
That looks really good. I never order kofta curry but making it myself sounds like an option.
more recipes.... yes please!
Well your blog has certainly been a champion commentary to eating & drinking around the globe & at home - enjoyed every post so big thanks for that. The lamb kofta looks great & will try out your recipe. Cheers.
The photos are brilliant the colours evoke such smells and tastes. I need to invest in an electric mincer so I'll give these a go especially as I love koftas.
do the prep listening to Emmy the Great.
do the cooking listening to Loose Ends.
eat the Kofta........heaven...great start to Saturday night.
I have just been inspired to write a post on various curries, this recipe is new to me but looks so tasty. Will have to link back here when my post is done. I enjoyed you little intro before the recipe, keeping it real, nice one.
So when do you put in the tomatoes?
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