Kofta Curry (Meat Balls/Dumplings Curry)

Minced or Ground Meat ( Lamb) Balls cooked in gravy made of onion,spices and melon seeds paste.

Ingredients:
For Kofta:

• 1 pound Boneless Mutton
• 2 tbsp Dry Roasted Gram Flour (Besan)
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Cooking oil for frying

For Curry:

• Paste of 2 big onions
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Meat Curry Masala (available in Indian Grocery Stores)
• 2 tbsp melon seeds paste
• 1 tbsp cilantro leaves finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• To make koftas, mix all the ingredients in ground meat and knead it with hands properly. Make equal sized smooth balls.
• Deep fry these balls in oil on medium heat till golden brown.Keep them aside.
• For the curry, heat oil in a deep skillet. Fry onion, ginger, garlic paste till light brown. Add tomato chunks and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add all other dry ingredients, fry till oil is separated from masala.
• Add enough water to make gravy. Bring to boil, add koftas and simmer for 30 minutes or till koftas are done.
• Add melon seeds paste ( for this first dry roast the melon seeds on a skillet and grind them then in grinder). Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped Cilantro and serve hot with Roti (Indian Flatbread) or Nan.

Note: Koftas can be grilled, fried, steamed, poached, baked or marinated, and may be served with or without a rich spicy sauce. Variations occur.

Tips: Meatballs freeze very well. Cool them completely so they stay separate, then freeze in a single layer. When frozen solid, place gently into a hard-sided freezer container, label, seal, and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, let stand in the refrigerator overnight, thaw in the microwave oven at 30% power, or just use as directed in recipe.

Do you know?

According to a 2005 study done by a private food company, there were 291 different kinds of kofta in Turkey, where it is very popular. In Arab countries, kofta is usually shaped into cigar-shaped cylinders