Jun 21, 2009

Kofta Curry


I'm sure there are ways to improve this one. But the taste was so good the first time I tried it, that I had to post the recipe here. Kofta is aka meatball. So it's a meatball curry! This one is sort of a random recipe i.e. I came up with it myself. Hope you'll give it a try! I know I will...next week. :)


Serves 2-3

Ingredients

Minced Chicken - 1/2 lb
Serrano Chilli peppers - 1/2-1 finely chopped, seeds and all.
Garam Masala - 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Bread Crumbs - 1/2 cup [I toast up regular bread when I can't finish an entire loaf. So I used toasted wheat bread]
Vegetable oil - 2 tbspn
Onion - 1 chopped
Tomatoes - 2 chopped
Red chilli powder (Indian)- 1 tsp
Cumin powder - a little more than 1 tsp
Coriander powder - a little more than 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - literally a pinch.
Fresh coriander/cilantro for garnish and for koftas (optional)
Coconut milk - 1/2 can (about 6-7 fluid oz.)

Part 1: the koftas

In a mixing bowl add the garam masala, bread crumbs, serrano, cilantro, salt, and chicken. Mix throughly and add 1tbspn of oil to keep this moist. Make spheres or ovals and set aside. Let this sit for about 20 mins.

Part 2: the curry

1. In a pan add 1 tbspn oil and let it heat up. To this add the chopped onion and saute until it is translucent.

2. Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute for about 3-4 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl mix the spice powders (cumin, coriander, red chilli) in 1.5 cups of water. Add this to the pan and let it come to a boil.

4. As this is simmering, add the meatballs to it and let it cook for about 10 mins or so.

5. next add the coconut milk and let it simmer/boil for about 10-15mins. Taste this at some point to add salt as required.

6. It was very liquidy so I just let it boil for some 20 or so minutes and finally gave up since it tasted fantastic. Eventually as it cooled, it got a little thicker so that was good, but overall it's still a very liquidy curry. That's why I categorize this recipe as a work-in-progress.

7. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

Serve with hot basmati rice and raitha.

NOTE: You can always add more serrano or red chilli powder as it is simmering, so add a little at first and see if you can handle the heat. Serranos can vary in size and heat, so a little may just go a long way.

6 comments:

Lauren said...

I was wondering why I had the urge to buy a can of coconut milk last night - and now I know! Good thing I went with my gut and got some, because now I can try this recipe out. Consider it Thursday night's dinner (marinating tuna tonight for the grill and making shrimp chow mein tomorrow - will post recipes).

Pocketmouse said...

I want to come and have dinner that night!!!! I also had Garlic naan from trader Joes on hand. My brother enjoyed it with the naan. trader joes FTW.

Ailurophile said...

I've had it. And it's indeed quite tasty. Thanks for this, and the other great recipes you've shared here. Keep up the good work :)

Pocketmouse said...

:-)

Lauren said...

I just tried this recipe out tonight with ground turkey, half a serrano and half tsp of red pepper - it was terrific (and plenty spicy). SO good. Charles loved it too. This recipe gets rave reviews from me. :D

Pocketmouse said...

Oh that's good LV. I've added a note to the post now. My serranos this time are 2x the size of the ones I used for this recipe. And you know, if it's not enough you can always add heat later...but you can never remove it.

I'm very glad you guys enjoyed it!!