Description
Kofta Curry is a flavorful and aromatic dish featuring tender meatballs simmered in a rich tomato-based curry sauce infused with warm spices. Perfect for a comforting meal, this recipe combines fragrant herbs and spices to create a satisfying dish that’s both hearty and spicy, ideal for serving over rice or with naan bread.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meatballs:
- 1/2 onion roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 inch ginger roughly chopped
- 1/2 Serrano pepper roughly chopped
- 1 pound ground meat (beef or lamb)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or another type of flour
Curry:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 1/2 Serrano pepper
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce
Spices:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Additional:
- 2 cups water
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the meat mixture: Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and Serrano pepper to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides a few times if needed.
- Combine meat and flavors: Add the ground meat to the food processor and blend until minced/smooth and well combined with the onion mixture. Pour this into a bowl, along with the spices and tapioca flour.
- Form the meatballs: Form the meat mixture into 1-inch balls, and set aside in the fridge to firm up for now.
- Cook the curry: Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Once hot, add cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Stir briefly, then add the diced onions and cook for 10 minutes until they begin to brown.
- Add aromatics and sauce: Add garlic, ginger, and Serrano pepper; cook for 1 minute. Then stir in the tomato sauce and spices, cooking for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add water and cook koftas: Pour in water, mix well, then gently add the meatballs. Cover the pot with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 12-15 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.
- Finish cooking: Remove lid, raise heat to high, and cook uncovered for an additional 5 minutes to thicken the sauce if desired.
- Serve: Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or naan.
Notes
- Depending on the type of meat and fat content, you might need to add more tapioca flour to help bind the meatballs properly.
- You can substitute tapioca flour with other gluten-free flours such as rice flour or chickpea flour if preferred.
- If you prefer, replace the tapioca flour with a beaten egg for better binding.
- Adjust the amount of Serrano pepper based on your spice preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 400 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
