Ok guys so today I have a super simple recipe for you! It is something you can whip up on a week night and transform it into something special. Growing up, I don’t remember having Koftas (meatballs in curry) all that often, possibly because of the labor involved in cooking them. It was always something we ate at dinner parties and on special occasions.
But here, here is something totally doable and delicious! The koftas of my childhood were made out of ground beef. Never chicken. I wanted something quick and juicy with very few ingredients. I was happiest when this recipe worked without the addition of bread! I mean why put in the additional carbs when you really don’t need it, right? So, you can safely call this version of koftas gluten free! The key though is to ensure the chicken is minced thigh meat. I have tried it with minced breast meat and it’s just not as juicy as the ones made with thigh meat. I picked up the meat at a local Middle Eastern grocery store but I figure you can ask most butchers to grind the thigh meat instead of the breast.
- 1 lb chicken thigh meat, ground
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- ½ onion, minced
- 2 green chillies, minced
- A handful cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- FOR THE CURRY
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- Small handful cilantro, chopped for garnish
- 1 green chillie, julienned for garnish
- ¼ tsp karma masala for garnish
- In a food processor mince the onion and then the green chillies.
- In a medium sized bowl mix all ingredients and form into meatballs the size of golf balls.
- Keep aside.
- In a medium size saute pan, over medium high heat, heat the oil and fry the onions.
- Once the onions are golden brown, add the garlic and all the spices.
- Saute for a minute and then add the tomato sauce.
- Fry some more till the oil rises to the top.
- Add the meatballs and stir to coat.
- Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium low.
- Let cook about 20 minutes.
- Once the meatballs are cooked through, increase the heat to high and stir fry the curry to let some of the water released by the koftas cook off and the oil separate.
- Switch off the stove.
- Garnish with cilantro and green chillies and serve with boiled rice
notes:
- Although you can serve koftas with rice or naan ( flat bread), my family prefers to eat gravy based dishes with rice. Lately I have started cooking more brown rice to maximize the nutrition in all that we eat. I must say it was received pretty well by the kids and Ali.
- Bring this already fabulous dish up a notch by adding boiled eggs sliced in half.
Try it for dinner tonight, you won’t be sorry you did!
This recipe looks delicious! I will have to try it!
Please do Meryl and come back and tell me how you liked it!