Kofta Curry

Koftya clearly comes to us from the Middle East. It is basically a variety of ground meat, mixed with spices and grilled or fried, served as an dry appetizer or side dish or cooked in a rich gravy. In India the vegeratians adapted this to form the popular Kofta Curry , made with bottle gourd ( Lauki) or potatoes, paneer, raw bananas or other tubers.These koftas are made from grated vegetables, mixed with spices and flour ( mostly chick pea flour) , stuffed with rich dried nuts and fruits like raisins, apricots, sultanas and fried. These are then cooked in a tomato based gravy and garnished with cream.

1 cup grated bottle gourd ( lauki) , 100 gms paneer, 1 tbsp flour, salt to taste,1 tsp each chopped ginger ,garlic, coriander . 1 tbsp chopped mixed nuts, ¼ tsp red chilli powder.

add the salt to the grated bottle gourd and leave for 10 mins. Squeeze it till all the water is drained out.To this add giner, garlic, coriander leaves, nuts, red chilli powder, salt to taste and flour. Mix well.Crumble the paneer and add to the mixture. Mix well and roll into 8 even sized balls.

Gravy:

2 tbsp oil, 2 onions boiled, pureed and cooked till light brown.2 tbsp tomato puree, ¼ cup thick yoghurt, 8-10 cashews ground into paste , with milk,2 green cardamoms crushed, 1 tsp each red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder, coarinder pwoder, garam masala powder, 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1 cup water, salt to taste. Cheese for garnish.

Heat oil, add onion paste , add ginger garlic paste, when oil separates add tomato puree , add in red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and corriander powders,cook till oil separates, add yoghurt and cook on slow flame for 2 mins.Add cashew paste and cook till mixture thicken. Add water and salt to taste, add garam masala and cook till gravy bubbles.

Meanwhile fry the kofta balls in hot oil , once the balls are light brown , reduce heat and fry till golden brown. Drain and add to the boiling gravy. reduce heat and cook till the koftas sink into the gravy. Garnish with green coriander leaves and grated cheese or cream. Serve hot with rotis, poories, parathas , naan or kulchas.

To make a jain( free from onions and garlic)  version of the above, skip out the ginger-garlic in the koftas and the onion paste and ginger garlic paste from the gravy. Instead increase the quantity of cashews and yoghurt. You can susbstitute the lauki for raw bananas , but never potatoes or other tubers.Paneer can be used either with a combination of lauki or raw bananas or on its own. In that case double the quantity of flour.