Indian Meatballs
Kofta are Indian meatballs made from minced beef seasoned with turmeric, chilli, coriander and cumin, quickly fried and then simmered in a spiced sauce. The dish exists in countless variations across India, Pakistan and the Middle East.
The method is two-stage. First the balls are mixed with half the onion and spices and quickly browned. Then the sauce is built from the remaining onion, garlic and spices, which are allowed to fry for a good while before the balls simmer in. It is during the long simmering that the spices come through and bind the meat and sauce together.
Kofta is a weekday dish across South Asia — straightforward enough to cook on an ordinary evening, but spiced well enough to be worth making. The result is savoury and warmly spiced with a rich sauce that clings to the meat. Serve with rice or naan. Garnish with fresh mint or coriander leaves.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 500 g minced beef
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 2-3 tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
- 2 dl water
- mint leaves (or coriander leaves), for garnish
Directions
Put the minced beef in a bowl together with half the chopped onion, half the garlic, half the spices and half the salt. Mix well, then bind the mixture with the beaten egg.
Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and shape each into a ball.
Heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot. Brown the meatballs in batches for 5 minutes, turning so they colour all the way around. Remove to absorbent paper.
Heat the ghee or oil in a large saucepan. Add the remaining onion and garlic, and fry over low heat for 4–5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the remaining spices and salt, and fry for a further 3 minutes, stirring constantly, so the spices open up without burning.
Add the meatballs to the pan and turn them so they are coated in the spiced fat.
Pour in the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, put on the lid and let the dish simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Serve topped with fresh mint or coriander leaves. Serve with rice or naan.
Notes
Preparation time about 30 minutes, simmering time 30 minutes.
The spice sauce gets more intense if the spices are allowed to fry longer in the hot fat in step 5, but keep a constant eye to make sure they don’t burn.
The dish can be made the day before and gently reheated. The flavour generally improves after a day in the fridge.
See Also
Cucumber Raita (Kheera Raita)
Mint Raita
Green Chutney
