Lamb Kofta Curry Recipe

Spiced lamb meatballs simmered in a yoghurt-based curry sauce.

Preparation time: about 50 minutes (excludes simmering time)

Serves about 4.

We use digital kitchen scales to weigh ingredient quantities greater than one teaspoon. Our spoon/cup measurements are for a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml cup (Australian Standard sizes).

Kofta
500g lamb mince
1 medium (about 170g) onion
1 large (about 5g) garlic clove
10g piece fresh ginger (about 4cm long by 2cm diameter)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried hot chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon fine table salt

Curry Sauce
280g (about 2 medium) very ripe tomatoes
1 medium (about 170g) onion
1 large (about 5g) garlic clove
10g piece fresh ginger (about 4cm long by 2cm diameter)
1 (about 12g) long red chilli
40ml (2 tablespoons) oil (we use a mild-flavoured oil, such as sunflower)
5 cloves
5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed to release seeds
24g (1 tablespoon) tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons (4g) ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons (4g) ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon (3g) mild paprika
1 teaspoon (2g) garam masala
Salt, to taste (we use 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt)
62ml (1/4 cup) water
135g (1/2 cup) natural yoghurt (we use Greek-style yoghurt with 9.7 percent fat)

Kofta

Place mince in a large bowl.

Peel the onion and grate onto a plate or chopping board.

Pick up the grated onion, leaving the excess juice behind (discard juice), and add onion to the mince.

Peel and crush garlic. Peel and grate ginger. Add garlic, ginger, egg, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes and salt to the bowl with the mince.

Using your hand, mix until well combined.

If you wet your fingers with water during the rolling of the kofta the mince won't stick to your fingers. Form mince into 20 even sized balls.

Place kofta on a plate or tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate while preparing the sauce.

Curry Sauce

Peel the tomatoes (for instructions see this recipe), finely chop and set aside.

Peel and finely chop onion. Peel and crush garlic. Peel and finely grate ginger. Finely chop the chilli.

You will need a large heavy-based frying pan or large saucepan with a base diameter of at least 22cm so the kofta will be in a single layer while cooking. Add the oil to the pan and heat over medium-low heat.

Add onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, cloves and cardamom pods to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened (about 10 minutes).

Add the tomato paste, turmeric, coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes and stir to combine.

Stir in the water and yoghurt and bring to a simmer.

Place the kofta in a single layer in the sauce.

Return sauce to a simmer and simmer uncovered. After about 15 minutes, gently turn kofta using two forks or a pair of tongs. Shake the pan (don't stir as this may break up the kofta) a couple of times during cooking to prevent the kofta sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 40 minutes, until the kofta are cooked through (if you are unsure, check by breaking one apart).

Remove the cloves and cardamom pods from the sauce. Serve the kofta curry with naan and rice.

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Suitable to freeze. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au