Enjoy melt-in-the-mouth soft koftas in tangy spicy gravy. Make this easy and delicious kofta curry in under 40 minutes. So good and aromatic!
Kofta-h means pounded meat. Kofta is a Persian word that means meatballs. Although, vegetable balls and cream (malai) balls and paneer balls are a later adaptation of this dish.
Kofta curry is usually tomato-onion gravy further accentuated with yogurt or cream and aromatic Indian spices.
Kofta means fried ball which could be of ground meat, vegetables, cottage cheese, grains or lentils, and so on. The fried Kofta balls are further cooked in this gravy.
I have been testing this recipe again and again since I first posted in 2018. It was good then but as I raised the bar of my own standards, it was not the best in appearance.
And you could say I was obsessed and researched so much about what ingredients are used in authentic and traditional versions.
I found Kofta curry or Indian Pakistan meatball curry has many versions. But the basic gravy is onion and tomato based. The variation is the addition of nuts, dairy like yogurt or cream, or coconut cream.
Why try this recipe?
This is ground meat curry and it comes with a burst of curry flavor with the perfect consistency of gravy that covers the Kofta and has spicy, sour, and savory flavors.
The almond in the recipe help thickens the gravy without getting watery.
The blending of ground meat with bread for meatballs helps homogenize the texture of Kofta making them soft and unlikely to break.
The technique of bhuna searing first and blending again makes the gravy smooth the flavor is accentuated.
The cooking time has been considered and organized in a way that you can make gravy and Kofta simultaneously in a pot with just one extra vessel for blending.
Other ground meat recipes to look into are Chicken Kofta Curry, Mongolian Meatballs, Seekh kabab, and Chapli kabab.
Ingredients
Below you can see a visual presentation of the recipe.
Ground meat: Ground beef is the most traditional but I've tried this recipe with ground lamb or ground mutton too.
Oil: I use freshly pressed mustard oil which tastes very flavorful. You can use any neutral oil.
Onion, Tomato, Ginger, Garlic, Green chili: Freshly chopped ingredients always taste best.
Ground spices: These are common Indian spices ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, and chili flakes. You switch chili flakes with chili powder or cayenne. Adjust spice level as needed.
Whole spices: A combo of cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and black cardamom works best. You can use other whole spices bay leaves and green cardamom too. Curry leaves also make good addition here.
Bread: This is the binding agent in meatballs. To make this recipe gluten-free, use 2-3 tablespoons of dry-roasted gram or chickpea flour instead of bread slices.
Yogurt: Yogurt adds richness to the gravy. You can switch it with coconut cream or even little heavy cream.
Almonds: You can switch almonds with cashew. This brings the gravy together and keeps it thick and delicious.
Remember, good kofta are those that are soft and juicy to bite and do not break easily while cooking.
How to make it?
The recipe is simple but I've still elaborated this recipe into 12 steps to make it easy to comprehend for juvenile chefs.
- Mix all ingredients of kofta balls in the bowl. Grind the mixture in the food processor to form a fine and thick dough-like mixture.
- Roll out 1-inch kofta balls from the mixture and store them in the fridge to firm up until needed. (Tip: You can shallow fry 1 kofta ball here to check its taste and firmness. Check the FAQ section for more tips.)
- In a wok or wide pan, fry the onion on low heat until it starts to turn golden.
- Add ginger, garlic, green chili, and soaked almond. Let it sizzle for a minute.
- Now add ground spices and stir for a few moments until the onions are golden brown.
- Then add the tomato chunks. Cover and let tomatoes soften on low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Cook tomato until melting soft and oil separates on the sides of the pan.
- Remove from heat and transfer gravy with a slotted spoon to a bowl or food processor leaving excess oil in the wok. Blend the gravy until smooth and set aside. (watch video)
- In the same wok heat the remaining oil and add whole spices.
- Let it crackle and then add kofta balls in a single layer. Then cover the wok and let it cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes until the color of kofta balls change and they are firm to move.
- Add blended gravy, yogurt, and water. Stir carefully and cover the pan again. Simmer on low heat until oil separates on top and the gravy reaches desired consistency.
- Garnish with cilantro, and serve with basmati rice or hot naan.
Expert Tips
- Make ahead: You can make kofta balls ahead and freeze. Simply add frozen kofta to the freshly made gravy. You can make this kofta curry 24 hours ahead.
- How to store?: The kofta curry can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. It also freezes very well.
- Add boiled eggs: If you are a boiled egg lover, add hard-boiled egg quarters to the gravy. You'd thank me for the suggestion.
- Gluten-free: Switch bread in the kofta balls with 2-3 tablespoons of gram flour or chickpea flour.
- Nut-free: You can switch nuts with a little cream or just skip them.
- Dairy-free: Switch yogurt with coconut cream.
FAQ
If your kofta balls are not having as desired texture, check the whole FAQ section for tips and how to handle it.
Yes! Fry the spices and nuts first then add 2 tablespoons of crushed fried onions. let it sizzle and add tomatoes right after. Follow the remaining recipe as it is.
Yes! Use half the measures as it is thicker than regular yogurt.
Make sure you grind the kofta mixture finely to form a dough-like consistency. This should stop the kofta from breaking. If you still have trouble add bread crumbs to the mixture if it is moist and or whipped egg to the mixture if it is too dry.
You can add a whipped egg to the kofta balls to make them moist and stop them from breaking. But add just 1 tablespoon at a time as too much moisture can make the mixture difficult to roll.
The texture of kofta depends on the mince. Use 20% fat mice for moist and juicy kofta. If your koftas are still turned hard then dip the bread slices in water. Squeeze water completely and then add it to the mixture. This hack will keep the kofta soft. Adding 2 tablespoons of whipped egg can be helpful.
Hungry for more? Check these!
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📖 Recipe
Kofta Curry
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 450 gram ground meat, mutton or beef, with 20% fat
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 slices bread
- ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon green chili paste
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoons corriander powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Gravy
- ½ cup oil
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 1 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- ½ tablespoons green chili paste
- 8 almonds, or cashew, optional but recommended.
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1-½ teaspoon red chili flakes, adjust as per spice preference
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 teaspoons corriander powder
- 2 tomato
Assemble
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 6 peppercorn
- 1 black cardamom, optional
- ¼ cup yogurt , or coconut cream or cream
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Make Kofta Balls
- Mix all ingredients of kofta balls in the bowl. Grind the mixture in the food processor to form a fine and thick dough-like mixture.
- Roll out 1-inch kofta balls from the mixture and store them in the fridge to firm up until needed.
Make Gravy
- In a wok or wide pan, fry the onion on low heat until it starts to turn golden.
- Add ginger, garlic, green chili, and soaked almond. Let it sizzle for a minute.
- Now add ground spices and stir for a few moments until the onions are golden brown.
- Then add the tomato chunks. Cover and let tomatoes soften on low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Cook tomato until melting soft and oil separates on the sides of the pan.
- Remove from heat and transfer gravy with a slotted spoon to a bowl or food processor leaving excess oil in the wok. Blend the gravy until smooth and set aside. (watch video)
Assemble
- In the same wok heat the remaining oil and add whole spices.
- Let it crackle and then add kofta balls in a single layer. Then cover the wok and let it cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes until the color of kofta ball changes and they are firm to move.
- Now, add blended gravy, yogurt, and water. Stir carefully and cover the pan again. Simmer on low heat until oil separates on top and the gravy reaches desired consistency.
- Garnish with cilantro, and serve.
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