Meatball Curry (Kofta Curry)

Photo: Emily

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

500 grams minced beef

1/2 carrot, diced

1/2 green chilli, sliced

A handful of coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala (Indian mixed spices)

1 egg

Salt & pepper

For the curry sauce:

1 medium sized onion, sliced

1 teaspoon garlic paste (alternatively 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped)

1 teaspoon ginger paste (alternatively 1 inch thick of ginger finely chopped)

1 cup of yoghurt

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cardamon pods, split open

1 clove

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon garam masala (Indian mix spices)

1/2 cup water

1/2 green chilli (cook as a whole)

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon brown sugar

A handful of chopped coriander for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Preheat griller/oven at 180 degree celsius.

Blend all the meatball ingredients together until combined.

With a little oil on your palms, shape into about 15 meatballs and place them onto a baking dish. Once done, bake them in the oven for 20 minutes or until cook, turning once.

Meanwhile, heat the oil together with the seeds, a clove and cardamon pods. When the seeds start to “pop”, add in sliced onions and saute until golden brown.

Add in ginger & garlic paste, green chilli and spices to the pan and saute further until aromatic. Add 2 tbsps of water to prevent the spices from sticking on the pan.

Add tomato paste and yoghurt to the mixture and stir to combine. Lower the heat and let it simmer gently until oil starts to separate from the gravy (a layer of oil appearing on the surface of the gravy).

Depending how much gravy you’ll prefer, add 1 cup of water for more gravy. If you prefer the curry to be thick and creamy, halve the amount of water. Then, season with salt & sugar to taste.

Gently toss the cooked meatballs in the gravy to combine. Garnish with additional coriander if you like.