Chicken kofta and chicken kofta curry

I come from a family of vegetarians. I have always been surrounded by people who weren't vegetarians but my real exposure to cooking non-vegetarian food was after marriage. Over the years, I have learnt a few recipes that I make well (at least that's the hope!) but I rarely go out of that comfort zone. Experiments are few and far apart and mostly after a lot of reading on the web. So when my husband brought home some chicken mince, I was at a loss what to do with it. He suggested I use it to make something akin to meatballs. That's how I ended up making this chicken kofta curry.

I didn't have any of the usual herbs or bread crumbs, but I did have some basil left over from last night's pasta dinner. The bread crumbs I improvised by toasting two slices of bread lightly and then whizzing them in a food processor. The amount of mince I had was way more than needed for the curry. So I baked them separately for another day. I think these would make good appetizers served with a dipping sauce.

For the koftas or chicken balls

700g chicken mince

1 medium onion, chopped finely

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

3/4 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground pepper

2-3 slices of stale bread or 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

12-15 basil leaves

5-6 curry leaves

Salt to taste

3 tbsp oil for shallow frying

• Place the bread (or bread crumbs) in the food processor along with the torn up basil and curry leaves and pulse a few times till everything is well combined but still coarse..
• Mix the rest of the ingredients and the prepared bread crumbs into the chicken mince. Add salt according to taste (probably need about 1-11/2 tsp of table salt)
• Form lime sized balls and place them in an oiled plate to prevent them from sticking.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan. When the oil is medium hot, shallow fry the prepared mince balls till they are golden brown on all sides. The intention is only to given them colour and not to cook them at this stage.  (Skip the next step if they are being used for a curry)
• Remove them into an oiled baking tray when they are nicely browned. Cover the tray with foil and bake them in a 190C oven for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

For the curry

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp Crème fraiche or double cream

3/4 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Few basil leaves for garnish

The koftas will need to be shallow fried as mentioned above. 

• Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds when the oil is hot and allow them to splutter.
• Add the chopped onion and sauté till they are softened and translucent.
• Add the tomato paste and ginger-garlic paste and cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle a little water to prevent this from burning or catching at the bottom.
• Next add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and chilli powder and sauté for a minute till the spices are well coated.
• Add a cup of water and allow it to come to boil. Add the koftas that have been fried to the sauce pan and add more water so they are just submerged.  Add salt needed for the gravy. Allow this to come back to boil. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes on a low flame till they are cooked fully.
• Add the cream or  crème fraiche and garam masala and mix well. Continue to simmer till the gravy starts to thicken.
• Turn off the heat and finish off with some chopped basil.
• Serve warm with rice or rotis.

Crepes with warm apple compote

Easter break is here! Four glorious days of relaxation... OK - glorious is really stretching the truth given the weather outside but the rest still stands. The holidays have to start on the right note - so we breakfasted on scrumptious crepes accompanied with apple compote.

Crepes and pancakes are one of my fall back recipes because they don't take much effort or time to prepare and the ingredients are kitchen cupboard staples. I also always have some frozen fruits and berries in the freezer that I can use to make a sauce and if nothing else, they can always be eaten with some maple syrup or honey drizzled over. These crepes are made with half quantity of wholemeal flour. I like to use wholemeal when ever I can. I have used half and half here just because the crepes come out softer. All the flour in this recipe can be substituted with wholemeal flour. Be sure to use cooking apples to make the compote otherwise they will fall apart and you will end up with a sauce.

For the crepe
1/4 cup wholemeal flour
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
25g melted butter

• Mix the flour(s) and salt together in a bowl. 
• Whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter in a separate bowl. 
• Combine this mixture with the flour to form a smooth batter. The consistency should be like pouring cream. Keep this aside for 30 minutes before using it.
• Place a non-stick skillet on medium heat and allow it to become hot. Season the skillet with some melted butter. This is only needed for the first crepe to ensure it doesn't stick to the skillet.
• Mix the batter thoroughly and pour a ladle-full slowly into the hot skillet. Swirl the skillet around while you pour the batter to allow it to spread evenly and form a thin layer. 
• Allow this to cook till the sides start to brown slightly. Turn it over using a spatula and allow the other side to cook for a minute.
• Remove and stack them on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, stirring the batter each time before making the crepe. 
• Serve with the apple compote.

These can be made ahead of time. - just stack them with a paper towel in between each crepe, cover with a dish cloth and keep them warm in a low oven.

For the compote

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup (optional - 1 tbsp of sugar can be used instead)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

• Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and maple syrup and stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved continue to cook till it starts to caramelize. Do not stir, otherwise the mixture will start to crystallize - just swirl the contents instead in the pan.
• Add the apples, cinnamon and half the lemon juice and continue to cook till the apples are softened. You can add more lemon juice or more maple syrup depending on how tart or sweet you want the compote to be. Add a table spoon of water if the mixture is too thick. Turn off the heat when the apples begin to soften. They will continue to cook in the sugar syrup.
• This tastes best when served warm.

Serves 2