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.

Lamb curry with bulgur pilaf

What a busy couple of weeks it has been! This last week especially has been a week of pizzas and take away because I couldn't whip up the energy to do the day to day cooking. It feels like today was the first free day I've had in a long time. The day started late following a restful lie-in. I meant to spend most of it in the kitchen but a short visit to the bank ended up turning into a day of shopping. It was late when I got back home, but I still wanted to make something nice for dinner. It was mostly driven by my guilt of having eaten out so much.

Anyway what I ended up making was a lamb curry (being a vegetarian, this was not for me) and a simple pilaf using bulgur. I mostly use the pressure cooker for anything that takes a long time to cook (lamb, mutton and turkey). The kind of pressure cooker I have is the one that maintains a steady pressure and not that one that whistles. Mine takes about 5-7 minutes to cook the meat fully. You can always do it over stove top except that it will take between 40 minutes to an hour of slow cooking. You know it is done when you cut into a piece of meat it cuts through without any resistance.

Lamb curry

300g diced lamb
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
4-5 green cardamom pods
3-4 black cardamon pods
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp tomato paste
Salt to taste
Handful of chopped coriander leaves

Marinade
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 1/2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or Spanish paprika)
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp lemon/lime juice

• Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients well and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed sauce pan. When the oil is hot, add the cardamom and cinnamon and toss for a few seconds. Then add the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.
• Add the sliced onions and saute till the onions are nicely browned. Add a teaspoon of sugar to expedite this.
• When the onions have caramelized, add the ginger-garlic paste and continue to cook for a minute.
• Add the diced lamb and stir over high heat for a couple of minutes.
• Add the marinade and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes till the oil starts to separate. 
• Add the tomato paste and salt and mix everything together.
• If you are using a pressure cooker, put the lid and the weight and cook for 5-7 minutes when the pressure starts to release (about 5 whistles).  You don't have to add water, the meat will release enough water to cook it. Turn off heat and wait till the pressure cooker is ready to be opened. Add water to bring it to the gravy consistency if required. If you do so, put it back on the heat and bring to a boil again. You can do this on the stove top without using a pressure cooker. Add a cup or two of water and allow everything to come to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover and cook till the meat is tender. This may take between 40 minutes to an hour. You'll also need to top up the water if needed.
• Finish off with  chopped coriander.

This will taste best the next day when the flavour goes into the meat. It goes well with rice and can also be used a side for naan or roti. A lot of Kashmiri chilli powder is used. This is a very mild chilli powder and is mainly used to impart the deep colour to the dish. If this isn't easily available, Spanish paprika can be substituted.


Bulgur pilaf

1 cup coarse bulgur wheat
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced parsnip
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4-5 cardamom pods
4-5 cloves
1 small stick cinnamon
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
2 cups boiling water
Handlful of chopped coriander for garnish

• Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour freshly boiled water over it. 1 cup of bulgur will need about 2 cups of water. Cover with cling film and keep it aside for 20 minutes.
• After this time, drain any remaining water and keep aside.
• Soak the cranberries in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan. Add the whole spices and fennel and toss in the hot oil for sometime.
• Add the sliced onions and saute till it turns translucent. 
• Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute more so the raw flavour disappears.
• Now add the turmeric, chilli powder and diced vegetables and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add salt to taste along with couple of table spoons of water and cover and cook till the vegetables are softened.
• When the vegetables are cooked, add the prepared bulgur, lemon juice and cranberries and mix everything together. Keep the heat low and toss it around for a 3-4 minutes to allow the flavours to combine. Adjust the salt if needed.
• Turn off the flame. Finish off with some chopped coriander. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes before serving.

Kerala style soy bean and potato curry

Mum makes this with Avarakkai (broad beans) when it is in season in Bangalore. I have used frozen soy beans instead. The gravy is actually the same as Kerala kadala(black chickpea) curry of the "puttu and kadala" combination.

The heat in this curry comes from the pepper corns rather than the red chillies, so don't skimp on that. The tomatoes add the sourness to the curry. If you don't have them handy, they can be substituted with a little bit of tamarind pulp/paste.

2 cups frozen soy beans
3 small potato, cut into cubes
2 tomato, quartered and chopped into large chunks
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

To grind
2-3 whole dried red chilli
2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
6-7 whole pepper corns
3-4 garlic pods, roughly chopped
1 inch ginger, sliced
5-6 curry leaves
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated coconut
11/2 tsp oil

Tempering
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2-3 whole red chili, cut into pieces
5-6 curry leaves
3 tbsp onion, chopped finely
11/2 tsp oil

To prepare the ground masala

• Heat oil in a pan. Add the red chilli when the oil is hot and sauté for a 10 seconds. 
• Next, add the chopped garlic and ginger and sauté till the garlic is cook and just starts to turn colour. 
• Add the coriander seeds, cumin and curry leaves and sauté till the coriander is well roasted (starts to turn light brown).
• Add the pepper corns and toss for a few seconds and then follow it with the chopped onions. Sauté for a couple of minutes, just to remove the raw taste of onions.
• Add the grated coconut and continue to stir. You want to allow the coconut to cook in  the oil, but not brown. Turn off the heat when the coconut just starts to brown.
• Allow it to cool slightly. Grind the mixture with a little water to form a fine paste.

To prepare the curry

•   Add the soy beans and potato into a pot. Add salt, turmeric and 11/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over a low heat till the potatoes are half cooked. 
• Add the ground paste and continue to simmer till the potatoes are done. 
• Finally add the chopped tomatoes and bring back to a boil. The gravy should be slightly thick and of pourable consistency. Add extra water if needed.
•  Allow it to boil for a  2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat.
• Heat the oil for the tempering in another pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Next, add the broken red chilli and curry leaves and stir for a few seconds. Finally add the chopped onion and sauté till the onions and nicely browned. 
• Add the tempering to the curry. Serve with rice, puttu or even rotis.

Marrow and cannellini beans curry

This is a take on the traditional kerala erissery. I usually make this when I have to use up pieces of marror or bottle gourd (Dudhi) and I bulk it up with some form of beans. I have used cannellini or white beans here, but I do sometimes put in pinto or adzuki beans.

2 cups  marrow, chopped into chunks (remove the skin if you like)
1 cup cooked cannellini beans (tinned is fine)
6-8 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Grind into fine paste
1 tsp ground rice flour
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp dry mango powder

Tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 dry red chilli
3-4 curry leaves
11/2 tsp vegetable oil

• Grind all the items mentioned above into a fine paste and keep aside.
• Place the chopped marrow in a medium sauce pan. Add the turmeric and just enough water to come up about half an inch from the bottom of the pan (about 2 cups). Turn on the heat and allow the water to come to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook till the marrow is about half cooked . 
• At this stage, add the ground paste, curry leaves and salt. Simmer this on a low heat till the marrow is almost done.  Add little water if the curry is too thick.  Add the beans and continue to simmer for a few more minutes. Remove from heat when the marrow is fully cooked.
• Heat oil in a separate pan. Break the red chilies into small pieces and add to the hot oil. Next add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Finally add the curry leaves. Add this tempering to the curry and mix well. 
• Serve with hot rice. 

Chicken curry with fennel and coconut milk

500g boneless chicken thighs cut into pieces
1 onion chopped finely
1 tomato chopped
1 stick of cinnamon
3-4 cardamom pods
1 star anise
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup of  thick coconut milk
2 tsp oil
handful of coriander leaves chopped
Salt to taste

Masala powder
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black pepper
6-8 cardamom pods
2 star anise
1 stick of cinnamon
2 whole dried chilli
1 tsp powdered pomegranate seed (optional)
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Marinade
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp lemon/lime juice
1 tbsp masala powder (see above)

• Dry roast the masala ingredients and grind to a fine powder in a spice blender.
• Marinate the chicken pieces with the masala powder, ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice for at least 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan. Add the whole spices ( star anise, cardamom and cinnamon) to the hot oil and fry for a few seconds. Add the fennel seeds and allow to splutter slightly.
• Add the chopped onions and fry till they are golden brown.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric and chilli powder and continue to cook till the tomatoes are done and the oil starts to separate from it. 
• Add 11/2 tbsp of the masala powder and sauté for a minute. 
• Add the marinated chicken pieces and stir till the pieces are coated nicely with the masala.
• Add salt and little water (1/2 to 3/4 cup). Cover and cook till the chicken is done. Do not add too much water as the chicken will also release water as it cooks. 
• Finally add the coconut milk and simmer for 3-4 minutes. If the gravy is too thick, dilute with some more water.
• Finish with chopped coriander leaves.