Kofta Curry Recipe (Indian Meatballs in Sauce)

Indian kofta curry in a thick sauce made with ground lamb, onions, yogurt, chickpea flour and lots of spices. Serve these curried meatballs with hot, fresh whole wheat naan for a delightful meal that will fill and satiate you. It's a sumptuous dish fit for a feast!

Do try this onion raita with koftas. It goes very well with them.

Mmm! Lamb kofta curry or simply 'kofte' as they are also known are a delicacy usually served during formal dinners in Indian and Pakistani homes. Totally scrumptious and mouthwatering as they are, it does take quite a bit of effort to make them, so no, this is not your 30-minute everyday dish. However, as I'm always looking for ways to make my recipes easier, I will share a few hacks to ease things on this one too, even if just a tad bit. Keep reading:)

So, first things first. There are two broad steps to making this Indian kofta recipe: making the koftas and making the curry. Both are quite involved steps so be ready with your ingredients and prep beforehand. Here are the ingredients for both these steps:

Ingredients for the koftas

Note: In addition to the ingredients above, I also used half a small minced onion (not shown in the picture). The onion makes the koftas soft , so don't skip it.

Exact quantities of all ingredients are mentioned in the recipe card a little further down in the post. 

Ingredients for the curry

Note: I also used one-third cup cooking oil to make the curry (not shown in the picture). 

A small confession: The minced onion and cooking oil are missing from the pics 'cause I forgot to include them:( Sawree! 

You must be wondering why I used store-bought fried onions to make the koftas (first pic) but homemade fried onions for the curry (second pic). It's to cut down on some of the prep and save some time. This is the hack I mentioned at the beginning of my post. People, it is HARD WORK to slice and fry so many onions. You need nothing less than five medium sized fried onions for the meatballs, so I cut this step out and used ready fried onions instead.

However, don't use store-bought onions when making the curry; I've tried it and the curry doesn't look or taste the same. You need three big onions for the curry, but the good thing is that only one of them needs to be fried, the other two are ground to a paste.

Preparation

For the koftas (meatballs)

1. Wash and rinse the ground lamb and drain it very well.
2. Roast the chickpea flour in a small frypan. When it changes color slightly and gives off a pleasant aroma, it is done. Takes two to three minutes only.
3. Make a paste of half a small onion to put in the mince along with the other ingredients. Psst...you can steal two tablespoons of the onion paste that you prepare for the curry instead of doing it again.
4. Put the drained mince in a food processor and add the other ingredients except the roasted chickpea flour: fried onions, onion paste, whole red dry chillies, garam masala, salt, coriander powder, and cooking oil. Grind to a paste. 
5. Add the roasted chickpea flour and mix it in.
6. Grease your hands with a little oil, take a small lemon-sized portion of the mince in your hands and shape into a ball. Repeat until all the mince is used up. Keep the balls on a platter to be dipped later in the curry.

For the curry

1. Make a paste of two big onions.
2. Slice one big onion and fry until it is reddish brown. Take it out along with the oil in a bowl.
3. Put the fried onion and yogurt in a blender and blend to a puree.

Cooking the Kofta Curry

1. Place a broad, heavy-bottomed dutch oven on medium heat on the cooktop and add the cooking oil and the whole spices. When they sizzle, tip in the onion paste, the ginger and garlic pastes, the powdered spices and salt. Cook, covered for 10 minutes.
2. Add the fried onion and yogurt paste and mix well. Cover with a lid and let the curry cook for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and stir in between.
3. When the oil leaves the sides and the curry becomes thick, add 3-4 cups water and stir well. Slide in the meatballs one by one, taking care not to overcrowd the vessel.
4. Do not disturb the meatballs after putting them in the gravy. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for 30-40 minutes. If you feel that the meatballs are sticking slightly to the bottom, gently shake the vessel to move them around, but don't use a spoon to do this.
5. You will see that gradually the curry will thicken and the oil will leave the sides. At this point, the kofta curry is done. Garnish with a few slit green chillies (optional) and serve hot with fresh naan.

A few useful hacks and tips 

1. When prepping the mince for the koftas, be sure to drain it well. It should have no excess water or the koftas will lose shape or break later when put in the curry. I usually put the mince in a sieve and press it with the back of a large spoon to squeeze out the excess water.
2. I used store-bought ginger and garlic pastes (available in big chain supermarkets these days or any Indian or Pakistani grocery).
3. I also made do with pre-fried onions I already had in my pantry to make the koftas, as mentioned above. You can do the same to save time.
4. Do mince half a small onion and add it to the ground meat when making the koftas. It makes the koftas very soft to bite into with no hard lumps.
5. Instead of lamb, you can also use ground chicken, mutton (goat) or beef.
6. The amount of meat in this recipe makes 20 meatballs, but if you don't want to use up all of them at once, you can freeze the extra for later use. Stick the platter of unused meatballs in the freezer and when they freeze, transfer them to a ziploc bag and put the bag in the freezer again. To thaw them, immerse the ziploc bag in warm water and use as required. I love the convenience of making a large batch and squirrelling them away for a rainy day!

Other Indian meat recipes you might like

📖 Recipe

Kofta Curry Recipe (Indian Meatballs in Sauce)

Saima Zaidi

Kofta curry or Indian-style meatballs in a thick sauce made with ground lamb, onions, yogurt, chickpea flour and lots of spices.

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Servings 20 meatballs

Calories 296.6 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the koftas (meatballs) 

• 1.4 lbs or 650 grams lean ground lamb washed and drained
• ½ small onion minced
• 1 cup store-bought fried onions or 4-5 medium-sized onions fried reddish brown
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2-3 dry red chillies or 2 teaspoon chilli flakes
• ½ tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoon chickpea flour dry roasted

For the curry 

• ⅓ cup cooking oil
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 black cardamom
• 3-4 green cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise
• 4 cloves
• 2 large onions ground to a paste
• 2 teaspoon ginger paste
• 2 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1.5 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• salt to taste
• 1 large onion fried reddish brown
• 3 tablespoon yogurt

Instructions

 

Making the kofte

• Put all the ingredients except the chickpea flour in a food processor or mixer-grinder and whiz to get a smooth paste.
• Add the chickpea flour and mix well.
• Grease your hands with a few drops of oil, take a lemon-sized portion of the mince in your hands and shape into a smooth ball. Repeat until all the mince is used up. Keep the balls on a platter to be dipped later in the curry.

Cooking the curry 

• Put the fried onion and yogurt in a blender and blend to a paste.
• Heat the oil in a broad and heavy-bottomed vessel like a dutch oven and add the whole spices. Let them sizzle for a few seconds.
• Add the onion, ginger and garlic pastes, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt and stir. Cover with a lid and let this masala cook for about ten minutes or so on medium heat.
• Stir in the fried onion and yogurt mixture. Again cover and let the curry cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir once or twice in between. You can add a few splashes of water to prevent the masala from sticking to the bottom.
• When the oil leaves the sides and the curry becomes thick, add 3-4 cups water and stir well. Slide in the meatballs one by one, taking care not to overcrowd the vessel.
• Do not disturb the meatballs after putting them in the gravy. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for 30-40 minutes. If you feel that the meatballs are sticking slightly to the bottom, gently shake the vessel to move them around, but don't use a spoon to do this.
• You will see that gradually the curry will thicken and the oil will again rise to the top. At this point, the kofta curry is done. Garnish with a few slit green chillies (optional) and serve hot with fresh naan.

Notes

1. Use the ground meat of your choice for this kofta recipe. My personal preference is lamb or mutton, but you can use beef, chicken or even turkey if that's what you like.
2. The mince should not have any excess water. To drain out the moisture, I put the mince in a sieve or colander and press down on it with the back of a large spoon.
3. Chickpea flour is traditionally used for binding the meatballs and it is available in most supermarkets, but if you don't have it, you can use good ol' cornflour instead.
4. You can use store-bought pre-fried onions for making the meatballs if you don't want to go to the trouble of slicing and frying so many onions. However, for the curry, do fry the one big onion for a superior taste and look.
5. Don't worry if you don't have all the whole spices mentioned in the recipe. Use the ones you do have or compensate with powdered garam masala if that's all you have.
6. The amount of meat in this recipe makes 20 meatballs, but if you don't want to use up all of them at once, you can freeze the extra for later use. Stick the platter of unused meatballs in the freezer and when they freeze, transfer them to a ziploc bag and put the bag in the freezer again. To thaw them, immerse the ziploc bag in warm water and use as required.

Nutrition

Serving: 2meatballsCalories: 296.6kcalCarbohydrates: 10.1gProtein: 12.6gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 7.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14.1gCholesterol: 47.8mgSodium: 299mgFiber: 1.9gSugar: 4.5g

Keyword kofta curry, lamb kofta, meatballs in sauce

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