Lamb Kofta Curry
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • For the meatballs:
  • 500g lamb mince
  • ½ brown onion
  • ½ red chilli
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cardamon
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp poppy seeds
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup dried breadcrumbs
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • oil or ghee for fryingFor the sauce:
  • 1 tbsp oil or ghee
  • ½ brown onion
  • ½ red chilli
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 3 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup unsweetened yoghurt
  • 165ml can coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander
  • 2 tbsp fresh mintFor the rice:
  • 1½ cups jasmine rice
  • 3 cups liquid chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
Instructions
  1. First, make the meatballs. Peel and roughly chop the onion, garlic and ginger and place into a food processor or mortar and pestle with the chilli, cardamon, ground coriander, poppy seeds, fresh coriander, and salt. Process or pound into a rough paste. Put the paste into a large bowl and add the lamb mince, egg and breadcrumbs. Season well with pepper. Mix with your hands until well combined. Line a baking tray or large flat dish with greaseproof paper, then take tablespoons of the lamb mixture and form into meatballs with your hands. Place on the tray. Once all the meatballs are rolled, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until needed. Note. the meatballs can be made a day in advance.
  2. Heat a little oil or ghee in a large frypan and cook the meatballs over a medium heat until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. Do not clean the pan. Note: unless you have a very large frypan, the meatballs will need to be cooked in batches. If the pan is too crowded, the meatballs will stew and won't brown.
  3. To make the sauce, finely chop the onion, chilli and garlic. Reheat the same pan making use of the residual oil left from cooking the meatballs. Add the onion, chilli, garlic, grated ginger and ground tumeric. Cook over a gentle heat, stirring, until the onion is soft. Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, vinegar and water and simmer for a minute. Carefully add the meatballs back into the pan and stir gently. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. While the meatballs simmer, cook the rice. Put the stock, butter and seeds into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour in the rice and stir with a fork. Return to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes before turning off the heat. Leave the saucepan on the element and the lid on the pot for at least 20 minutes to allow the rice to steam.
  5. To finish the sauce, combine the yoghurt and coconut milk and add to the pan. Stir to coat the meatballs then simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
  6. To serve, finely chop the fresh mint and coriander and stir through the meatballs. Fluff the rice with a fork and put into serving plates, or a large platter. Top with the meatballs and sauce. Serve immediately.
Recipe by The Fare Sage at https://www.thefaresage.com/lamb-kofta-curry/