Kofte ka Salan.

Spicy Meatball Curry.

This recipe was shared with me by my very dear friend, Shalina Sulaiman-Menon, hailing from a very distinct background of both Sindhi & Cutchi Memon.

This particular recipe was one that has been handed down from generation to generation, "while the fare on the Cutchi Memon tables is legendary, it is a little known fact that these recipes are considered sacred and guarded zealously by the owners to the keys to paradise". She had this recipe book stored in her bookshelf for many a season and one day while sitting and deciding what to prepare for dinner we chanced upon this and immediately decided to prepare this dish.

It may look like a long drawn out procedure, but trust me its mighty simple to accomplish provided you follow the ingredients & procedure.

I still remember the words she said when she entered the kitchen while I was giving the finishing touches to the dish, “Aaah, it smells like home”, as we all live very far away from our homes in Bangalore.


"Enter the kitchens of a tribe where the aromatic air is rarefied." - Mrs. Hajra Mohammed.

So please feel free to try out this dish and come back with comments.

Bon Appetite.

Ingredients.

For the Kofte:

• 500 gms Mutton, minced.

• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves.

• 7-8 green chillies, finely chopped.

• 5 almonds blanched & peeled.

• ½ tsp garlic paste.

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped.

• 1 tsp red chilly powder.

• A pinch of turmeric powder.

• ¼ tsp garam masala powder.

• ½ tsp salt.

• 1/3 cup husked Bengal gram (Chana Dal), roasted & powdered.

• 1 – 2 tbsp yogurt (if required).

Curry:

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped.

• 3 medium potatoes quartered & boiled.

• ½ tsp ginger paste.

• 1 ½ tsp garlic paste.

• 2 tsp red chilly powder.

• 1 ½ tsp coriander powder.

• ¼ tsp turmeric powder.

• ¼ tsp garam masala powder.

• 1 ½ tsp salt.

• 2 medium tomatoes pureed (or tomato paste).

• 1-cup yogurt.

• Juice of ½ a lime.

• ¼ tsp saffron strands soaked in 2 tsp warm milk.

Seasoning.

• 6-8 tbsp oil.

• 2 cloves.

• 4 green cardamom pods.

• 3 X ½ inch, cinnamon sticks.

Garnish:

• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves.

• 1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves.

Method:

Kofte:

1. Wash the mince & squeeze out water completely by clenching it in your fist. It is important to squeeze the mince dry or else the Kofte will not form.

2. Reserve the mince, gram, and yogurt and put the remaining for the Kofte in a food processor. Grind the ingredients without. If & only if it’s too dry, then slowly add the yogurt. Be very careful at this stage. If it’s too pasty the Kofte will not keep shape.

3. After the ingredients have been ground, add the mince into the food processor and grind only till it mixes into the remaining ingredients. Over grinding will make it pasty.

4. Add the roasted powdered gram and mix well.

5. Form the mixture into ball shapes to your desired size, roughly 1 inch.

Curry:

1. Put the oil for seasoning in a pan on moderate heat, when hot, season the whole spices, then add the onions & fry to a golden brown.

2. Add ginger & garlic and fry well for about 5 min, sprinkling water as required.

3. Mix the spice powders and salt and cook for about 10 min.

4. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, till a seamless masala is created.

5. When well fried, gently stir in the yogurt.

6. Sprinkle a little water if necessary, bring the broth to a boil and add the meatballs, leaving them to cook on a moderate heat without disturbance for 10 min.

7. Add the pre boiled potatoes at this stage.

8. Pour the limejuice; you can reduce the broth to a gravy consistency.

9. Add the saffron infused milk and simmer for a few minutes.

10. Give yourself a hearty pat on the back and sprinkle in the chopped coriander & mint leaves and serve.