Lamb Kofta Curry.

Kofta, is basically meat balls in sauce, although I have seen a recipe for making the kofta using soya; if that is your preference.

You could make this curry using any tinned meatballs without a sauce, although the downside is that commercially produced meatballs will contain all manner of additives and preservatives and things you can definitely miss out of your food. So let's make it ourselves, and this is what you need.

Two frying pans one with a tight lid

To serve 4

850 gms of fresh minced lamb

6 shallots [I like the banana shallots, the long thin ones.]

1 tin of finely chopped tomatoes

2 tsp chopped garlic

2 tsp turmeric, & cumin powder

3 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon, & mace

1tsp Kashmir chilli powder

1-2 tablespoons of ghee

1 tbl spoon of oil.

1 tbl spoon of fenugreek seeds

2 eggs

1/2 cup yogurt.

1. The various powdered spices should be mixed and then put in a frying pan and gently toasted; you will know as soon as the aroma hits you that they are ready, remove from heat and do not burn them. Add the ghee and mix it into a paste and then put it back on the low heat. Slowly you will see the oil separating out from your mix, take time to enjoy the aromas; you will so much more enjoy the meal.
2. Begin by pre-cooking the spices.
3. Add some oil to another pan and sprinkle the fenugreek seeds in. I have found that these seeds make a great deal of difference to the final taste of the curry.
4. Once they begin to pop with the heat, add your shallots and garlics and gently fry until they are transparent.
5. Add your tomatoes to the spices and mix.
6. Add your shallot mix to it and stir until you have a creamy sauce.

1. Mix your meat, the eggs, a sprinkle of salt, some finely chopped shallots, and a little chilli powder together in a bowl.
2. Use an ice cream scoop to form your meat balls.
3. Place them on a floured plate, but don't coat them, place them in the fridge for half an hour to chill them which will make them easier to handle.
4. In the pan with the lid pour in your sauce mix, add half a cup of water, and half a cup of yogurt.
5. Carefully place into this your meatballs, try not have them touching or they will take much longer to cook.
6. Bring to the boil with the lid tightly in place and then leave for 20 minutes.
7. Turn off heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

this is a really tasty traditional Indian dish, that you will find all across India.

Serve with chapatis or rice.

A very nice sidedish for all curries is Cucumber Raita.

1. Chop half a cucumber and squeeze out as much juice as you can.
2. mix together sugar about 1 teaspoon and fresh mint leaves, or bottled if you prefer.
3. One coffee mug of yogurt, Greek style is okay and mix with the other ingredients.
4. Fine chop some tomatoes and mix it all together for a delicious addition to your meal.