Vegetables, cashew nuts, dried fruit and spices are rolled into balls, baked and served in a rich tomato curry. Don’t be put off by the large list of ingredients, many are repeated.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
Koftas
2 large Agria potatoes
1 large kumara
1 carrot
200 grams baby spinach leaves
1 onion, diced
3cm piece of ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
70 grams cashew nuts, roasted and chopped
40 grams currants
3 eggs
½ cup flour
1 cup breadcrumbs
Curry
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onions, diced
3cm piece of ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ a red chilli, finely chopped, optional
¼ cup of fresh coriander, stalks finely diced and leaves set aside
2 x 400 gram tin of whole tomatoes in juice
½ teaspoon salt
70 grams ground almonds
¾ cup of greek yoghurt
50 grams slivered almonds, roasted
½ teaspoons garam masala
1 clove of garlic
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
flatbreads and plain yoghurt to serve
METHOD
Koftas
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Cut the potatoes, kumara and carrot into 3cm chunks. Boil in a large pot of salted water until soft. Drain and mash until smooth.
Fry the onions, garlic and ginger in a little olive oil until soft. Add the dried spices and fry for 2 minutes then tip in to a large bowl with the mashed vegetables, cashew nuts and currants, mix until well combined.
Set yourself up with three bowls, one with flour, one with whisked eggs and the other, breadcrumbs. Roll the kofta mixture into balls around the size of a golf ball.
Dip into flour, then into egg and then roll in breadcrumbs. Place on a lined baking tray and repeat with remaining kofta mixture. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden and crispy.
Curry
Meanwhile in a large saucepan, fry the onions, garlic and ginger in olive oil over a medium heat until soft. Add the spices and coriander stalks and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the tinned tomatoes and salt and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the garam masala, ground almonds and yoghurt.
Either using a mortar and pestle or a stick blender, grind the garlic, cumin seeds and sea salt flakes into a paste. Add to curry sauce and mix well.
Add kofta balls to curry sauce, top with almonds and coriander leaves and serve with flatbreads and yoghurt.
The Hungry Cook
Olivia Galletly is a passionate home cook based north of Auckland, with a penchant for inexpensive, seasonal, feel-good food. To enjoy Olivia's backlog of reimagined casual-cool fare, visit her blog The Hungry Cook.
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