Meatball (Kofta) Curry

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Growing up in the 80s with both parents working meant that my grandmother took on the role of chief cook and caregiver for me and my three siblings. You can imagine the chaos—four kids running around like they were auditioning for a role in a sitcom while she tried to whip up dinner. I have fond memories of standing beside her, soaking up her stories of the "olden days" when dinosaurs roamed the earth and Wi-Fi was just a twinkle in someone’s eye. As I got older, I wanted to recreate her delicious dishes, so I began helping with simpler tasks like peeling potatoes, cooking rice, and in this case, shaping these tasty, flavorful meatballs. My aim was to make them as smooth and evenly sized as she did... a well-intentioned but ultimately futile effort on my part! Seriously, my meatballs looked like they had been through a funhouse mirror maze.

These days, I admit to "cheating" a bit by using a meatball scoop to ensure consistent sizing. Because let’s be honest, nobody wants meatballs that look like they belong in a Picasso painting. I've also learned a lot about making meatballs (thanks to my favorite site, America's Test Kitchen!) and how to make them tender yet able to hold their shape while cooking. This dish is packed with flavor—the gravy is rich with warm and aromatic spices, and each meatball is a little flavor bomb with a firm yet tender texture.

I have used curry leaves in this recipe to add a warm, citrusy note, similar (but not the same) as lemongrass. This is optional however so if you'd prefer not to use them, feel free to omit. I just love the complex, unmistakable flavour they bring to some curries.

Served over a bowl of steaming basmati rice, and maybe a side of cooling yogurt salad, it's my idea of Anglo Indian comfort food at it's finest! I hope you enjoy this childhood favourite of mine as much as I still do...let's get cooking!

Jump to Recipe

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Meatballs:

• In a large bowl, combine the meat, finely diced onions, eggs, cilantro, and spices. Make a paste (panade) with torn white bread and milk in a smaller bowl, then add it to the meat mixture. The panade keeps the meatballs tender and moist. Mix gently until combined.

• Form one-inch meatballs and refrigerate in a single layer while you focus on preparing the curry sauce.

Curry:

• Start by dicing your onions and peeling, washing and dicing your potatoes into a 1/2 inch dice. Keep the potatoes in cool water until ready to use to avoid oxidation.

• Add the oil to the pan, bring it up to a shimmer and start sauteing the onions until they're a golden brown colour.

• Combine the spices in a small bowl, along with the fresh ginger and garlic. Add sufficient water to make a thick but pourable paste (like a thick pancake batter). Stir until well combined and keep aside.

• Add the spice mix and curry leaves (if using), and cook gently for about two minutes until the water has absorbed and the onions are well coated and the spices are fragrant.

• Once the water has cooked out, you can add the tomatoes, juice, water and salt. Mix to combine. If needed, you can also add a little more water if the gravy is too thick.

• Now you want to add the potatoes and cook them in the curry sauce for about 10 minutes to get them started. This is important because they will take longer than the meatballs to fully cook, and you don't want the meatballs to overcook in the process.

• Watch the gravy consistency but remember that the meatballs will give off some water as they cook and will naturally thin the curry.

• Finally, gently place the meatballs in the curry gravy. Shake the pan to cover the meatballs but try to avoid stirring if you can, just gently shake the pan occasionally. The meatballs should be done around the same time as the potatoes.

• Check the potatoes by poking them with a paring knife to make sure they're tender, and then stir in the fresh cilantro and remove from the heat. Serve over basmati rice with a yogurt salad (raita) on the side.

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Recipe

Meatball (Kofta) Curry Recipe

Panade Ingredients:

3 slices white bread, crust removed, torn into 1" pieces

2 1/2 oz milk (1%, 2% or whole)

Meatballs Ingredients:

2 lbs (908g) Lean ground beef (Note 1)

1 med onion, finely chopped or grated (Note 2)

2 egg yolks (Note 3)

2 1/2 tsp minced garlic

3/4 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp ground coriander powder

1 tsp ground cumin powder

1 tsp paprika (Note 4)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or 2-3 red finger chili peppers finaly minced (Note 5)

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely minced

1 1/2 tsp salt

Curry Ingredients:

3 tbsp canola oil (use any cooking oil except peanut oil)

1 med onion chopped

2 med potatoes peeled, washed and diced (about 1/2 inch cubes)

4 cloves of garlic grated (1 heaped tsp)

1/2 inch grated fresh ginger (1/2 tsp)

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp turmeric

6-8 curry leaves (if using)

1 tsp salt

7oz (200mls) diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup (250mls)water

Meatballs recipe:

1. Place the ground beef in a large bowl and break apart gently

2. Start with the panade in a small bowl. Combine the milk and bread and mash with a fork until a thick paste is formed. Add a little milk if necessary but it should be a very thick, doughy paste. Add this to the meat.

3. Gently mix the meat and panade until mostly combined.

4. Add the remaining meatball ingredients and mix well, but be careful not to over work the meat.

5. Using a meatball scoop or an eating spoon, portion out the meatballs. Roll balls and set aside in a single layer in the refrigerator. You should get about 30 balls about 1- 1 1/2 inch in diameter. (Note 5)

Curry recipe:

1. Chop the onions into a fine dice.

2. Peel and dice the potatoes and keep them in a bowl of water until ready to use.

3. Add the cumin, coriander, Kashmiri chili, paprika, turmeric, ginger and garlic paste into a small bowl and add sufficient water to create a thick paste.

4. Heat the oil in a flat bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and gently cook until they start to become golden brown. This could take up to 10 minutes depending on your stove.

5. Once the onions have browned, check the status of your spice paste as some of the water may have been absorbed. If you need to, loosen the paste with a little more water. Add the spice mix to the onions and fry gently for about 2 minutes. You can add a little more oil at this point as well, if the spice fry is too dry.

6. After you've fried the spice mix for a few minutes, it's time to add the diced, canned tomatoes, their juice, water and salt. Let this come to a gentle boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.

7. Add the potatoes and mix gently.

8. Gently drop the meatballs into the bubbling gravy. You can swirl the pan after adding some of the meatballs so that the sauce starts to cover them. You will see the level of gravy rise slightly as the potatoes and meatballs start to displace the liquid.

9. Cover and allow the curry to simmer gently for about 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked. The meatballs will take about 25 mins depending on their size so be sure to check for doneness. (Note 6)

Notes:

1. I use lean in this recipe because the meatballs will remain moist from the panade and from braising in the curry gravy.

2. If you shred the onions, make sure you strain them of excess water - I usually squeeze them in a double wrapper of cheese cloth. If you don't strain them there will be too much liquid in the meatball mix which will make it challenging to form the meatballs.

3. The high fat and emulsifier content of yolks acts as a binder that adds richness and moisture to your meatballs, preventing them from becoming tough or dense.

4. Do not use smoked paprika in this recipe as the smokiness doesn't compliment the flavour. You can use hot paprika if you don't mind a little extra heat.

5. Kashmiri powder is milder than cayenne powder, but if you're sensitive to spiciness, reduce or omit entirely. You can also substitute finely minced red chilli peppers for a fresher flavour.

6. At this point you can freeze the meatballs uncovered for about 30 mins on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, taking care to not let them touch. Once they're frozen, place them in a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible and seal. These will keep up to 3 months.

7. You can cover your pan while the meatballs are cooking to prevent too much evaporation and to keep the heat in the pan, but towards the end of cooking time, make sure to check the level of liquid. Condensation may cause the curry to become too watery. In this case, remove the cover and raise the heat slightly to reduce the curry gravy.