RECEPIE
OF KOFTA
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Food Stories: Kofta
While the more common amongst the cuisines of the world, the
kofta (meatball) is a sophisticated delicacy, varying in taste and texture,
depending on the region it hails from.
In combination with raita, salad, a side of daal and
roti/chawal, the kofta (or kebab) is the most ubiquitous of the sub-continental
dishes. It can be vegetarian or meat, soaked in masala; the kofta is favoured
by all.
I recently read an apt description of the kofta in the
cookbook, Jerusalem;
'There are hundreds of varieties of meatballs – (kofta in
Arabic), each with its own unique heritage and specific preparation technique.
In [most] cultures the distinction between kabob ANd kofta will cause confusion
to an outsider.
The kofta meat is grinded with mild garam masalas and
vegetables, formed into golf ball sized meatballs, and simmered to tender
perfection in a saalan (curry).
Like the kabob, the arrival of the kofta to the subcontinent
can be credited to the Turko-Afghans conquerors in the 11th century.
Similar to the kabob, our desi kofta metamorphosised and
became a prodigy of the mitti (soil). The locals custom-made the spices to
their style, and the usage of meat or vegetable was guided by the religious
practices of the people of the local area, hence the incarnation of the
vegetarian kofta.
Historians counsel that the Turkish kabob was simmered in
aromatic spicy gravy of the native region, and that’s how the kofta came to be.
Rightly so, the dry and cooked version of the kofta is termed the kabob, with
the exception of Shammi kebab; which takes an entirely different method and
ingredients to cook, unless one is making the Nargisi kofta.
In an article titled 'Potted histories: Scotch eggs',
published in The Telegraph, Leah Hyslop writes of the Scotch eggs;
'Annette Hope, in her book A Caledonian Feast, suggests the
dish may, like kedgeree or mulligatawny soup, be an export from the British
Raj: the Indian dish nargisi kofta has certain similarities, though it seems
odd that all the spices were lost in translation.'
Pushpesh Pant, the famous food critic and historian, in his
article published in The Times of India, titled 'Kofta: Great balls of fire',
writes the following about the sub-continental kofta;
'For special occasions there is the nargisi kofta, named
after the flower nargis (iris) as the kofta cut in half reveals the yellow of a
hardboiled egg and has a marked resemblance to the elegant flower. To translate
it as sub-continental devilled eggs sounds blasphemous.'
Mughaliya kofte in Delhi, Bhopal and Hyderabad are long
simmered in a curd-based aromatic gravy that complements their steamy appeal,
yet has a pleasant presence of its own.
·
Here it is, from my kitchen to yours.
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Ingredients
(Kofta)
o
2 lbs. ground beef
o
2 small tomatoes
o
1 ½ small onions
o
½ tsp. turmeric
o
1 tsp. cumin
o
2 green chilli
o
½ inch piece ginger
o
3 to 4 cloves garlic
o
1 tsp. red chilli
o
1 tsp. coriander powder
o
1 tsp. garam masala
o
1 egg
o
2 to 3 tbsp. whole wheat flour (atta)
o
½ tsp. baking powder
o
Salt to tastePut the above ingredients in a
blender and form golf ball sized kofta.
o
Ingredients (Gravy)
o
1 large onion
o
1 large tomato
o
2 tbsp. yogurt
o
2 green chilli
o
1 tsp. red chilli
o
½ tsp. turmeric
o
½ tsp. to 1tsp. cumin seeds
o
½ tsp. coriander powder
o
½ tsp. to 1 tsp. garam masala
o
1 tsp. fresh ginger
o
1 tsp. fresh garlic
o
Salt to taste
o
4 to 6 cloves
o
8 to 10 peppercorns
o
1 black cardamom
o
1 stick cinnamonProcedure
o
In ¼ to ½ cup of oil brown onions, add tomatoes
and yogurt.
Stir on high heat for a few minutes, and then put in
blender.
Pour back in pot, stir and cook on high heat, adding all
powder spices, including ginger and garlic.
Cook for a few minutes, adding hot water (eyeballing amount
of water).
Let it simmer, then add the kofta and whole garam masala.
Continue to let it simmer until the kofta is cooked and the oil separates.
Enjoy with a side of naan.
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