Name: Mutton (lamb) kofta curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 300 g mutton (goat meat) mince/keema (or lamb mince); 400 g canned chopped tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes); ¼ cup fried onions (brista); 1 tbsp ginger (finely chopped); 1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped); 1 tbsp chili (finely chopped); 2-3 chilis (slit); ¼ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped); 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 1 inch cinnamon stick; 2 bayleaves; 2-3 cloves; 2-3 green cardamoms; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 2 tbsp yoghurt (whisked); 2 tbsp cashew nut paste; 1 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1 tbsp coriander powder; 1 tsp cumin powder; 2 tsp garam masala; ½ tsp nutmeg powder; 3-4 tbsp mustard oil (or ghee); salt to tate

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There are some recipes, that no matter how many times I try just wouldn’t taste like that of my mum’s. And one of those recipes is that of this delicious mutton (lamb) kofta curry. This kofta recipe is one of her signature dishes that she makes with mutton mince (keema) meatballs in a tomato based curry. In fact, when I think of it, I love all her kofta recipes, including the vegetarian ones, too. I hope I am able to perfect those ones someday, so that I can share their recipes on my blog, as well. Not that I make the mutton mince one like she does, but I can say that I do come close enough! Coming to this mutton/lamb meatball curry, it is a fairly easy recipe, for something that looks so regal. While the preparation for it may take sometime, the cooking process is pretty straight forward.

Also, the uniqueness of my mum’s curry is that, the mutton koftas aren’t deep fried – which is generally the case. They are rather poached and cooked in the curry itself. So there is no pre-cooking the meatballs. Making this delicious curry a classic one pot recipe. Even though the meatballs aren’t fried or cooked before adding them to the curry, they still cook throughly. The reason is that, maa always runs the washed and drained mince in a mixer, so that it becomes paste like in consistency. Thereafter, she mixes in the flavouring ingredients and forms the koftas. This small yet significant step of running the mince in a blender/mixer first, results in further breaking down the fibres of the meat, and hence a quicker cooking time.

Koftas

Though the concept of koftas aren’t Indian, originally, they are rather popular across the across the country. Koftas or keftes are traditionally Ottoman/Persian recipes and were mostly, always meat based. However, within the Indian cuisine, not only will you find an adaptation of the meat koftas but, there is a wide variety of even vegetarian ones. Some very popular ones are lauki (bottle gourd) koftas, malai (paneer) koftas, raw banana koftas etc. Some of these recipes have been around for years and some, like the paneer one, is rather recent. Nonetheless, all of them taste yummy and have very distinct flavours. Likewise, there is a range of non-vegetarian kofta curries in the region’s cuisine. For example, the nargisi kofta curry (meat and egg kofta curry), mutton/chicken kofta curry etc.

Coming to the meatballs in my mutton (lamb) kofta curry, they are very easy to make. In fact, you won’t even need any binding agent to shape them, as well. That’s correct, there is no egg or gram flour or corn flour that goes in the mince mixture. And that’s because, the paste like consistency of the keema ensures that when shaped into balls, they hold shape. Also, they don’t even break apart when cooking in the curry. But make sure when forming the balls that they are crack free. If not, then that could cause the koftas to fall apart while cooking. Secondly, don’t immediately stir through the curry, when you drop the meatballs in it. Let them cook in the curry for a while, before stirring.

Serving suggestion

We love my mum’s mutton (lamb) kofta curry with both, Indian breads and fried rice dishes, alike. Like you see here, I have served it with my sweet corn and peas pulao (pilaf), for a lavish weekend lunch. However, plain steamed rice, rotis, naans etc also pair extremely well with this lamb curry. Bookmark this recipe to make for your next dinner party and you will have a very happy lot of family and friends. You could also make the curry the previous day and cook the koftas in them the day of your party. This will not only save time, but your tomato based curry will taste even better the next day!

If you happen to try this curry, I’d love to hear from you. You can share your food pictures with me over on Instagram and/or drop your feedback in the comments section below.

Eat hearty!