Kofta Curry Recipe
A delicious, easy take on an eastern classic dish. Kofta curry is a well seasoned meatball in an aromatic tomato curry sauce. Served over rice, it makes a delicious and very filling meal.
Kofta Curry
Kofta can be found in many cuisines, ranging from Indian to Asian and even Greek. While the names may vary from region to region, Kofta is a well loved comfort food in many cultures.
The meat used will vary from region to region as well, usually based on religious practices, and the spices will usually involve the prevalent spices of the local cuisine.
I love Indian food, so I took a crack at this Indian curry. Indian Kofta is served in a well seasoned curry, which I’d like to think I did a pretty good job with.
I served this over brown rice, which was delicious with all that sauce.
What You’ll Need For Kofta Curry
Meatballs
Ground turkey – I used turkey, but you can easily switch for ground chicken or beef. These spices will work with pretty much any meat you throw at them. Even ground pork.
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Ground turmeric
Ground coriander
Ground cardamom
Ground cumin
Chili powder
Salt
Ground black pepper
Gravy
Purple onion – You’ll want to get these chopped pretty fine so that mashing them with the mortar and pestle will be easier and quicker.
Fresh ginger – Here again, chop fine. You also have the option of grating the ginger on a microplane, if that’s easier for you.
Garlic cloves – Also chop the garlic as fine as possible. Mashing them will be so much easier this way.
Chili powder
Garam masala
Ground turmeric
Dried cilantro – If you wish to use fresh cilantro, a loosely packed quarter cup should do the trick.
Canned fire-roasted crushed tomatoes – Check to make sure you get a can that does not have any added sugar. And if you can’t find them fire-roasted, regular crushed tomatoes will work just as well. The fire-roasted tomatoes give this dish a bit of extra “tang” that some people may or may not like. The choice is yours.
Salt to taste at serving – I used Himalayan pink salt, but any fine salt will work.
Recipe Notes
It’s worth noting that I added a few drops of liquid stevia. I find that tomato-based sauces usually benefit from a very small amount of sweetener.
While this is not necessary, or even called for in the recipe, I find that for me, it rounded out the flavors of the sauce.
To try this with sweetener, simply put a small amount of the curry into a bowl and mix in some sweetener of your choice to test and see if you like it or not. I don’t add it to the recipe because I have found that the majority of curries don’t usually have any sweetener added. At least in my experience. But it really was a nice way to round out the spice and flavor here. So try it or don’t. Your choice
How To Make Kofta Curry
Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.
Add all the meatball spices.
Mix the spices into the meat thoroughly.
With a mortar and pestle, mash the onion, ginger and garlic into as much of a mash as you can get it. The more you mash them, the better.
Transfer the mash into an oiled skillet. Sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
Add the sauce spices to the mash.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes.
Form the meatballs and place them into the simmering sauce. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the meatballs reach at least 165 F. on a meat thermometer.
Serve with a side of brown rice.
SUBSCRIBE
Remember to subscribe to my free newsletter to receive all my latest recipes in your inbox. Click here to sign up!
Kofta Curry Recipe
CLICK TO WATCH THIS RECIPE IN ACTION!
Equipment
- Large Skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- Mortar and pestle
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground turkey (or chicken or beef)
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
Gravy
- ½ cup finely chopped purple onion
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger (minced)
- 4 medium garlic cloves (minced)
- 28 oz. can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ tsp. chili powder
- 1 ½ tsp. garam masala
- ½ tsp. ground turmeric
- ½ tsp. dried cilantro
- salt to taste at serving
Instructions
- Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.
- Add all the meatball spices.
- Mix the spices into the meat thoroughly.
- With a mortar and pestle, mash the onion, ginger and garlic into as much of a mash as you can get it. The more you mash them, the better.
- Transfer the mash into an oiled skillet. Sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the sauce spices to the mash.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes.
- Form the meatballs and place them into the simmering sauce. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the meatballs reach at least 165 F. on a meat thermometer.
- Serve with a side of brown rice.
Notes
Nutrition
