Meatball Curry | Kofta Curry

Meatball curry (kofta curry). Whip up a flavorful curry loaded with aromatic spices. With meatballs as the key element of this dish, this warm and cozy recipe highlights the addition of spices and herbs in a rich sauce taking it to a new flavor level. Top with plenty of vibrant greens to bump up the visual appeal. This recipe can be your go-to dinner staple for a comforting meal.

Meatballs are one of the easiest ways to cook delicious dinner, so, these are obviously a popular choice when it comes to planning your weekly menu. Loaded with incredible classic flavors, they pack quite a punch, and are easily customizable. Here’s an amazing recipe idea just for when you’re in a rush, or simply want to impress a crowd at dinner parties.

Meatball curry. Dinner definitely tastes better when you have meatballs on the menu. Do you agree? This curried version of meatballs is no exception. It’s delicious, healthy, and packed with flavor. This surprisingly easy to make dish uses aromatic spices, herbs, and fresh cream. Sure, the recipe is so simple but fancy enough to serve at gatherings.

Meatball Curry or Kofta Curry Recipe

Meatballs or koftas – With the type of ground (minced) meat you will need for this recipe, choose from lamb, chicken or beef. To make the meatballs, meat is flavored with Indian spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chili powder, and garam masala. Apart from the spices, you will also need grated onions, garlic, ginger, and green chilies. The binding agents include eggs and breadcrumbs that can be easily substituted with corn starch (corn flour) or chickpea flour (besan).

Curry sauce – Start with sautéing whole spices like cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cardamom and cloves. Once they are fragrant, you can sauté onions to achieve soft and translucent texture. A quick stir fry of ginger, garlic and green chilies is followed by cooking tomato paste. At this stage, you can see the oil separating from the mixture. Add in all the dry powdered spices including turmeric, cumin, red chili powder and coriander. Make sure you add a little water to make thick sauce. The koftas or meatballs go in next alongside a generous splash of fresh cream. Finally, sprinkle with garam masala and coriander (cilantro) leaves, and heat through.

More Indian Inspired Meatball Recipes:

• Baked Tandoori Chicken Meatballs 
• Tikka Masala Meatballs 

Yield: 5

Meatball Curry | Kofta Curry

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Classic Indian spiced meatballs cooked in lusciously rich sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1 medium onion, grated
• 500 g ground (minced) lamb, chicken or beef
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Curry:

• 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• Water
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

• Coriander (cilantro) leaves

To serve:

• Rice or parathas

Instructions

Meatballs or koftas:

1. Squeeze out all the liquid from the onions. Set aside.
2. Combine together onions, ground or minced meat, ginger, garlic, green chilies, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, egg, and bread crumbs in a large bowl.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Form the mixture into 25 meatballs. You can use a small cookie scoop to portion the meatballs. Set aside.

Curry:

1. Heat oil or ghee or ghee in a frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add meatballs. Fry for about 3-4 minutes or until all sides are browned.
3. Remove from pan. Set aside.
4. To the same pan, add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pods. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add onions. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes or until soft and translucent.
6. Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.
7. Add tomato paste. Sauté, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
8. Add turmeric, cumin, coriander, and red chili powder. Sauté, stirring, for about 1 minute or until aromatic.
9. Add water to make thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.
10. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
11. Add meatballs.
12. Pour in cream. Stir to combine.
13. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Add more water if required.
14. Add garam masala, fenugreek leaves (if using), and coriander (cilantro) leaves. Stir. Heat through.
15. Garnish with coriander (cilantro) leaves.
16. Serve with naan, parathas, or rice.

Notes

• For the binding agent, you can replace breadcrumbs with cornstarch (corn flour), potatoes, or chickpea flour (besan)

Nutrition Information

Yield

5

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 573Total Fat 34gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 180mgSodium 357mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 5gSugar 6gProtein 35g

The nutritional data is for information purposes only

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