Meat Ball Curry / Kofta Kandhari

I think if you are living in Europe and look to British cooking shows you will already know about Atul Kochar and he is the first  Indian chefs who have Michelin Star, which I think is wonderful.

So when I found out he had a new book ( I have the book for a while) I had to buy the book and must say I love the book it has so many unusual curry recipes .

The book itself id called Atul's Curries of the World and you will find in the book recipes of curries not just from India but from around the world. And you have a picture of the dish for most of the recipes which I think is wonderl as I love cooking books with the picture of the dish as then I can visualize how the dish looks like when the dish is finished making.

Serves 4:

For the Kofta.
500 gm mince lamb
50 gm cashew nuts ( in the recipe they just said chopp, so i roughly chopped but next time i will chop more finer)
50 gm raisins soaked in a little water to plump
4 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
3 green chillies finely chopped
30 gm finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp cumin seeds, lightly roasted and ground
1 tsp garam masala
500 ml beef stock or water ( I used chicken stock)

For the Sauce:
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 black cardamom pods, bruised
1/2 tsp black pepper corns
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 cloves
2 bay leaves
3 onions finely chopped
1 tbsp of ginger/garlic paste
1 tbsp corriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
450 gm fresh tomatoes pureed whole
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves.

Method.

Mix all the ingredients ( except the stock) for the kofta, seasoning with salt.
Shape into golf size meat balls.
Heat the stock in a shallow pan and blanch the kofta, a few a time for 3- 5 minutes or until they are firm ( I blanched all the balls together once), remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Reserve the stock for the gravy.
Heat the oil in  a pan and saute the whole spices with the bay leaves until they crackle. Add the onions and saute till they are lightly browned.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir for 2-3 minutes to cook the paste, then add the groung spices, the pureed tomato and salt to taste. Simmer for 10 - 12 minutes.

Add the Kofta and the blanching stocl and simmer for 10-12 minutes or untill the koftas are completely cooked.
Add the chopped corriander leaves . Serve with rice or rotti.