An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [26]
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
FOR THE STUFFING
1–2 fresh hot green chilies (optional), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
A piece of fresh ginger, about 1 inch square, peeled and minced
6 scallions or 1 medium-sized onion, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
A dash of salt and freshly ground pepper
FOR BROWNING THE MEATBALLS
7 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long
2 dried red peppers (optional)
4 whole cardamom pods
6 whole black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
FOR THE SAUCE
Vegetable oil (as needed to make up 5 tablespoons)
4 medium-sized onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of ginger, 1 inch square, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 medium-sized canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
GARNISH
1 tablespoon chopped Chinese parsley (coriander greens or cilantro)
1 onion, peeled and fried in rings
¼ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seeds
Mix all the ingredients for meatballs and keep covered in a bowl.
Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing in another bowl.
Preparing the koftas takes a little time, so you might as well make yourself comfortable. If you have a table and chair in your kitchen, sit down there. Otherwise, spread a newspaper on any handy table and pull up a chair. Place before you the bowls of ground meat and stuffing, a platter with a cover, and a bowl of warm water.
Two pounds of meat will make about 48 koftas about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter. To simplify, portion the meat into 8 equal sections and then make 6 koftas out of each section.
Pick up enough meat for one kofta and form into a rough ball. Depress the ball and place a generous pinch of stuffing in its center. Cover the stuffing by bringing around the meat from the outer edges and making it into a ball again. Smooth out the ball by moistening your palms and fingertips slightly and by working it in your hand. As each ball is made, place it on the platter and cover. Continue this way until you have used up all the meat and stuffing.
Heat the oil in a 10–12-inch skillet over medium heat, and put in the cinnamon, red peppers, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and cloves. Stir once. In 10 seconds or so when the cloves begin to expand and the red pepper swells and turns dark, add the meatballs, just enough of them so they don’t overcrowd the skillet. Brown them on all sides, remove with slotted spoon, and return to platter. (Remember, you are just browning the koftas, not cooking them through.) When all the koftas are browned, cover the platter and set aside.
The last step is making the sauce: Lift out the whole spices from the oil used for browning the koftas and place them with the koftas. Pour the oil into a very large and wide heavy-bottomed pot. Add more oil, if needed, to make 5 tablespoons.
Place the chopped onions, garlic, and ginger in a blender with 4 tablespoons water and blend at high speed until it becomes a smooth paste.
Heat the oil, then pour in the paste from the blender. Fry over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently. Add the coriander, cumin, and turmeric, and keep frying another 5 minutes. If the spices stick at the bottom of the pan, add 1 teaspoon of warm water at a time and keep stirring. (Never put too much water in. The idea is to fry the spices and onion, not to boil them.)
Add the chopped tomatoes, and continue to stir and fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon water, cover pan, and let the tomatoes simmer 3 to 5 minutes, lifting the cover two or three times to make sure they are not burning. Remove cover, stir again, and fry for 1 more minute.
Now add l½ cups water, the koftas, the spices used in frying meatballs, the paprika, the garam masala, and the teaspoon of salt. Mix gently, and bring to a boil.