I have had many a kofta curries in my life and let me tell you, not all are perfect. Koftas are an Indian main course dish of spiced meat balls cooked a curry sauce and served generally with a rice or flat bread (roti, naan, etc) preparation since you need a perfect delivery system for that awesome curry sauce ! Yes !
We often come across koftas that may turn out dry . The main reasons for this are
- Overcooking the meat
- Packing it too densely while forming the balls
- Using the wrong cut of meat.
- Not using enough moistening agents to the mix.
Some technical points to remember for this recipe:
- Using the right cut of meat is crucial . The best cut of this preparation is chicken thigh . Why ? you ask ? Well when you cook a protein the water in it vaporises and thus it shrinks. The more you cook, the dryer it becomes. The saving grace in retaining moisture is fat. Now , if you regularly cook with chicken , you know that although the breast is considered to be a primary cut, it does not have a lot of fat in it. Thus , it can get dry and stringy very quick. Chicken thigh considerably has a much higher fat content and when that fat melts , it penetrates that meat and the result is a juicy meat ball.
- Introducing moisture in the other forms ensures you do not stuff up your dish. So I use milk and eggs.
- Do not overcook ! This is the most common error in cooking proteins . This dish uses two cooking techniques - frying and then cooking in the curry and its very important that the cooking time be divided and not added . What you want is maximise flavor and texture of that meat, not a dry , bouncy tiny tennis ball in your mouth.
- Use teaspoons rather than rolling balls with your hands . When you roll the meat mixture between your palms, you are pressing the proteins tightly together making it dense which may result in chewiness. I suggest using teaspoons to gently drop the mixture into the oil which will ensure lightness and although they may not turn out round , they will taste heavenly.
- Do not make large balls. This is another technical error. When you make a large meat ball , the innermost meat will cook at a different rate than the outer layers which means the outer layers are getting dryer by the minute . Technically, the chicken cooks when the internal temperature reaches 75 C or 165 F and by the time that internal temperature of your large meat ball reaches the cooking temperature, the outer parts will go dry. So less is more ok.
Well this recipe guarantees the moistest (if its even a word), juiciest chicken koftas you have ever tasted ( No ! I am not kidding ). Just follow it meticulously and you will never make them any other way. They can be cooked in any choice of sauce. I am doing a cashew nut curry today because I am extra ! but you can do a tomato based sauce , a yogurt sauce or even serve them fried as a snack. You do your thing .
Recipe : Chicken Kofta Curry
Cuisine : Indian
Prep time : 20 mins
Cooking time : 30 mins
Serves : 4 (3 if you are a savage like me )
Ingredients :
- For the koftas (meat balls)
- 1 cup ground chicken thigh (please don't use breast, it won't be as good)
- 1 slice of white bread crust removed preferably a day old
- 4 tablespoons of milk (full fat would be nice but skimmed will do)
- 1 room temperature egg
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- salt and pepper to taste
- any flavorless oil for frying like vegetable oil or canola oil
2. For the gravy
- 1/4 cup cashewnuts
- 3 whole garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 1 small tomato roughly chopped
- 3 whole green chillies
- 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
- 1 tsp chicken masala powder (premade)
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- chopped coriander for garnish
Procedure :
- Place the bread and milk in a bowl and let it sit for about a minute. Mix it with a spatula.
- Add the egg .
- Add the garlic, ginger , onion and coriander and mix thoroughly.
- Add the ground chicken and then the seasoning.
- Mix until just incorporated. Do not overwork the meat.
- Heat oil for shallow frying in a pan and spoon the mixture into it. Use about 1/2 a tsp per meat ball and do not over crowd the pan . This will bring the temperature of the oil down and result in uneven cooking.
- Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat and remove on a kitchen towel to soak the excess oil. We are cooking the meat balls half way because they will cook in the curry later.
- There will be remaining oil in the pan. Transfer this oil to a deeper pan ( a kadai or a wok). Add in garlic, ginger and onion and saute for a minute.
- Add the tomato and saute for another 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Cool this onion tomato paste and grind it into a paste using a blender.
- Add this again back into the pan and fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add the tumeric and chicken spice mix . Cook until the oil starts to separate around the edges of the pan.
- Add water ( about a cup) and season.
- After the curry boils , add the meat balls . Cover and simmer for about 8 mins.
- Add the cashew nut paste , and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Switch off the flame , add chopped coriander .
Serving : This is a main course dish and is best with some rice preparation (plain steamed rice, lightly spiced rice like a dry fruit pulao, ghee rice, etc) or a flat bread ( roti, rumali roti, naan , kulcha , etc). This tastes best served immediately )
You can store this dish in the refrigerator for upto a day. However, when you re heat it, make sure not to boil it and overcook the meat again.
Note : The measuring spoons and cups used in this recipe are the standard.
