Lamb Kofta
Spicy meatball curry
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Heat
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Serves
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Dietary Info
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Prep 30 mins
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Cook 40 mins
Juicy, succulent little spice bombs bursting with flavour in a soupy tomato sauce.
Hari says
Kofta are subtly spiced lamb balls, fried and then added to a full-flavoured, thick tomato sauce. If you think Swedish meatballs are good then these are going to blow your mind.
There are many different varieties of Kofta from those made with meat to lentils to paneer, but they’re all pretty tasty.
I love to cook this with the children and they in turn LOVE getting their hands in the bowl to make up the Kofta. The sauce can be made nice and thick or you can make it thinner by adding a dash of hot water. A fun, tasty, easy meal. Give it a go.
- Ingredients
- Method
Kofta
- 400g mince lamb
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
Masala Sauce
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger, grated (3-4cm)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 chilli, chopped
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 200g or ½ tin of plum tomatoes
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
Method
- In a large mixing bowl add the mince lamb, salt, cumin, chilli powder, garam masala, and mix using your hands to ensure the spices are evenly distributed.
- Rub a little oil on to your hands to stop the mixture sticking to your hands.
- Take a small amount of the meat and roll in your palms to make a meatball. Ensure it is smooth all over and set to one side.
- Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan. Carefully fry the meatballs (kofta) in batches so they brown and crisp up all over.
- Remove the kofta using a slotted spoon and set them on some kitchen paper to drain.
- Heat the oil in a pan and stir in the onions and garlic and gently cook down until the onions turn a dark golden brown colour.
- Reduce the heat and add the ginger and chopped chilli, stir and add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, fenugreek and chilli powder.
- Stir together and leave to cook gently so the onions and tomatoes melt together with the spices creating a wonderfully thick aromatic paste.
- Add the kofta to the pan and coat with the sauce for a few minutes.
- Add enough boiling water to get the consistency of sauce you want. Bring it all to the boil and turn the heat off.
- Leave the kofta to absorb the juices from the sauce for 5-10 minutes.
- Throw in the garam masala and corinander before serving.
Nutritional information
| Typical values* | per Serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 120 |
| Fat (g) | 8.0 |
| of which saturates (g) | 3.0 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 3.1 |
| of which sugars (g) | 2.0 |
| Fibre (g) | 0.5 |
| Protein (g) | 9.7 |
| Salt (mg) | 1.2 |
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Comments
Comments (22)
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Hari Ghotra
Great to know Chris - The bhuna is a winner!
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Neil
I increased the amount of mince and spices by proportion and separately wrapped 4 hard boiled eggs in the mince meat. Awesome adaption.-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Neil Loving your work - next time post a picture in the app we would have loved to have seen it!
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Jon
Absolutely loved this! Made on the fly with a pack of lamb mince that was about to go off so it was a bit of a bodge. Subbed in a dash of mustard powder as I had no fenugreek and curry powder in place of gram masala but it still worked really well as a midweek throw together. I think giving the tomatoes and onions time to stew together really brought out the sweetness of both ingredients which was a lovely counterpoint to the heat of the dish (I used a dried chilli seeds in so was hotter than I planned). Next time I'll do a shop first and make it properly.-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Jon Thanks so much for your feedback always lovely to hear from someone who has enjoyed a dish. This is a firm family favourite in our home too. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Hari
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Aisha
Hi Hari. First of all I want to say this recipe is amazing. And second - all the recepies that I tried from you are amazing. Iv already cooked your Koftas and kebabs, tandoori chicken and butter chicken and methi chicken, Korma, jalfrezi, lamb with spinach, lamb thari walee and even your marrow curry and ALL were amazing. I'm so happy to find you. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you. Xxx-
Hari Ghotra
Thank you so much for your lovely words Aisha. It makes me really happy that you are enjoying the recipes so much. Thank you for trying them and using the website it means so much to me Hari.
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Ali
Missed the bit about coriander :0-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Ali - no worries cooking is learning, you will remember next time! Thanks
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Matt
Hello from Maryland! I loved making this dish. Your vids and explanations are so easy to follow and it really was a pleasure going through the cooking process. You're right on point about the onions and getting them nice and brown for that full flavor. I subbed a jalapeño and I think it might have upped the hotness but good all the same! We made some garlic naan, basmati, and homemade tzatziki to go with...which really helped cool it down. They all went really well together! Btw, i have a question about lamb. I think I may have overcooked my kofta a little bit...that's possible, right? I read somewhere online about integrating cooked potato in your kofta to keep it from drying out when u fry it. Have you ever done that? Thanks again for sharing!!-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Matt all the way over in MarylandSounds like you had a delicious meal! I tend to slightly undercook the kofta so they soak up more of the flavour from the sauce. Yes you can add potatoes because they help to bind the mixture together and bulk it out a bit too but with these lamb kofta I find that the mixture holds really well and I want them to be really meaty so don't add potatoes. If I were cooking vegetable kofta or mushroom ones then yes I would add potatoes to the mixture. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for using the website and taking the time to leave a comment too. Let me know if you try any of the other dishes too. Thanks Hari
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Paddy Conwy
Hi Hari,
Absolutely superb recipe. I felt that the amount of spicing for the Koftahs may have been too much, but not at all. Big hit with the family too!
Thanks. Paddy.-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Paddy this is a total favourite in our house too - the kids love it. Thank you for your comments so pleased you all enjoyed it. Thanks Hari
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shibbles
Hi,
Last time i tried to make meat balls they completely broke down when i tried to shallow fry them, do you have any tips to make sure this doesnt happen please? i.e fry on low heat with shallow oil or lots of oil and on high heat? Husband doesn't want me to cook meatballs because it was a nightmare dish last time but I want to make this and make it perfect :)-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Oh dear that doesn't sound good! I tend to make sure I pack the meatballs really firmly then fry them on a fairly high heat with a little oil. Try to use a nonstick pan too so they don't stick to the bottom. I also refrain from turning them too often so cook them on one side so they brown up then using tongs turn them and again leave to brown then turn again until cooked al over. They don't have to be cooked al the way through as they will continue to cook in the sauce and soak up all the flavour from the masala. I would definitely try doing this again because it's really tasty - A real favourite in our house and my daughter makes them all the time. Hope this helps, good luck and let me know how you get on. Thanks Hari
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Shelley
Hari! I am in love with this recipe for many reasons, the first is for how much my family loved it! My husband shared that he was a little nervous, only because I have never worked with ground lamb before, he said it far exceeded his expectations! Thank you soo much for sharing this recipe!!!-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Shelly I'm so thrilled you tried it and, even more pleased that you loved it. Do let me know if you try anything else from the website too. Thanks Hari
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Shelley
Hi Hari, I am a HUGE fan of Indian food, browsing recipes today for a new lamb recipe for our Christmas dinner. The dish looks so yummy I could lick the screen! Cooking with ground lamb for the first time, could you tell me approximately how long the meatballs take to cook or the temperature they should be.-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Shelley Welcome to the site so pleased you have joined us. I cook the meat kofta balls in a frying pan until they are brown then once they are in the sauce they will cook through. I leave them to cook in the sauce for about 10 minutes on a medium heat then switch it off and I leave them to soak up the flavours of the masala. Let me know how you get on. Thanks Hari
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Hari Ghotra
Hi Killian Yes I do add coriander - It's the last item on the recipe list you just add everything and mix it all up and make the balls. Enjoy Hari -
Killian
Hi in the video it looks like you use coriander in the meatballs but its not in the recipe. Should it be included?
Chris Ogilvie
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