Kofta (Veg) & Curry Sauce

By ngteller

Ingredients

• Kofta:
• One egg
• 1/3 cup water
• 250 g (9 oz) sweet potato, scrubbed and grated
• 200 g (7 oz) potato and/or carrot, scrubbed and grated
• 1 small red onion, grated
• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 2 tbs mild curry powder
• 1-2 tbs peanut oil
• 3-4 tbs potato flour (or plain flour)
• vegetable oil for deep frying
• Curry Sauce:
• 3 tbs peanut oil (use ghee if you prefer)
• 4 cardamom pods, crushed and pods removed
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 80 g (3 oz) raw almonds, ground
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 cups natural set yoghurt (or try cream, soy cream and/or coconut cream)

Preparation

Step 1

To make Kofta Balls:

Squeeze any excess liquid from the grated vegetables and combine them together in a large bowl with the onion, ginger and curry powder. Add the egg and enough flour and peanut oil to bring the mixture together. Adding more oil if too dry and flour if too wet. The mixture should hold together when shaped into balls.

Heat enough oil in a saucepan for deep-frying (you want the oil to be about 10cm/4inch deep). Once the surface starts to shimmer carefully drop the kofta balls into the oil, deep-frying in batches until golden brown. Remove from the oil and allow to cool on absorbent paper.

To make sauce:
Heat the peanut oil in a good sized frying-pan over a medium heat, add the cardamom and heat in the oil for a few seconds until fragrant then add the diced onion. Cook the onion over a medium heat until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and remaining spices, cook over a medium low heat for a few minutes until the spices cook down and form a paste like consistency.

Add the ground almonds, tomato paste and vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to cook gently for around 10 to 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced a little and flavours developed.

Now add the yoghurt, soy cream, coconut cream or cream and stir to combine over a low heat. Check the seasoning and add salt as desired. Once the korma sauce has reached a nice consistency add in the prepared kofta balls and gently spoon over the sauce allowing the balls to reheat gently with the sauce. You don’t want to boil it at this point as it may separate, so just gently heat the sauce and kofta together.