Thursday 2 February 2017

Nargisi Kofta



There are several versions of Nargisi kofta. Sometimes raw grounded keema/ mince is used. Sometimes the keema is boiled with split pea or chick pea and then grounded again to use the kofta. Sometimes the kofta is cooked in gravy, while sometimes it is served dry, without gravy.

Among these various versions, I would love to share the raw mince version where Koftas and gravy are made separately and then Koftas can be put into gravy.  

Ingredients for the Koftas 

Minced meat ( chicken) – 500 gm
White oil for deep fry – 200 ml 
Hard boiled eggs – 4-5 nos
fried onion  - 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp. 
Chopped mint or pudina – 1/4th cup 
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp. or as per taste
Finely chopped green chili – 1 tbsp.
Cinnamon powder- ½ tbsp.
Nutmeg powder – ¼ tbsp.
Mace/ javetri powder – ¼ tbsp.
Cumin powder – ½ tbsp.
Gram masala or kabab masala – ¾ tbsp.
Beaten eggs – 3-4
Powder of roasted peanuts, or bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Beaten egg white 

Ingredients for the Gravy

White oil – 4 tbsp.
Ginger-garlic paste – 4 tbsp.
Chopped Onion – 4 tbsp.
Almond – 4-5 no’s
Chopped tomatoes – 1 no
Yoghurt – 4 tbsp.
Cilantro – to garnish
Salt – 1 tbsp.
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp. 
Gram Masala powder – 1 tbsp.

Procedure to make Kofta 

1. Now mix the minced meat with bereshta, ginger-garlic paste, pudina, green chili, chili powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg-mace powder, garam masala powder, and cumin powder, salt. 
2. Add roasted peanut powder and again mix well with the above mixture.  
3. Now take each egg and cover with good amount of keema/ mince to create a shell around it. Coat in beaten egg and roll it over bread crumb. Repeat the process of coating it again in beaten egg and give another coat of bread crumb. This double coating helps to make it crispy. Now, keep the coated eggs in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours which helps the mince coating bind well.
4. Now, deep fry on medium- low flame until golden brown and done.
5. Let the Kofta cool down and then cut in halves lengthwise with a very sharp knife or using a thread.  

For the gravy

Heat oil in a deep pan/pot. Add ginger and garlic. Fry till onions turn golden brown. 
Add all spices, salt, and almonds mix well then add chopped tomatoes and cook it for 2 minutes. Add water and cook it for further 10 minutes on simmer. Add yoghurt and let it heat through. Add garam masala and stir. Remember to make the gravy thick. Transfer the hot gravy to the serving dish. Place the koftas carefully  into the hot gravy with the yolk side up. Garnish with chopped cilantro.  

You can serve the Koftas as a snack or use gravy to use it as the main dish serving with Naan. 

Tips:

1. Do not wash the minced meat too much. If you wash, then squeeze out the water completely to retain the flavor, texture and binding agent. If keema is washed too much, you will need more binding agent so that it does not fall apart while frying. But more you add binding agents like bread, flour, besan (gram flour), corn flour; it loses softness.

2. Coat the eggs with good amount of mince because after adding the kofta to the oil, the meat will shrink down. If there is not enough mince around the eggs, the minced meat will fall apart.

3. Use egg whites for coating which also keeps the frying oil clean. If you use egg yolks, frying oil will get dark.

4. If you have left over and unused minced meat preparations like Keema Matar, then you can use the same also to make Nargisi Kofta. Just blend  the keema Matar with a blender and use it. I have done that many times, and it  is tastier. 

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