The ingredient list makes this look harder than it is, but trust the process and you’ll end up with a delicious dinner of succulent, moist (not sorry!) chicken meatballs in a gently spiced creamy, tangy sauce. Feeds 2 to 4, depending on hunger, choice of sides, and chickpea-addition.
- 500g minced chicken
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 1″ ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- Handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
- Handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tbsp plain flour or gram flour
- Veg oil
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 black cardamom pod
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1″ ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 4 tomatoes, pureed
- Salt
- 125g plain yoghurt
- [1 tin chickpeas – optional]
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Handful fresh coriander
- Toasted flaked almonds
- Mix the kofta ingredients together thoroughly, leave to sit for 10 mins to firm up, and then form into balls (with damp hands or spoons)
- Cook them by 1) heating oil in a frying pan and frying the kofta on both sides until golden brown, 2) place on baking paper in air fryer and cook at 190 for 7 mins, or 3) bake in the oven on a lined tray at 180C fan for 15 mins. Then remove and set to one side
- In a deep frying pan over a medium heat, heat the oil and add the whole spices, stirring and cooking for 2 mins
- Then add the chopped onion, stir and cook until golden and soft, then add the garlic, ginger and chilli, stir and cook for another 2 mins
- Tip in the ground spices and stir together before adding the pureed tomatoes and salt to taste
- Bring to a bubble, and cook for 5 mins until reduced and fragrant before adding 250ml boiling water and the yoghurt
- Cover the pan and cook for 20 mins on low heat, then add sugar and garam masala.
- Remove the whole spices, then blend the sauce until smooth
- Pour it back into the pan over low heat and stir before popping the kofta into the sauce and very gently turning them over in it, adding more boiling water to loosen the sauce if needed. If you want to bulk it out, you can also add a tin of chickpeas at this stage.
- Continue to cook until everything is well combined and hot, then sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and toasted flaked almonds
- Serve straight away, with rice or paratha
Sophie cooks 