Kofta Curry

I have a confluence of ‘use-by’ expiration dates in the fridge – sausages were not eaten over the weekend, a pot of Masala paste should be used and a tub of cream is just about to turn. Meanwhile, our wonderful neighbours have brought round a warm stack homemade parathas, so I decide to make a creamy kofta curry to go with the bread – all I need is a cucumber.

The kofta meatballs are a ruse to smuggle sausages past Mrs WDC. She likes sausages in an Italian style pasta dish with sausages and peas (which she calls ‘al giardiniera’) or dishes made with Luganega sausages – but otherwise, sausages tend to get pushed to the side of the plate.

I’ve recently taken to de-skinning sausages and using the mince in sauces. Here I use the same principle to make meatballs but have been inspired by Sabrina Ghayour‘s Persian bulgur wheat ‘meat-less’ meatballs – it occurs that I could make my koftas less meaty by adding bulgur.

1. Make the koftas. boil the bulgur till the grains are a little overdone – about 5 minutes more than the instructions. Drain and cool. Skin the sausages and put the meat into a large bowl, add the remaining kofta ingredients and mix well. Form into small balls and let them rest in the fridge for an hour. Take the koftas from the fridge and roll in flour. Shallow fry until browned.
2. Make the rice. Using a small saucepan with tight fitting lid, add the rice, a small glug of vegetable oil and add the spices. Heat the pan to medium high and stir continuously for 3 minutes. Boil a kettle of water  and add 1 + 3/4 cup water boiling water to the rice. Stir, then turn the heat to its lowest setting cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the chopped herbs and cover. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
3. Make the dal. Wash the lentils, put the lentils and water in a pan and add the turmeric and simmer for 30-40 minutes adding more water if it gets too dry. The dal is normally quite liquid, though I prefer it a little thicker. Leave until ready to serve, then gently re-heat and transfer to a serving dish. Heat the oil in a pan add the remaining ingredients and fry quickly: the chilli will go dark and the seeds may pop, the garlic should just colour – do not let things burn. Pour this over the dal.
4. Make the sauce. Put garlic, chilli, ginger, masala sauce, and a little of the chicken stock into a small food processor and whiz it until it is a smooth paste. Sweat the onions with the cinnamon stick on medium high heat until translucent and just starting to lightly brown, add the cumin, coriander and bay leaves – stir for 30 seconds – do not let the spices burn. Quickly add the blended paste and fry for 5-10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the remaining stock. Lower the heat and cover the pan and braise the sauce gently for 10 minutes – add the garam masala and koftas and cook gently for 10 minutes. Remove the tomato skins if desired, then add the cream and bring up to a simmer. Adjust the seasoning. Cover and rest for 5 minutes.
5. Make the raita. Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Grate on a large grater. Using your hands, squeeze out the excess liquid. Put into a bowl and add the mint, stir and season to taste. There is no garlic here – the sauce provides a fresh and simple foil to the richness of the rest of the meal.
6. Serve. Put each dish in separate serving dishes. Warm the parathas. Garnish the koftas with chopped coriander and serve with a sweet chutney on the side.