The creamy, flavourful and ingredient-rich curries are core of Indian cuisine. Use of vegetables cut in different sizes and shapes is common in Indian curries. Kofta curry is such an inspirational delicacy that has let the chefs explore their creativity since its introduction to the Indian cuisine. Similar to meatball, koftas are made either with meat or with vegetables or with a combination. Talking about vegetarian kofta, potatoes, cottage cheese, bottle guard are some dominant ingredients, which are commonly used for kofta production. The fried veggie balls are later placed in a silky, smooth gravy and served with warm naan bread or rice. Here is a super simple recipe for cauliflower kofta in cashew curry.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cauliflower florets washed
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tsp ginger past
- 2 tsp green chili paste
- 2 tbsp coriander-cumin powder
- 2 green cardamoms
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 8-10 whole black peppers
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 cup cashews soaked in water for 2-3 hours
- Oil for frying
- Salt to taste
- Water
- 2 tbsp cream for garnishing (optional)
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander for garnishing
How to Make Cauliflower Kofta
1. Place the cauliflower florets in a food processor and chop to a coarse mixture.
2. In a large mixing bowl, place the cauliflower mixture, half of the garlic, ginger and green chili, salt to taste and mix well.
3. Add cornstarch, all purpose flour and chickpea flour and mix well with your hands with little water to bind everything together. The ideal consistency of the mixture is approximately equal to chocolate-chip cookie dough. Set the mixture aside for 5-10 minutes.
4. Heat oil in a large frying pan and remove lime-size balls of the dough in 6-8 at a time. Fry on medium heat till the koftas are nice and brown. Remove on paper towel to remove excess oil. Finish frying all the koftas in small batches.
5. Place 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions till they turn golden.
6. In a food processor, mix onions, cashews, remaining ginger, garlic and chili and grind to a fine paste.
7. In the same saucepan, add 1 tbsp oil and heat.
8. Add cardamoms, black peppers and cinnamon and fry for 8-10 seconds on medium heat.
9. Add the cashew paste and stir well.
10. Add coriander-cumin paste and mix well. Lowering the heat, fry the paste continuously stirring till it removes oil.
11. Add warm water to attain a silky, smooth consistency.
12. Add salt and let the curry boil.
13. Add koftas to the curry and let simmer for 2 minutes so that the koftas are well soaked in the curry.
14. Remove from heat and transfer to the serving bowl. Garnish with cream and chopped coriander and serve warm with naan, roti or rice.
Note: For those health conscious people who want to avoid the richness of cashews, tomatoes are the healthier option. Instead of soaked cashews, use chopped juicy tomatoes. When the curry is done, add some coconut milk or cream and mix well to get smooth curry. Make sure the curry is not boiling hot while adding milk or cream to save it from curdling.
Shwet Kulkarni - Hi! A market research analyst by profession, I am a freelance writer who enjoys writing articles, stories & poems on all kinds of ...
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