Books that Inspire - Meatball Curry

Of all the food personalities on television there"s someone I truly adore and that's Madhur Jaffrey.Her food show 'Flavors of India' would get me hooked on to the television every time..even the reruns. I recently picked up her book 'Climbing the Mango Trees' which is an enchanting  account of her childhood in India. Now as much as I loved reading the book...what truly excited me are the heirloom recipes she shares at the end of the book.Just reading those recipes would have me salivating. Nothing complicated but simple , day to day recipes that's she shares in the book. So today's post is a dish that is totally hers ( i just adjusted the proportions a bit )...and I am so glad to have tried it.

Ingredients:

For the Koftas (meatball)

Lamb mince - 400 gms

Ginger paste - 1tsp

Garlic paste - 1tsp

Ground coriander - 1tsp

Ground cumin - 1 tsp ( roasted)

Kashmiri red chili powder - 1tsp

Salt - to taste

Egg - 1 (lightly beaten )

For the sauce:

Onion - 2 med (finely chopped)

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Tomato - 2 medium pureed

Green chillies - 2 nos ( adjust acc to taste)

Ground coriander - 1tsp

Ground cumin - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1tsp

Black cardamom - 1 nos

Whole cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Whole cloves - 4-5 nos

Cinnamon - a small stick

Yoghurt - 4 tbsp

Warm water - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Sugar - a pinch ( my addition...blame the bong in me!)

Refined oil - 2-3 tbsp

Method:

For the meatballs:

Combine all the ingredients mentioned under meatballs, mix well and form into meatballs.Arrange them on a plate , cover and refrigerate for an hour.

For the sauce:

First of all blend together ginger,garlic,green chillies, ground cumin and coriander into a sauce and keep aside.

In a pan heat oil , splutter the black cardamom , cinnamon , cloves and the whole cumin seeds.

Next tip in the chopped onions and fry till golden brown in colour. Add the ginger - garlic paste and fry till the mixture gets thoroughly cooked.

Add the grated tomato and red chili powder . stir and cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick dark paste and you begin to see the oil.

Turn the heat to medium and add the yoghurt , 1 tbsp at a time and blend well with the sauce.

Turn down the heat , add a cup of warm water, salt and sugar and let the gravy simmer.

Once the gravy starts to simmer , add the prepared meatballs. Cover the pan and let the koftas simmer for half and hour till completely done.