Plantain Kofta Curry (Kache Kele Ke Kofte Ki Sabji)

Plantains are low in fat and sodium with no cholesterol, so why don’t we use more and more plantain dishes in our menu.

Here is a recipe of delicious, easy to make Plantain Kofta Curry. Serve it with Paratha or Poori.

Ingredients:

For Koftas

• 2 Bananas unripened ( green plantains)
• 2 medium Aloo (Potato) boiled and mashed
• 1 tsp Ginger grated
• ½ tsp Garam Masala powder
• 2 Green Chilies finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped Cilantro
• 1 tsp Amchoor powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp roasted Besan
• Cooking Oil for deep-frying

For Masala/Gravy:

• 1 big Onion chopped
• 1” cube of fresh Ginger chopped
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic
• 1 medium sized Tomato chopped
• 1 Green Chili
• 1 tsp Red Chili powder
• 1 tbsp Coriander powder
• ½ tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala powder
• 1 Bay leaf
• 4-5 tbsp Cooking Oil
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• Salt to taste

For Garnish:

• 2 tbsp Cilantro chopped fine

Method:

Prepare Koftas:

• Cut each plantain in to two pieces. Put these pieces in a bowl of salted water. Let them stand for 10-15 minutes.
• Take about 4-5 cups of water in a pan and boil it. Now add plantain pieces to the boiling water and let the water boil until pieces are tender but not mushy. Drain and keep the pieces aside to cool a little.
• Peel off and grate/mash plantains.
• In a big bowl take grated plantain, mashed potato and all other ingredients, other than oil, required to make koftas.
• Shape the plantain mix into round balls (koftas).
• Deep-fry koftas to golden brown over medium flame.

Prepare Gravy:

• Put the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, green chili and tomato into a blender or food processor along with ¼ cup water and blend until you have a smooth paste.
• Heat the oil in a heavy wide pan over a medium flame (use same oil in which koftas were fried). Add bay leaf and the contents of the blender to the oil. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and half of the garam masala powder.
• Fry, stirring constantly, for about 5-6 minutes, or until masala turns little darker, and the oil begins to separate from the masala.
• Add 4 cups of water to the masala and let the gravy boil for 2-3 minutes. Add koftas, lower heat, and simmer gently uncovered for about 4-5 minutes.
• Turn off the flame, add lemon juice and garam masala and allow the curry to rest for 15 minutes. Koftas absorb water and swell.
• Transfer curry to serving bowl.

Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with Indian Flat Breads

Do You Know?

A plantain is a fruit, but considered a vegetable.

When the plantain is green it is quite starchy and the flavor is much like yucca root. The green fruit can be fried or boiled.

When the plantains are medium ripe, they are yellow. Sugars begin to develop in yellow plantains, which impart a slight sweetness to the fruit. At this stage the fruit may show a few freckles of black.

When the skins have turned almost black, the plantains are fully ripe, aromatic and sweet. These black plantains can be used for dessert or any recipe where a sweet taste is desirable.

Lauki (Bottle Gourd) Kofta Curry

It is a creative twist to a simple vegetable like lauki (Bottle Gourd). Eat it with Roti or Paratha, you will simply relish it.

Ingredients:

For Koftas

• 1 medium Ghiya or Lauki (bottle gourd), peeled and grated
• 1 tsp ginger grated
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp amchoor powder
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp roasted besan
• Cooking Oil for deep-frying

For Masala/Gravy:

• 1 big onion chopped
• 1” cube of fresh ginger chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium sized tomato chopped
• 1 green chili
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 4-5 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

Prepare Koftas

• Squeeze out water completely from the grated lauki by pressing between the palms.
• Now mix in all the ingredients except oil.
• Shape the lauki (bottle gourd) mix into round balls (koftas).
• Deep-fry koftas to golden brown over medium flame.

Prepare Gravy:

• Put the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, green chili and tomato into a blender or food processor along with ¼ cup water and blend until you have a smooth paste.
• Heat 3-4 tbsp oil in a heavy wide pan over a medium flame (use same oil in which koftas were fried). Add bay leaf and the contents of the blender to the oil. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and half of the garam masala powder.
• Fry, stirring constantly, for about 5-6 minutes, or until masala turns little darker, and the oil begins to separate from the masala.
• Add 4 cups of water to the masala and let the gravy boil for 2-3 minutes. Add koftas, lower heat, and simmer gently uncovered for about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook.
• Turn off the flame, sprinkle garam masala over the top of the dish and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Koftas absorb water and swell.
• Transfer curry to serving bowl.

Garnish with coriander leaves and chili ghee ( to prepare chili ghee heat 1 tbsp of ghee and when it is hot add 1/4 tsp of red chili powder and immediately pour over kofta curry).

Serve with Roti or Paratha.

Do You Know?

The word curry is an anglicised version of the Tamil word kari, which is usually understood to mean "gravy" or "sauce" rather than "spices". In most South Indian cuisines, a curry is considered a side dish, which can be eaten along with a main dish like rice or bread.

In Punjabi cuisines, curries are mainly based upon masalas (spice blends), pure desi ghee, with liberal amounts of butter and cream.

Simple Poori

Make stiff dough of whole wheat flour and deep fry in hot cooking oil.

Poori is the traditional fried Indian bread which is served with a variety of side dishes, such as Aloo Sabzi (potato curry), Kofta Curry, Amritsari Chhole (chick pea curry) etc and Raita.

Poori is an easy-to-make recipe but in order to make puffed ball like crispy puris, two things are very important to know. One is the right consistency of the flour dough and second is the way of rolling out the kneaded dough.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp salt
• Cooking oil

Method:

• Mix whole wheat flour and salt together in a bowl. Add warm water just enough to form a smooth, firm and non sticky dough. Remember poori dough is smooth but stiff. To test the dough, press it lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back, it is ready to be rested.
• Cover with a wet towel so the dough does not dry out and keep it to rest for at least ½ hour at a warm place.
• Punch and knead the dough again before rolling out. Dough should be stiff enough to roll without extra flour.
• Divide the dough into small balls about golf-ball size, and roll out into 4" rounds on an oiled board.
• Heat the oil in a wok or kadhai until very hot. Add a little salt to the oil to keep it from smoking.
• Fry the puri one at a time, holding them under the oil on the first side until they puff. This should take only a few seconds. Flip the poori over and cook the other side until golden brown.
• Drain and take out in an absorbent paper.
• Serve crispy puris with curry of your choice and pickle.

Do You Know?

Softness of the Indian Flatbreads depends upon the tenderization of the dough.

1. Add warm water (around 100^o F) to make softer dough because the starch in the flour absorbs moisture with heat.
2. Dahi or butter milk are added to make the dough because lactic acid and fat in the Yogurt tenderize gluten.
3. The dough is allowed to rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature, to permit the starches and glutens enough time to work through.
4. Ghee, butter or even milk are added to the dough to make it softer.

Gobhi Aloo

Stir fried Aloo Gobhi goes well with Dal Masala and Raita.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cauliflower separated into florets
• 2 medium potatoes cut into medium sized cubes
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 2 green chilies chopped fine
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp dry ginger powder
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• ½ tsp chaat masala or amchoor powder
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• Coriander leaves finely chopped
• Ginger Juliennes to garnish

Method:

• In a Kadhai or wok, heat the oil on medium heat till hot. Add the onions and fry till soft.
• Add potato cubes and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or till they are half done.
• Add cauliflower florets and again stir fry with potato cubes for another 2 minutes.
• Now add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix well.
• Sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of water on the vegetable and cook covered on low heat till vegetables are just done. Stir occasionally.
• When done sprinkle ginger powder, garam masala and chat masala and mix carefully. Remove from heat and keep it covered for 2-3 minutes. Transfer in a serving bowl.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and ginger juliennes.
• Serve hot with Chana Dal Masala, Roti (Indian flat bread) and Raita.

Do You Know?

There are two types of cauliflower in the market today.

One is with creamy white florets, which is more abundant in United States.

Another less common one is cauliflower-broccoli hybrid. It is more recently developed. It has a green curd and resembles broccoli.
The green variety is less dense than the white, cooks more quickly, and has a milder taste.