Growing up, koftas was one of my favorite foods of choice. Which kid doesn't like meatballs? And almost all cultures have their own particular culinary expression of spectacularly flavored balls of meat.
And so I turned to the meat of which there was plenty i.e. chicken. Interestingly enough this posed yet another problem - It is nearly impossible to create chicken meatballs i.e. koftas that are succulent and moist that don't turn into tough rubbery balls of meat.
The answer to this lies in the addition of ground pork. You don't need a lot, just half the quantity of the ground chicken you are using but the results are fantastic! Moist succulent and flavorful spheres of chook heaven.
Now I may have convinced you to add the pork but my own Mum is proving to be a rather tough customer. Its been years and every time we have a conversation about chicken koftas & I add my two cents worth about adding the ground pork, I can hear her less than enthusiastic unhaa...unhaa..transmitted across the sound waves. Noncommittal followed by a swift change of topic!
OK, I need to look at it from Mum's point of view. Most traditional Indian families in India don't set out to buy pork on a regular basis if at all. They tolerate it if it is served in restaurants or when traveling abroad but to seek it out goes against their grain. The exception to this rule are the Goan Christian inhabitants who favor pork more than any other meat.
But here in the great void of the world wide web, I have this to say to Mum - Since she & Dad tolerate pork in all those wonderful creations served up just for them at China Garden & Ling's Pavilion (their favorite restaurants by far) surely she can go to the market and buy a 1/2 lb of ground pork when she does end up making Chicken koftas a la her daughter.
Surely the shop that sells those cocktail sausages at Pali Naka will have little bags of it ready to go without your having to see big pig heads on a stake at the abattoir.
The figurative ball or should I say 'kofta' as they say is now in Mum's court!
Koftas - ground chicken, ground pork, onion, garlic, cilantro leaves, coriander seeds, green chilly, turmeric powder, red chilly powder & 1 egg.
Gravy - ghee, cumin seeds, cinnamon bark, onion, garlic cloves, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt,tomatoes, buttermilk, green chilly, garlic & ginger
To begin prepare the ingredients -
Koftas -
Onion - Peel & cut a small chuck of onion (1/4 cup sliced onion)
Garlic - Peel the garlic cloves
Ginger - Peel the ginger
Cilantro - Cut away the stalks, wash & set aside the cilantro leaves
In a small chopper, add a chuck of onion, garlic, ginger & cilantro & finely chop.
To the ground chicken & pork, add the chopped ingredients. Crack an egg & discard the shell. Add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander seeds & salt. Stir till well blended. Set aside. Do not turn into meatballs yet.
Gravy -
Onion - Peel, discard skin, quarter & place in a mini-chopper. Finely chop.
Garlic - Peel the garlic cloves & finely slice, discarding skin.
Ginger - Peel the ginger & finely chop, discarding the skin.
Tomatoes - Finely chop & set aside.
Buttermilk - Measure & set aside. Most folks use yogurt but it cannot compare to the tang from the buttermilk which is the closest thing to sour curds used in India. So for me its buttermilk all the way.
In a heavy bottom saute pan or kadhai add ghee & heat for a minute on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and after a few seconds as soon as its begins to crackle add cinnamon bark, chopped onion, ginger & garlic.
On medium heat saute the onions till caramelized to a golden brown. This process of slow sauteing is called 'bhuno' and is the the secret to a rich gravy full of depth & flavor. Do not rush this process by increasing heat. You'll end up with brown onions but no flavor.
Saute the onion for about 15-20 minutes till they are soft & caramelized. Add the slit green chilly & chopped tomatoes.
Continue to saute for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened. Also the ghee should bee simmering on the edges of the masala paste.
Cook's Note - This is important to look for. There is nothing worse than the 'masala' paste being uncooked so look for the masala paste releasing the ghee and it simmering around the edges. Once you see this the paste is cooked and is ready for the next step.
Add the dried spices such as salt, turmeric powder & red chilly powder. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add the water & butter milk to the pan and allow it to simmer.
Meanwhile -
Use 1 tbs of the meat mixture and turn into a meatball. Drop it into the gravy. Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes.
Cook's Note - The reason for doing this is that since we cannot taste raw meat, the only way to check the seasonings is to do a trial run with 1 meatball.
Once the meatball is cooked, taste & adjust seasonings such as salt & chilly powder in the remaining meat texture if needed.
Using a tablespoon, form meatballs between the palms of your hands. Continue till all meatballs are formed.
Place all the koftas in the gravy one at a time. As you get towards the end you may find that some of the koftas are siting on top of others. Continue till you get all the koftas in the pan.
Take a large spoon and gently nudge the meatballs in different spots in the pan so all the meatballs settle into the gravy. Be very gentle in this.
Place a lid on the pan but leave a small open slit to allow the steam to escape. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings. And what you get is this!
Serve immediately with roti, chapati, naan or if you are in a pinch, steamed rice, whole wheat tortillas or pita bread.
Both the gravy & the koftas are infused with the heady flavors from the fresh herbs & spices. The wonderful whif from the coriander seeds & garlic that have infused the koftas with every bite sends me to culinary heaven.
The gravy has such depth and flavor with a hint of tang and complements the flavor of the koftas with every bite into the koftas, perfectly. On the whole, very delicious, very succulent, very moist and uber flavorful.
Bottom line = No left overs + repeated complements from Mr. Hubby & kids = success! Mum, point 1.
Recipe for
{ Murgh Ke Koftay } Punjabi Style Chicken meatballs in a flavorful buttermilk gravy
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking time - 1 hour
Serves - 4-6
Shopping list
Meatballs (koftas) -
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 cup onion
3/4" piece ginger
3 garlic cloves
1 Thai green chilly
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp red chilly powder (hot variety, not paprika)
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
Gravy-
1 large onion (to get about 1-1/4 cups finely chopped)
1" ginger root
4 garlic cloves
1 large tomato (10 oz)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1" cinnamon bark
3 tbs ghee
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1-1/2 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
Preparation-
Koftas -
Onion - Peel & cut a small chuck of onion (1/4 cup sliced onion)
Garlic - Peel the garlic cloves
Ginger - Peel the ginger
Cilantro - Cut away the stalks, wash & set aside the cilantro leaves
In a small chopper, add a chuck of onion, garlic, ginger & cilantro & finely chop.
To the ground chicken & pork, add the chopped ingredients. Crack an egg & discard the shell. Add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander seeds & salt. Stir till well blended. Set aside. Do not turn into meatballs yet.
Gravy -
Onion - Peel, discard skin, quarter & place in a mini-chopper. Finely chop.
Garlic - Peel the garlic cloves & finely slice, discarding skin.
Ginger - Peel the ginger & finely chop, discarding the skin.
Tomatoes - Finely chop & set aside.
Buttermilk - Measure & set aside. Most folks use yogurt but it cannot compare to the tang from the buttermilk which is the closest thing to sour curds used in India. So for me its buttermilk all the way.
Cooking method -
In a heavy bottom saute pan or kadhai add ghee & heat for a minute on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and after a few seconds as soon as its begins to crackle add cinnamon bark, chopped onion, ginger & garlic.
On medium heat saute the onions till caramelized to a golden brown. This process of slow sauteing is called 'bhuno' and is the the secret to a rich gravy full of depth & flavor. Do not rush this process by increasing heat. You'll end up with brown onions but no flavor.
Saute the onion for about 15-20 minutes till they are soft & caramelized. Add the slit green chilly & chopped tomatoes.
Continue to saute for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened. Also the ghee should be simmering at the edges of the masala paste.
Add the dried spices such as salt, turmeric powder & red chilly powder. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add the water & butter milk to the pan and allow it to simmer.
Meanwhile, Use 1 tbs of the meat mixture and turn into a meatball. Drop it into the gravy. Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes.
Cook's Note - The reason for doing this is that since we cannot taste raw meat, the only way to check the seasonings is to do a trial run with 1 meatball.
Once the meatball is cooked, taste & adjust seasonings such as salt & chilly powder in the remaining meat texture if needed.
Using a tablespoon, form the koftas, meatballs between the palms of your hands. Continue till all meatballs are formed.
Place all the koftas in the gravy one at a time. As you get towards the end you may find that some of the koftas are siting on top of others. Continue till you get all the koftas in the pan.
Take a large spoon and gently nudge the meatballs in different spots in the pan so all the meatballs settle into the gravy. Be very gentle in this.
Place a lid on the pan but leave a small open slit to allow the steam to escape. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings in the gravy. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
Enjoy!