Turkish Meatballs

 Turkish Meatballs (Kofta)

Ingredients:

Meatballs
    1 cup fine fresh breadcrumb
    1 lb lean ground lamb
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon pepper
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/2 teaspoon allspice
    1 teaspoon dried mint
    2 cloves garlic
    2 tablespoons parsley
    1 egg
    1 tablespoon olive oil

Methods:
    1 Make the bread crumbs by breaking up 2 slices of stale but not dried out whole wheat bread into the bowl of a food processor.
    2 Whiz until finely crumbed.
    3 Add the ground lamb and the egg, and process until blended.
    4 Add the spices, garlic and parsley.
    5 Process the meat well to achieve a fine texture.
    6 Roll the mixture into small meatballs (I use a melonballer) or finger shaped patties using dampened hands.
    7 You may cook them at once, or refrigerate the mixture for several hours.
    8 (If your meat is very fresh, you can divide it in half and wrap part well in plastic for the next day's meal.) Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, and fry the balls or patties until cooked through and evenly browned.
    9 The meatballs should be stirred several times, the patties turned once.
    10 Remove them with a slotted spoon to drain.
    11 Serve the meatballs hot or at room temperature as an appetizer.
    12 Lovely with a yogurt or tahini sauce, on a bed of rice or in a pita.

Serves: 4-6

Kofta Curry

 

Kofta Curry

For the koftas :
500 gr lean minced lamb
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 cm cube of root ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
60 ml water
1 fresh green chili, seeded and chopped
2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 tsp salt or to taste

For the gravy:
5 tbsps cooking oil
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
3 cm cube off root ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsps ground coriander
1½ tsps ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp chili powder
1 small tin of tomatoes
150 ml warm water
½ tsp salt or to taste
2 black cardamom pods, opened
4 whole cloves
5 cm piece of cinnamon stick, broken up
2 bay leaves crumpled
2 tbsps thick set natural yogurt
2 tbsps grounds almonds
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Methods:
1. Put half the mince, all the garlic, ginger, onion and the water into a saucepan and place cover medium heat. Stir until the mince is heated through.
2. Cover and simmer until all liquid evaporates (±35 minutes) then cook uncovered if necessary, to dry out excess liquid.
3. Combine the cooked mince with the rest of the ingredients, including the raw mince.

4. Put the mixture into a food processor or liquidizer and blend until smooth. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes.
5. Dividedthe mixture into approximately 20 balls.
6. Rotate each ball between your plams to make neat round koftas.
7. Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the onions until they are just soft.
8. Add the ginger and garlic  and fry for 1 minute.
9. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder and stir quickly.
10. Add one tomato at a time, along with a little juice to the spice mixture, stirring until mixture begins to look dry.
11. Now add the water, salt, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and the bay leaves.
12. Stir once and add the koftas. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
13. Beat the yogurt with a fork until smooth, add the ground almonds and beat again-stir gently into the curry. Cover and simmer until the koftas are firm.
14. Stir the curry gently, cover again, and simmer for ±15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the thickened gravy does not stick to the pan.
15. Stir in the coriander leaves and remove from heat

Serves 4

Kofta = Meat Ball

Curry Chicken Meatballs

 Curry Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

chicken balls
    500 g ground chicken
    1 small onion, grated
    1/4 cup green curry paste (Aussies, I like Valcom)
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
    1 egg, beaten
    1/3 cup dried breadcrumbs
    salt and pepper
    vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Methods:

    1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except oil together using your (clean) hands.

    2. With damp hands, roll about 2 teaspoons of mix into a bowl; place on a large plate, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

    3. Fill a wok or saucepan 1/3 full with oil: heat over medium heat until hot.

    4. Cook chicken balls 4-5 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

    5. Drain on kitchen paper.

    6. Allow the oil to come back to temperature before continuing with another batch.