Fish Kofta Curry is fish balls in a delicious, thick gravy. This is a perfect lunch or dinner main course dish and tastes lovely with rice and a green salad or vegetarian side dish. Don't let the long list of ingredients or instructions fool you, Fish Kofta Curry is worth every minute you spend making it.
Yield: Serve 4-6 people
Ingredients:
- For the kofta: 2 X 400 gm cans of tuna (in brine or oil)
- 1 medium sized onion chopped very fine
- 1/2 cup very finely chopped coriander
- 2 tsps very finely chopped mint leaves
- 2 green chillies chopped very fine (optional but desirable for that extra 'kick')
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp aamchur powder (raw mango powder)
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup sooji/ semolina
- Vegetable/ sunflower/ canola cooking oil to pan fry the koftas
- For the gravy: 5 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
- 2 medium sized onion cut into quarters
- 3 medium sized tomatoes cut into quarters
- 2 green chillies
- 2 tsps garlic paste
- 2 tsps ginger paste
- 2 tsps coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- Salt to taste
- Chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish
Preparation:
To make the koftas:
- Put the tuna chunks in a large, deep bowl and mash till the chunks are broken completely.
- Add the rest of the ingredients - except the semolina and the vegetable/ sunflower/ canola cooking oil. Mix well with a spoon or your hands till all the ingredients are perfectly blended. Spread half the sooji in a plate - we will dip the koftas in it to coat them. This gives the koftas a lovely, golden, slightly crispy outside!
- Form the fish mixture into 3" diameter balls/ sausage shapes and roll each kofta in the semolina so that it is lightly coated on all sides.
- While you are doing this, heat enough cooking oil in a shallow frying pan, to pan/ shallow fry a few koftas at a time. We will add more oil later as this oil gets used up. Only add as much as is needed for now.
- Pan fry a few koftas at a time taking care not to crowd them in the pan. Watch carefully and turn as each side gets golden.
- The koftas are done when they are crispy and golden on both sides. Keep aside on paper towels for later.
To make the gravy:
- Heat 2 tbsps of the cooking oil in a deep pan (on medium heat) and when hot, add the onions. Fry till slightly golden. Turn off the heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the pan and put them in a food processor. Grind the onions, tomatoes, green chillies into a smooth paste. Try not to add water while grinding, if possible.
- Heat the remaining oil in the same pan (on medium heat) and add the paste you just made to it when it is hot. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the ginger and garlic pastes, all the dry spices including the garam masala, mix and fry till the oil begins to separate from the masala (onion-tomato-spice mix).
- Now add 2 cups of warm water to this masala and bring to a boil on a medium heat. Simmer and cook till the gravy is thickened/ reduced to about 3/4 of the original quantity (when you added the water).
- Now add the koftas gently to the gravy. Cook for 1 minute, to heat the koftas through. STir very carefully to avoid breaking them.
- Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice and a vegetable side dish.
