Mummy’s festive minty beef kofta curry

Name: Mummy’s festive minty beef kofta curry
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6–10
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: small handful of coriander (cilantro), finely chopped; small handful of coriander (cilantro), finely chopped; 1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional); 2–3 mint leaves, finely chopped; 2 tbsp brown onion paste; 2–3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; ½ tsp red chilli powder; 1 tsp freshly ground coriander (cilantro) seeds; 1 tbsp chickpea flour; 1 tsp garam masala; ½ tsp freshly ground cumin seeds; 1–1½ tsp salt, or to taste; ¾ tsp red chilli powder; 1 tsp ginger and garlic paste; 1 tsp ginger and garlic paste; 1 tsp salt, or to taste; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds; 2 tbsp white poppy seeds; 4 tbsp plain yogurt; 600 ml/1 pint/2½ cups water; 10–12 mint leaves, torn; 500 g/1 lb 2 oz beef mince (ground beef); 1 slice of bread, soaked in water and then squeezed; 500 g/1 lb 2 oz beef mince (ground beef); 4 tbsp brown onion paste (To make: slice 3 red onions and fry until lightly brown, then grind into a paste in a blender with about 3–4 tbsp water); 4 tbsp brown onion paste (To make: slice 3 red onions and fry until lightly brown, then grind into a paste in a blender with about 3–4 tbsp water); 4 tbsp brown onion paste (To make: slice 3 red onions and fry until lightly brown, then grind into a paste in a blender with about 3–4 tbsp water); 4 tbsp brown onion paste (To make: slice 3 red onions and fry until lightly brown, then grind into a paste in a blender with about 3–4 tbsp water)

Preparation info

Serves
6–10

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 30

Appears in

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2016

About

Every family in Pakistan has a secret kofta (meatball) curry recipe. Many families guard these, others are happy to share. My mother taught me how to get the koftas beautifully soft without them breaking apart while cooking, and the addition of mint in her original recipe adds a flavour that other kofta curries lack.

Ingredients

For the koftas

500 g/1 lb 2 oz beef mince (ground beef)

Asia
Pakistan
Main course
Summer

Method

Using only 2 tablespoons of the onion paste (reserve rest for the curry), mince all the ingredients for the koftas, except the coriander, mint and green chilli, then stir them in last. Roll about 1 heaped tablespoon of the mince into medium-sized meatballs (not too small) and make sure that there are no cracks in them. Set aside. The meatballs are added in raw, as they cook in the curry.