Badami (Almond) Chicken Kofta Curry

This is a mildly spiced curry I created when my kids expressed their desire for soft koftas / kofte in a rich and creamy sauce. As you may notice I have posted recipes of many white curry dishes but each one has a different combination of spices and unique flavours. That’s what I love to do.  Well if all the curries are going to taste the same then you can’t enjoy them at all.

Enriched with the sweetness of almonds and fried onions with a hint of green chillies and black pepper this badami chicken kofta curry has a depth of subtle flavours and tastes delicious! This is a light and easy to digest curry but rich in flavour and fortified with almond paste to give you extra energy which makes it all the more suitable for an Ifthaar in Ramadan.

Ingredients:
For the kofte:
600g chicken breasts (3 portions)
1/4 cup fried onions
2 small green chillies
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 green cardamoms pounded
1/2 tbs ginger garlic paste
1 tbs corn flour
2 – 4 tbs vegetable oil to fry

For the curry:
15 almonds
4 small green chillies
1 tbs ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup fried onions
6 whole pepper corns
1×2 inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
4 green cardamoms
4 cloves
1 black cardamom
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 sprig of cilantro

Instructions:
To make the chicken kofte:
1. Clean, wash and cut the chicken breasts into small pieces.
2. Slice half a large onion and fry the slices in 1 tbs vegetable oil to lightly golden.
3. Grind together the fried onions, 2 green chillies, cumin, fennel seeds and pounded green cardamoms to a paste in a wet grinder.
4. Pulse the chicken 2 or 3 times in a food processor, add the ground masala paste, ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp salt, corn flour and pulse more until finely ground.
5. With a rubber spatula scoop out the chicken mince from the processor in a bowl.
6. To test if the salt flavour is rightly balanced, fry a tiny portion of the chicken mince and taste it, add more salt if needed and if by chance you made it salty, then sprinkle 2-4 drops of lemon juice (don’t make it sour), or mix in 1 tsp of yoghurt.
7. Heat 2-4 tbs of oil in a non stick frying pan or wok to just hot, not fuming hot.
8. With wet hands make medium sized balls of the chicken mince to make the kofte. Make them smooth rounds by rolling them with the palms of your hands.
9. Drop one or two kofte in the hot oil and quickly roll them with a wooden spatula or with the help of the frying pan handle. Remove as soon as they turn opaque. Yes, they’ll be raw inside, no worries coz they have to cook in the curry. We want them soft and juicy. If you fry them longer till they brown they will harden in the curry which we don’t want.
10. Fry all of them using the technique explained above and keep them aside. They make 20 rounds altogether.

To prepare the kofta curry:
1. Slice one large onion and in 2 tbs of oil fry the slices to lightly golden.
2. Grind the almonds (blanch them if you want the curry to be white) first in a wet grinder, then add to it the fried onions, 2 green chillies and ginger garlic paste and grind everything together to a smooth paste.
3. To a pot on medium heat add the vegetable oil and when it is hot enough throw in the pepper corns, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, green and black cardamoms.
4. As they begin to sizzle toss in the ground onion almond masala paste.Then immediately add the coriander powder, 1 tsp salt, whisked yoghurt and 2 – 4 green chillies.
5. Sauté the masala in the oil for 1 minute, then add 1 cup of water. Mix everything well.
6. Raise the heat to high and when the curry starts boiling drop the lightly fried kofte one by one gently in it.
7. Now lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Add some chopped cilantro and let them simmer for another 10 minutes till the sauce thickens and oil rises on top. Taste and adjust the salt.
8. Garnish with a little more chopped cilantro and serve hot with ghee rice. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Badami Chicken Kofta Curry (Almond Chicken Kofta Curry)

This chicken kofta curry is mildly spiced with well balanced flavours and tastes delicious. 

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: indian cuisine

Keyword: almond chicken kofte, badami chicken kofte, chicken curry, chicken kofte, chicken meat ball curry, Kofta

Servings: 20 Kofte

Author: Fouzia Husainy

Ingredients

For the kofte:

• 600 g chicken breasts 3 portions
• 1/4 cup fried onions
• 2 small green chillies
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 green cardamoms pounded
• 1/2 tbs ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbs corn flour
• 2 - 4 tbs vegetable oil to fry

For the curry:

• 15 almonds
• 4 small green chillies
• 1 tbs ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• 1/2 cup fried onions
• 6 whole pepper corns
• 1 x2 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 sprig of cilantro

Instructions

To make the chicken kofte:

• Clean, wash and cut the chicken breasts into small pieces.
• Slice half a large onion and fry the slices in 1 tbs vegetable oil to lightly golden.
• Grind together the fried onions, 2 green chillies, cumin, fennel seeds and pounded green cardamoms to a paste in a wet grinder.
• Pulse the chicken 2 or 3 times in a food processor, add the ground masala paste, ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp salt, corn flour and pulse more until finely ground.
• With a rubber spatula scoop out the chicken mince from the processor in a bowl.
• To test if the salt flavour is rightly balanced, fry a tiny portion of the chicken mince and taste it, add more salt if needed and if by chance you made it salty, then sprinkle 2-4 drops of lemon juice (don't make it sour), or mix in 1 tsp of yoghurt.
• Heat 2-4 tbs of oil in a non stick frying pan or wok to just hot, not fuming hot.
• With wet hands make medium sized balls of the chicken mince to make the kofte. Make them smooth rounds by rolling them with the palms of your hands.
• Drop one or two kofte in the hot oil and quickly roll them with a wooden spatula or with the help of the frying pan handle. Remove as soon as they turn opaque. Yes, they’ll be raw inside, no worries coz they have to cook in the curry. We want them soft and juicy. If you fry them longer till they brown they will harden in the curry which we don’t want.
• Fry all of them using the technique explained above and keep them aside. They make 20 rounds altogether.

To prepare the kofta curry:

• Slice one large onion and in 2 tbs of oil fry the slices to lightly golden.
• Grind the almonds (blanch them if you want the curry to be white) first in a wet grinder, then add to it the fried onions, 2 green chillies and ginger garlic paste and grind everything together to a smooth paste.
• To a pot on medium heat add the vegetable oil and when it is hot enough throw in the pepper corns, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, green and black cardamoms.
• As they begin to sizzle toss in the ground onion almond masala paste.Then immediately add the coriander powder, 1 tsp salt, whisked yoghurt and 2 - 4 green chillies.
• Sauté the masala in the oil for 1 minute, then add 1 cup of water. Mix everything well.
• Raise the heat to high and when the curry starts boiling drop the lightly fried kofte one by one gently in it.
• Now lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Add some chopped cilantro and let them simmer for another 10 minutes till the sauce thickens and oil rises on top. Taste and adjust the salt.
• Garnish with a little more chopped cilantro and serve hot with ghee rice. Enjoy!

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