This is a flavourful delicacy that has many variations. Following is the south Indian style recipe which I relish very much. The shrimp or prawns are coarsely ground, lightly spiced, mixed with roasted split chickpeas flour and then made into small rounds and dropped in a flavourful tasty curry. You could also use corn flour for binding them but I prefer using roasted split chickpeas flour as it gives a better taste and binds them well. This also helps keep them soft and spongy when cooked.
Ingredients:
For the Kofte:
20 shrimp (medium size)
1/2 onion (small size)
2 – 4 small green chillies
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chopped cilantro
2 tbs *roasted split chickpeas flour or corn flour
For the Curry:
1 large onion sliced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbs yoghurt
2 tbs coconut cream or 1/2 cup coconut milk
4 green chillies
2 cloves
2 green cardamoms
1 black cardamom
1 bay leaf
1 x 1″ cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder (deghi mirch)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs butter
salt to taste
*Roasted split chickpeas flour is available in Indian stores. Here’s a picture:
Instructions:
1. Peel, devein, wash and drain the shrimp. Grind and set aside.
2. Grind together all the ingredients for the Kofte except the roasted split chickpeas to a fine paste. Grind the roasted split chickpeas to a fine powder, set aside.
3. Combine together the shrimp paste, the ground masala, salt and the roasted split chickpeas flour. With wet hands make round balls of the shrimp mixture. I could make 8 kofta balls of considerable size. Keep aside.
4. To make the curry, fry the onions with the whole spices (cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon) in the vegetable oil and butter to golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, yoghurt and mix well to form a smooth paste. The smoothness of the masala depends on how well you fried your onions. If they are fried on low medium heat to a golden brown with patience then they blend well with the spices to a smooth paste, otherwise they stand out, so you need to use a hand blender but only after removing the whole spices. It has to be done with love and patience to get a good outcome.
5. Now throw in the green chillies and coconut cream, just sprinkle a little water while swirling your spatula around to scrape the masala from the sides of the pot. Mix well.
6. Drop in the Koftas one by one into the curry and let it cook on medium low. Wash your hands now and with gloves or mitts, lift the pot and shake the pot gently so the kofte don’t stick to each other and put it back. You can also stir from the bottom gently with a wooden spatula taking care not to break them.
7. After some time you would see them swell up a bit. It is better to cook without covering with a lid as the steam built up inside could crack them open. Simmer on low till the curry thickens and the oil rises on top.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve them hot with steamed jasmine or plain rice. Enjoy!
Recipe
Ingredients
For the Kofte:
- 20 shrimp medium size
- 1/2 onion small size
- 2 - 4 small green chillies
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp chopped cilantro
- 2 tbs roasted split chickpeas flour or 2 tbs corn flour
For the Curry:
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbs yoghurt
- 2 tbs coconut cream or 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 4 green chillies
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 x 1" cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder deghi mirch
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tbs butter
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel, devein, wash and drain the shrimp. Grind and set aside.
- Grind together all the ingredients for the Kofte except the roasted split chickpeas to a fine paste. Grind the roasted split chickpeas to a fine powder, set aside.
- Combine together the shrimp paste, the ground masala, salt and the roasted split chickpeas flour. With wet hands make round balls of the shrimp mixture. I could make 8 kofta rounds of considerable size. Keep aside.
- To make the curry, fry the onions with the whole spices (cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon) in the vegetable oil and butter to golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, yoghurt and mix well to form a smooth paste. The smoothness of the masala depends on how well you fried your onions. If they are fried on low medium heat to a golden brown with patience then they blend well with the spices to a smooth paste, otherwise they stand out, so you need to use a hand blender but only after removing the whole spices. It has to be done with love and patience to get a good outcome.
- Now throw in the green chillies and coconut cream, sprinkle a little water around while you scrape the masala from the sides of the pot. Mix well.
- Drop in the Koftas one by one into the curry and let it cook on medium low. Wash your hands now and with gloves or mitts, lift the pot and shake the pot gently so the kofte don't stick to each other and put it back. You can also stir from the bottom gently with a wooden spatula taking care not to break them.
- After some time you would see them swell up a bit. It is better to cook without covering with a lid as the steam built up inside could crack them open. Simmer on low till the curry thickens and the oil rises on top.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve them hot with steamed jasmine or plain rice. Enjoy!
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