LAMB KOFTA CURRY

I've spoken before about my love for hot, spicy food and this lamb kofta is one of my favourite midweek curries. 

The kofta mixture is very versatile - make small meatballs, shallow fry them in oil and serve with chutney or a yoghurt dip as an appetiser, mould them on to skewers and char-grill and serve as a starter or cook them in this curry sauce for a more substantial meal. 

 I always make this quantity and then freeze any surplus meatballs and sauce separately, ready for a quick home made meal when I don't feel like going to too much trouble.

When served with the curry sauce, they are quite spicy but it is easy enough to tone down the chilli if you prefer.

 

For the printable version - click here
 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

 

Yield: 6

 

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 5 cm piece of ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 green chillies, seeds removed
• 15 g coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 2 tblsps plain yoghurt
• 500 g minced lamb
• 2½ tsps ground cumin
• 1½ tsps ground coriander
• 2 tsps garam masala
• ¼ tsp chilli powder
• 2½ tsps salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

 

•  For the sauce
• 3 tblsp ghee or sunflower oil
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 10 cm piece of ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 3 tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• 4 ripe tomatoes roughly chopped
• 1 tblsp tomato puree
• 500 ml lamb stock
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 curry leaves
• 200 ml water

Cooking Directions

1. To make the kofta, blend the onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and the coriander leaves together in a food processor until they form a paste.
2. Put the lamb mince in a bowl, add the paste, yoghurt, spices, salt & pepper and mix well with your hands until thoroughly combined.
3. Cover and put in the freezer to rest while you make the sauce. (You just want it super chilled - not frozen).
4. To make the sauce, heat the ghee in a large saucepan and gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger until softened and lightly browned.
5. Add the chilli powder, garam masala, and asafoetida and stir well.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes to release some of the juice.
7. Add the stock and tomato puree and season with black pepper.
8. Add the cinnamon stick and curry leaves and bring to a simmer.
9. Partially cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. Remove the sauce from the heat and discard the cinnamon and curry leaves.
11. Blend the sauce until as smooth as possible.
12. Return to the heat, add 200 ml water and bring back to a simmer.
13. Remove meat mixture from the freezer.
14. Using wet hands, shape the mixture into meatballs about the size of a walnut. you should get between 25 and 30.
15. Drop all the meatballs gently into the sauce mixture and return to a simmer.
16. Cook, uncovered for a further 30 minutes, stirring regularly.
17. Serve the meatballs with rice and topped with yoghurt and fresh coriander leaves      

 

Written by Angela Darroch  

 

The sauce is adapted from BBC Food

SAVOURY LAMB STEW

 

Today is a duvet day. 

 

It is cold, it is miserable and it is grey, grey, grey. 

 

What do you do on a day like this?  Well, in my house the boys decided to go for an 8km run around a cold, stark lake.  Madness in my mind.  I, on the other hand head for the kitchen.  I decided to make this simple, homely casserole from one of my favourite South African recipe books by Lynn Bedford Hall.  The boys came back from their run to the smell of this lamb stew cooking away in the oven and I had to threaten them with everything under the sun just to keep them from sneaking a piece of lamb before dinner time.

 

My favourite way to eat this stew is with a dollop of mashed potato to soak up all the lovely gravy but we are trying to watch the calories so plain boiled potatoes it had to be. 

 

For the printable version - click here 

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 90 minutes

Total time: 1hr 50 minutes

Yield: 4

 

Ingredients

• 4 (700g) large lamb leg chops
• 2 ml paprika
• 2 ml dried thyme
• 2 ml dried oregano
• 2 ml curry powder
• 35 ml flour
• 2 ml salt
• olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 375 ml lamb (or beef) stock
• 1 tin (390g) chopped tomatoes
• 5 ml brown sugar
• 10 ml Worcester sauce

 

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
2. Cut chops in half to make 8 neat pieces and remove any excess fat.
3. Mix together the paprika, herbs, curry powder, flour and salt and coat meat on both sides.
4. Add olive oil to your pan and brown the chops lightly on both sides until nicely coloured.
5. Transfer to a baking dish to fit closely.
6. Add a little more oil to your pan, and fry your onions and garlic.
7. Add any of the remaining flour mixture to the onions and garlic, then add the stock.
8. Stir well, making sure all the residue from the pan is stirred into the stock.
9. Add the tomatoes, sugar and Worcester sauce, mixing well.
10. Remove from the heat and pour over the chops.
11. Bake, covered for 1 hour 30 minutes.

 

Written by : Angela Darroch