Chapter V Economy Drive – Koftas

How about koftas? These Indian meatballs are a real hit. As you'd expect from me they can be made ahead and frozen. These little beauties are versatile!

Koftas - makes 25/30 ish

500g of minced lamb

or Quorn mince

*salt and black pepper

*2 cloves of garlic, crushed or 2 tsps of paste

*1 tsp of ground cumin

*1 tsp of ground coriander

*pinch of garam masala

*pinch of chilli powder

1 heaped tbsp of tomato paste

1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

kitchen gloves or damp hands

Rapeseed oil for shallow frying

a foil tray 23cms x 23cms

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the ingredients marked * and mix well. Add the tomato paste and the egg and combine. If you find the mixture too wet, then sprinkle a little plain flour into the mixture and fold in gently.

Using either gloves or damp hands your mixture should aim to be the size of a walnut (or 1 heaped teaspoon). Roll the mixture between your hands and when you've 8 or so heat the oil in a large frying pan. Seal the koftas on a low heat and carefully shake the pan to turn them – use tongs if you are accident prone!

At this stage you can continue to cook the koftas in the pan or you can transfer to an oven-proof dish and pop into a pre-heated oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes.

Alternatively let the koftas cool once sealed, transfer to freezer bags and freeze until required. Defrost and then place in a foil tray and warm in a pre-heated oven as above for 15 minutes.

Easy peasy and really tasty … the photo guide

Use a foil tray with 2 tbsp plain flour – it enables you to roll around the koftas to coat with flour without having to “assist” them.

If you would prefer a larger version then use a dessert spoon of mixture, treated in exactly the same way, like these :

Here's an idea – serve the koftas with the Bombay Aloo – both dishes can be frozen, in fact the flavours are enhanced by freezing. An excellent choice for a mid-week supper! A tip – freeze the koftas in amounts that suit you – and again the same with the Aloo in small containers, you can always take out more if you need it!

Fancy a sandwich - how about a kofta sub?

If you want a something different to tempt the tastebuds take a bag of koftas out of the freezer – defrost in the fridge.

Make a batch of Rendang Sauce.

Take four submarine rolls, spread liberally with mango chutney whilst your koftas and sauce are warming – how many koftas you use is a matter of appetite! Place the koftas on top of the mango and drizzle the Rendang Sauce on top. If you've got the onion salad too this will sit nicely to complete the sub.

Ta dah!

Note:

You can freeze Quorn mince once it has been cooked – make sure your meal is cold before freezing – use within a month. For use, defrost fully in the fridge and cook within 24 hours ensuring it's piping hot.