Lamb Kofta

It's been a while since I cooked and it was great to fire up the gas hob last Friday for my first attempt in Dum cooking. I had read about this type of cooking from the Flavours magazine and was eager to try it out as it sounded like a wonderful way to infuse the meat with spices. Basically it uses dough to cover a claypot so the steam is trapped inside and allows the food to cook in the steam and absorb the spices.

I chose to make the lamb kofta and made certain revisions to suit the items I had at home. For instance, I used a Chinese claypot instead of the wider Indian claypots since that was all I had. For the flour, I used self raising flour to make the dough to seal the claypot. It worked really well for me and we both loved the tender lamb koftas with their heady fragrance of spices. The sauce is tinged yellow from the turmeric powder used and I added chopped coriander leaves and a dash of yoghurt sauce to make it creamier. To keep with the Northern Indian theme, I served the dish with basmati rice cooked with some crushed green cardamon pods.

Lamb Kofta

Meatballs
250g minced lamb
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cardamom, crushed
1 egg
10g breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce
1 tablespoon ghee or oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon white vinegar
80 ml water
60 ml plain yoghurt
60 ml thick coconut milk

Garnish
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

1 teaspoon saffron threads

Basic sealing dough
300g white or atta flour
warm water, as needed

Combine the flour with just enough water to bind into a stretched dough. Use it immediately or cover it with a damp cloth and store in the fridge.

Place the minced meat in a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients, seasoning to taste with the salt and pepper. Roll level tablespoons of the mixture into balls.

To make the sauce, heat the ghee/oil in a claypot and add onion, chilli, ginger, garlic and turmeric. Stir over low heat until the onion is soft. Add the coriander, cumin, chilli powder, vinegar, meatballs and water. Stir gently and simmer for 20 minutes, before adding the yoghurt and coconut milk. Mix well.

Seal the claypot with the dough and lid. Simmer for 10 minutes before removing from heat. Set aside for about 5 minutes before opening the lid. Serve hot with gravy poured over. Garnish with chopped coriander and saffron.