Kofta (Lamb Meatballs)

Okay, so this will be my last Indian recipe post for a little while, which may relieve some but may disappoint others. Today, I'm sharing kofta, a.k.a. meatballs, which is a really easy dish but it's super flavorful. It's another dish that would be great to serve to guests because it looks amazing and tastes amazing. By the way, you don't have to use lamb; you could use beef or pork or chicken or turkey or even faux-meat (whatever that means).

Ingredients [serves 4]:
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 egg
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1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons oil
1 cinnamon stick
chopped cilantro

Start by putting roughly chopped onion, ginger, garlic, salt, chili powder, ground coriander, and cilantro into a food processor. Grind it up for just a few seconds until you have a mixture that is the consistency of a chunky applesauce.

Next, in a large bowl, add the lamb and the processed onion and cilantro mixture and use your hands (or a spoon if you're squeamish) to mix everything together. Once the herbs are mixed through, add in the egg and mix until you have a homogeneous mixture.

Use a spoon or cookie scoop (I used a 1-1/2 teaspoon scoop) to portion out meatballs. I didn't even bother rolling them with my hands, as the cookie scoop did all of the work for me. Set aside while you work on the sauce.

In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, garlic, and garam masala and then set aside.

Heat up some oil in a pan with a cinnamon stick. Once the oil starts to sizzle around the cinnamon, pour in the yogurt and spice mixture. Stir to combine and don't worry if the yogurt looks like it's congealing. The texture will smooth out later. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Add the meatballs into the sauce (carefully so you don't squash them).

Allow the meatballs to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning them over about halfway through to coat in the sauce. The meatballs will give off their own moisture and add some liquid to the sauce, which is a good thing. Once the meatballs are cooked through, remove from the heat.

Sprinkle the meatballs with a little cilantro and serve.

These go deliciously well with the cashew and raisin pilau I shared previously. These are super tender and moist and amazing.

Here's the recipe page: