Goa style kofta curry
This dish was created when I first experimented with Indian cooking 30 years ago. Goa is predominantly Christian so pork is used in cooking unlike much of the rest of the subcontinent. My dad was born in India & I was fortunate to be brought up enjoying the flavours of ‘incredible India’.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 750 g minced lean pork
- 1½ cup of soft fresh breadcrumbs
- ½ cup of milk
- 2 good size onions, finely chopped
- 400 grams of kumara, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
- Curry paste:
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 3cm fresh ginger
- Cayenne pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 can of peeled tomatoes in juice
- 1 can of coconut cream
- 1 cup of water
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt
- Sesame oil for frying
Method
- Mix the pork, breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl.
- Shape the meat mixture into balls (makes about 20 depending on their size).
- Put a teaspoon of sesame oil in a nonstick pan on high heat.
- Briefly brown the meatballs on all sides, remove from heat and set aside.
- Drain excess fat/cooking liquid from the pan, if necessary, and fry the chopped onions until caramelized but not burnt. Set aside with the meatballs.
- Make the paste in a mortar and pestle and then briefly fry in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil over high heat, until the mixture darkens in colour and releases a pungent, spicy aroma about two minutes.
- Add one cup of water and reduce the liquid by around half through boiling off, continuing to stir, for about 3 minutes. Add the meatballs and onions coating thoroughly with the curry sauce.
- Return to stove and add the cubed kumara, tomatoes and coconut cream & lemon juice. Lower heat and salt to taste.
- Simmer for about 90 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and kumara is soft.
- Serve with boiled white rice, naan bread, poppadum, and condiments i.e. lime and mango pickle.
- It is possible to 'cheat' with this recipe and buy a prepared curry paste to use instead of making your own. This will save time in preparation. Nevertheless, it is my experience when doing this that it is worth adding additional garlic and fresh ginger, as well extra cayenne, to make the dish spicier and taste more authentic.