A Hint of Spice

Kofta is a Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian dish made by grinding meat, mixing it with spices, and forming it into balls or cylinders for cooking. There are hundreds of variations on this dish ranging from spicy grilled lamb koftas to vegetable koftas served with naan in India.India being a country with a large vegetarian population there is a big variety of vegetables which can be used to make kofta's .For example....Lauki(also known as Dudhi in some regions),Corn,Cauliflower,Cabbage,Peas,Potatoes and many more.
    I stumbled upon this dish by accident.I have being making vegetable manchurian for quite some time now,the difference in Vegetable Manchurian and Cabbage Kofta is the binding material used and the spices added to the kofta.I normally make Dudhi Kofta and for special occasions Malai Kofta,but once it so happened that I had guests coming over for dinner...since No Dudhi at home so no kofta,Malai Kofta takes time and more importantly for me the mood to make it,so I thought why not make koftas out of cabbage and carrot.This experiment I can say was successful.

Ingredients
For the Koftas:-
2 cup grated Cabbage
1 cup grated Carrot
3 tblsp Besan(Gram flour) (keep some extra in hand,in case you need it)
2 chopped Green Chilli
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder(acc to taste)
1-2 tsp Saunf
1-2 tsp Dhaniya Seeds
1 tsp Garam Masala
Oil to deep fry the Koftas

For The Curry:-
2 tblsp Unsalted Cashew (or Almonds)
2 Tblsp Plain Yogurt
Gravy Masala

Directions
1.Grate the cabbage and carrots seperately and remove as much water as possible from the grated vegetables by squeezing them as hard as possible.
2.Mix the grated vegetables,Salt,green chilli,Red chilli powder,Garam Masala Powder,Saunf and Dhaniya seeds along with the besan.
3.Try forming uniform consistent size balls(kofta's).If the kofta balls don't hold together,add besan 1-2 tsps at a time and please remember do not add any water.Let the besam get the moisture from the grated vegetables.
4.Meanwhile heat oil in a deep pan for frying.Test to see if its hot enough,by putting a very small amount(a pinch ) of kofta masala in oil.If it comes up,the oil is hot enough for frying.
5.Fry the kofta's few at a time,ensuring that they are not crowded in the oil and also keeping the burner setting on medium.If the burner is set on high,it means the kofta's will fry and get the golden color,but they will still have the raw taste inside.
6.Fry the kofta's till they turn golden brown in color.Drain them on a platter lined with paper towel.
7.These kofta's can also be kept in ziploc bags in freezer for a month .(Hint,hint....for those unexpected guests or for the days you are tired.)

For the Gravy:-
1.Soak the almonds or cashews in water overnight.If you don't have that much time soak them in warm water and then put them in microwave(with the water they are soaked in) for 2-3 mins.
2.Grind the Almonds(or cashews) with as little water as possible to a paste like consistency.
3.Make the onion tomato paste following the recipe .When the Onion tomato masala is ready add the Almond paste and saute the masala for a few more minutes.Then add the plain yogurt and again let it saute for 2 more minutes.
4.Finally add little water,to make the masala into a gravy texture and let it boil.Then add the fried Koftas and put the Kofta Masla on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
5.Garnish with finely cut coriander.
6.Serve with Naan,Paratha,Roti or Rice.
'njoy!!!

Tips:-
1.You can totally avoid adding the almond or cashew paste to the onion tomato masala.Although I must say if you are serving this dish to guests,adding the almonds gives it a creamier texture and changes the color as well.
Sending this to Divya from Dil Se for her Event Show me Your Curry.