Kashmiri lamb meatballs with prunes

Easy
May 2019

Serves 4
Hands-on time 25 min, simmering time 35-40 min

It might look like a terrifying long list of ingredients in this kashmiri lamb recipe (also known as aloo bukhara kofta) but it’s really not much more than throwing a few things together and letting the flavours mingle.

Prefer chicken? We’ve got a kashmiri butter chicken recipe that’s well worth a cook.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 433kcals
Fat: 31g (6.7g saturated)
Protein: 25.9g
Carbohydrates: 11.15g (4.7g sugars)
Fibre: 3.4g
Salt: 0.7g

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Ingredients

For the meatballs

1 tbsp fennel seeds, finely ground in a pestle and mortar
6 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and finely crushed
3 black cardamom pods, seeds removed and finely crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tbsp kashmiri chilli powder or hot (unsmoked) paprika
500g British organic lamb mince
1 medium free-range egg, beaten
10 pitted prunes

For the sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 dried bay leaves
3 green cardamom pods
¼ tsp ground asafoetida (optional; see Know-how)
¾ tbsp kashmiri chilli powder or hot (unsmoked) paprika
2 tbsp fennel seeds, finely ground in a pestle and mortar
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp tamarind paste or lime juice to taste (see Know-how)
Plain yogurt, fresh coriander and basmati rice to serve

Method

For the meatballs, mix the ground spices, mince and beaten egg in a bowl. Season, then shape into 12 equal balls. Flatten each in your palm and press a prune into the middle, wrapping the mince mixture around to seal the prune inside.
For the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the whole spices. Once they start to pop, turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool a little. Stir in the asafoetida, then add the kashmiri chilli powder/paprika and cook, stirring, for 5-10 seconds.
Turn the heat back up to medium. Add the meatballs and cook, turning, until brown all over (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining ground spices, fry until fragrant, then pour over 500ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove the lid and check the sauce – it should have thickened slightly, with a red slick of oil running through it. Give it another 10-15 minutes without the lid if it seems too thin. Add the tamarind paste/lime juice to taste, then serve drizzled with plain yogurt, fresh coriander and plain basmati rice.

delicious. tips

Make the meatballs up to a day ahead, cover and keep in the fridge. Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat until piping hot to serve.
Tamarind paste, made from the pods of the tamarind tree, has a sour, tangy flavour. Asafoetida is a dried, ground root with a pungent aroma that disappears with cooking. Find both in larger supermarkets. If you can’t find asafoetida, you can leave it out.
Pick a juicy, ripe and smooth pinot noir, ideally from Chile or Australia.

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