331. laknavi kofta curry

A tribute to Tarla Dalal

          I was busy watching one of Indian series on telly on 6th Novemeber when I got a message from my friend informing me about the passing away of  Tarla Dalal. The rest of the evening I felt very sad and my heart was heavy. If there has been anyone else besides my mum, Nunu and kaki who has influenced my cooking it is Tarla Dalal. When I was growing up there were no cookery shows on telly or recipes on the internet. We totally relied on cookery books and recipes handed down by family and friends. My first cookery book was The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking by Tarla Dalal. It was one of the first Indian cookery books available in Kenya. Over the years I not collected quite a few of Tarla Dalal’s books but have tried so many of her recipes and gained a lot of tips and knowledge from her. My kaki and I would open up her books and select a recipe to try out on Saturdays in the afternoon after my mum has gone off to her room for a nap. A few dishes did land up in the bin as we may not have followed the recipe probably but majority received accolades from our huge family. Our first pizza, tacos, palak paneer, pasta, cookies, eggless cakes were all from a Tarla Dalal recipe. I remember trying to find green tomatoes for our Taco recipe, trying to roll out thin cannelonis without a pasta machine, making tonnes of vegetable stock, serving delicious drinks and desserts. As we explored the wide world of different cuisines, kaki and I followed the recipes word to word. Over the years as I gained more experience, I have adapted a lot of her recipes to my methods and availability of ingredients. All her recipes are easy to follow and turn out well. I am so glad that Tarla Dalal shared her talent, knowledge and creativity with millions all over the world. I feel there probably are very few Indian homes that may not possess a Tarla Dalal book.
         So today’s post is dedicated to Tarla Dalal, one of the first cookery book writers and cookery show host of India. I never got the opportunity to see her in person but her recipes through books, shows and now the modern world of computer will forever stay in our hearts and stomachs. I chose to make laknavi kofta curry from her book Party cooking (page 114-115) as most of the ingredients are available readily throughout the year. I have adapted a few of the measurements and methods according to my needs. 

LAKNAVI KOFTA CURRY
Serves 6 

For the koftas:
4 medium potatoes boiled (approx 500g)
1 cup finely chopped spinach (palak)
1 cup finely chopped fresh coriander (dhania)
1 cup finely chopped fenugreek leaves (methi)
2 to 4 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp gram flour (chana flour) (my own addition)
1 tsp green chilli paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garam masala
1¼ tsp salt

For the gravy:
2 large onions minced or grated
1 cup fresh yogurt
1 cup milk
2 tbsp fresh cream
4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
¼ -½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
10 to 12 cashew nuts
2 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)
2 tbsp cucumber seeds (or pumpkin seeds) optional
1 tsp green chilli paste
½ – ¾ tsp salt

 For garnishing:
2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander

oil for deep frying

Preparation of the koftas:

1. Peel and mash the boiled potatoes. 
2. Add rest of the ingredients for the koftas and mix well.
3. Grease your hands with oil.Take about a tablespoonful of the mixture and make into oval shapes or round.
4. Heat the oil for frying over medium heat. When it is ready, fry the koftas till they appear light brown in colour. Keep them on the side till required.

You may want to check out the following:

Arti’s pea kofta curry

dal dokhri

paneer lauki kofta curry

sending this recipe for the following event:


http://nandooskitchen.blogspot.in/2013/11/eat-seasonal-food.html

http://www.jcookingodyssey.com/2013/07/event-series-announcement-eat-seasonal.html