Nargisi Kofta

Deb's culinary expertise:

Mughlai food is something very close to our heart,and we have a long connect to it as a couple. I still remember that my now husband, then a college kid, had promised a teenage schoolgirl(read me), that he would meet her at a somewhat well known Mughlai food joint in Central Kolkata, more than a decade back. And he never turned up himself. I had grown a distaste for that particular restaurant, after that incident, yet my heart longed for Mughlai food. I guess to make up for all that, he took me for a hearty meal to the very same restaurant, the day we had served our notice to get legally married.

Mughlai food is available at quite a few joints here in Kansas City, but somehow they lack that punch, which we are so used to, fro our Kolkata and Delhi days. The biriyanis here, lack the zing, the tandoori chicken is somewhat dry, and somewhat the kebabs are not that juicy. I know, I crib and complain so much, guess the side effect of my journalism days. So with all this cribbing around him, Deb decided to create a Mughlai dish for dinner. and it was no ordinary Mughlai fare, it was something not easily available at all Mughlai eating joints. He whipped up Nargisi Koftas. I had only heard about them, but never ever tasted them so the excitement was almost touching the ceiling of my apartment. Here goes the secret to Deb's Nargisi Koftas:

NARGISI KOFTA:

Ingredients:

For the Kofta:

Eggs: 8

Minced lamb/Minced chicken: 500 gms

Onion: 1 large(chopped)

Garlic: chopped 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Flour: 1/2 cup

Canola oil: for deep frying koftas

For the Gravy:

Ginger: paste 1 tbsp

Garlic: paste 1 tbsp

Tomatoes: 3 (ground to a paste in a blender)

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder: 1 tsp

Yoghurt: 8-10 tbsp

Canola oil: 3-4 tbsp

Salt to taste

Cilantro for garinishing

Procedure:

Koftas:

Hard boil 6 of the eggs and peel them.

Mix the dry spices of the koftas, with one egg,with salt and the minced meat in a large bowl.

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions.

By taking one egg, encase it in the meat mixture. Smoothen it out with your hands to give

it a smooth casing. The meat should be in a way wrapped around the hard boiled egg. Repeat it with the rest of the hardboiled eggs.

Roll the meat encased eggs in flour and keep them on a plate.

Beat the remaining egg in a bowl.

Dip the flour covered koftas in the whisked egg before deep frying them.

Deep fry the koftas to a golden brown colour

Drain the fried koftas on a paper towel, to soak out excess oil.

Gravy:

Fry the chopped onions in hot oil in a pan till light golden brown.

Add in the ginger garlic paste and fry for another 4 minutes or so.

Add the dry spices and the tomato paste, and cook till the oil separates from the masala.

Add the yoghurt and 1/2 cup of water to the roasted masala for another 3-4 minutes. Mix well.

When the gravy has a nice consistency, add the prepared koftas, and carefully coat them with the gravy in the pan.

Cook for around 5-6 minutes.

Turn off the heat.

Carefully horizontally cut the koftas and garnish the, with chopped cilantro.

it goes well with both steamed rice and parathas.

Well, needles to say, the dish was super hit. It was one of those soul food items, that one craves for, being far away from one's homeland. The Indian restaurants in Kansas City should surely learn the tricks from my very own Iron Chef. Its well known that imitation is the best form of flattery. As before I could pen down the post, the dish was replicated by a guest we had home for dinner that night. Now that's a big compliment for the chef don't you think?!