Here’s to the last week in April! This year trots along. As the weather gradually cools in the southern hemisphere, this recipe jumped out at me from the NY times cooking section by Zainab Shah, titled Chicken Kofta in Tomato Gravy.
I have adapted her version to make the kofta from vegetables. Zainab’s spicing is perfect and makes a very rich, flavourful dish.
Once I made this dish, I realised the kofta on its own would make an excellent wrap (like falafel) with lettuce, cucumbers, red onions and the warmed tomato sauce or a tahini/lemon/garlic sauce. Also the tomato sauce would be excellent on pasta. This dish is versatile and worth the time and effort.
I air fried the kofta for crunchy exteriors and moist interiors but they can also be baked. I combined the kofta with the sauce just before serving and stored the leftover koftas and sauce separately. I reheated the kofta quickly in my air fryer in about 7 minutes on my reheat setting.
If you are using the cashew nut cream cheese, make sure to soak the cashews the night before or several hours before starting. The recipe is below.
These are as sumptuous as they look! Enjoy.
Vegetable Kofta In Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Kofta
1 medium sweet potato
2 medium potatoes
1 cup packed finely shredded green cabbage (cauliflower or broccoli rice can be substituted)
1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3 tbs chickpea flour
1 tbs poppy seeds
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger. peeled and grated
1 1/2 tsp garlic, peeled and crushed
1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
Tomato Sauce
1 large brown or red onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 cups organic crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
2 cups homemade vegetable soup stock (no salt or fats added)
3 fresh red chillies, stems removed and sliced
1/4 cup cashew nut sour cream (see recipe below)*
1 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbs fresh cilantro, finely chopped (for serving)
Method
To prepare the kofta, wash, chop and steam the potatoes and sweet potato. Shred the cabbage using a mandolin. Mash the potatoes and add all the other ingredients. Combine until you have a paste. Form golf ball sized kofta and place in an air fryer tray spaced without touching.
To make the gravy, sauté the onion in a dutch oven covered on a low heat for several minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for several more minutes until the onion is translucent.
Add the chilli powder, cumin and turmeric powders and stir through. Add the crushed tomatoes and salt and cook for about 10 minutes.
Heat your air fryer to 200 c and when it is heated, add the kofta and airfare for 20 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock to the sauce and the finely chopped fresh chillies and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the cashew nut sour cream and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. In the last few minutes, add in the garam masala and poppy seeds.
When the kofta are finished cooking, serve about 5 kofta per serving and top with tomato sauce sprinkled with fresh cilantro. Serve along side cauliflower rice, pasta or noodles.
*Cashew Nut ‘Sour Cream’
Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4-12 hours
½ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon homemade mustard
Method
Soak your cashews, drain and rinse them until the water runs clear.
In a blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, and mustard. Blend for 1 minute on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator.