Plaintain & Spinach Kofta in Yogurt Sauce

Koftas are Indian meatballs, often simmered in an aromatic sauce. There are also different varieties of vegetable koftas that can be served in a similar manner. To make the latter version, vegetables are often steamed or boiled and then mashed with a variety of spices. The balls are deep fried, simmered in sauce and served with as a side dish with rice or naan/chapati..

I found deep frying koftas a bit daunting and decided to shallow fry it instead. Green plaintains can be substituted with potatoes. Green plaintains are not as sweet as ripe plaintains and works well in savoury dishes. The curry leaves are optional and this dish will still taste wonderful without it.

Plaintain & Spinach Kofta in Yogurt Sauce
Kofta
3 medium green plaintain - peeled and steamed
100 gm chopped spinach - steamed
2 red chillies - minced
2 medium shallots - minced
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tb finely minced ginger
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tsp salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tb minced cilantro
1 tap garam masala
6 tb besan/chickpea flour
2/3 tb water
vegetable oil for shallow frying kofta

Yogurt Sauce
1 cup yogurt
2 tb besan/chickpea flour
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
salt to taste
1 tb oil
4 curry leaves
3 dried chillies
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup water- add slowly to sauce as it thickens
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 medium shallot - minced

Kofta
Mash peeled and steamed plantain in a large bowl. Add salt, garam masala, turmeric, minced ginger, minced garlic, chopped chillies, minced cilantro, nutmeg, and besan/chickpea flour. Sprinkle water over mixture, adding enough to form little balls (1 tablespoon at a time). Lightly oiling your hands will make this procedure a little easier as the the mixture will be a bit sticky.

Heat oil in a pan deep enough to shallow fry kofta until golden brown. Place fried koftas on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Yogurt Sauce
Lightly toast besan flour in a saute pan on low heat until the flour starts to brown ever so lightly. Set flour aside and proceed with recipe.

Mix yogurt, salt, chilli powder and besan flour into a paste and set aside. Use leftover oil to a to saute minced shallots, garlic, curry leaves, dried chilies and black mustard seeds on medium heat. Stir constantly. Once black mustard seeds starts to pop, add yogurt paste and stir well. Once the mixture starts to thicken, pour in water . Add fried kofta to sauce and adjust seasonings. Serve with steamed rice or naan/chapati.