Spinach and Cottage Cheese Koftas in Tangy Tomato Gravy

 

This recipe is my adaptation of Sanjeev Kapoor's popular dish 'Shaam Savera' - saw it first on Rasi's guest post for the blog: Edible Entertainment. Ever since I saw her delicious koftas, I have been dying to try it myself :) I referred to the original recipe on Sanjeev Kapoor's site and with slight modifications ended up with this amazing dish that was loved by my hubby and my brother (both fussy eaters!). The lengthy recipe might lead you to think it is complicated but it is actually very easy to make this dish.

I usually never attempt any dish with koftas especially if you have to deep fry them. One: I do not like the idea of using so much oil and two: if the koftas are not formed well they tend to crack in hot oil and the kind of mess it becomes then is better left in-described; waste of oil, food and effort! But the combination of spinach and cottage cheese  made me want to try this recipe and luckily it came out so well that I would definitely make it again. So give it a try yourself. It will be a delectable side dish for hot rotis and I am sure your family will enjoy it as much as we did.

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Koftas in Tomato Gravy: Recipe

(Source: Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's Shaam Savera)

Ingredients:

For koftas:

• Fresh spinach - 2 medium sized bundles, washed and finely chopped
• Green chillies - 2 finely chopped
• Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Cottage cheese - 125 gms
• Corn flour - 4 to 5 tsp or as required
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 1 tsp and for deep frying

For tomato gravy:

• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
• Butter - a small piece just to flavour the oil
• Cloves - 6
• Green Cardamoms - 4
• Bay leaf -1
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Ginger paste 1 tsp
• Tomato puree - 2 cups (I used store bought)
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies - 2 finely chopped
• Honey - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Low fat milk - 3/4 cup or as required
• Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi) - 1 tsp crushed

Method:

Making the koftas:

1. Heat very little oil in a wok and fry the garlic paste for few seconds.
2. Add the finely chopped spinach, salt and green chillies and stir fry on high heat till the water in the spinach evaporates.  Keep stirring it. Set aside to cool.
3. Crumble the cottage cheese and mix some salt. Add the corn flour and mix in the sauteed spinach. Combine everything well and then make small balls out of it.
4. Heat oil for deep frying and when it is medium hot, add the spinach balls and fry till the outer surface is crisp and golden brown. Test the oil by frying one kofta. If it splits or cracks then you may need to add more corn flour to the mixture.

Making the tomato gravy:

1. Heat oil and butter in a wok and add the spices - cloves, cardamom and bay leaf. When they begin to splutter add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry well for few minutes.
2. To this add the tomato puree, red chill powder, garam masala and salt. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for few minutes. Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding some water (I added about 1/2 a cup).
3. As the gravy starts to thicken, add honey and milk to add some sweetness to the tangy tomato gravy. You can adjust this as per your liking.
4. Finally add the crushed kasoori methi.

To serve, pour a layer of the tomato gravy on the serving dish and then place the koftas on this gravy. Enjoy with hot rotis.