• Banana Pancakes:
    Banana Pancakes:

    I am usually lousy when it comes to preparing elaborate breakfasts (of course I would love to have dosa, idli, appam everyday!). So any easy…

  • Besan Chilla
    Besan Chilla

    These are simple to make, nutritious pancakes made from gram flour or chickpea flour. A very good baby food, you can make them plain and stuff…

  • Spaghetti al Pomodoro: Pronto!!
    Spaghetti al Pomodoro: Pronto!!

    I did not think I would ever say this but I am having a backlog of recipes yet to be posted... Hats off to all my fellow bloggers…

  • Soy Chunk with Green Peas...
    Soy Chunk with Green Peas...

    I am a vegetarian while my hubby is a non vegetarian. A lot of people tell me that I should switch to being a non vegetarian (I was one before!) as…

  • Quick and Easy Veg Wrap
    Quick and Easy Veg Wrap

    I came across this fantastic wrap while browsing through the dishes on Foodbuzz recently. Though I usually make wraps with humus and fresh…

  • Mushroom Gouda Frittata
    Mushroom Gouda Frittata

    Aah…frittata! Italian cuisine is a blessing in many ways especially for vegetarians like me ;) And need I mention, the simplicity of cooking…

  • Paneer ka Chilla ...
    Paneer ka Chilla ...

    I came across the recipe for Paneer Chilla on the blog Preeti's Kitchen Life, while browsing through the food photo gallery on Knapkins  - a…

  • Linguine 'Vege'naise
    Linguine 'Vege'naise

      I usually prepare Spaghetti Bolognaise at home for my hubby. Bolognaise is a very delicious pasta sauce traditionally made with minced…

  • Dal Makhani - The Low Cal Way
    Dal Makhani - The Low Cal Way

    Dal Makhani is a very popular Punjabi lentil dish that is made with whole black lentils (also called urad dal) and red kidney beans…

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.






15 comments:

  1. Kofta looks yummy and tasty. Lovely dish....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Delicious kofta curry... and lovely clicks..koftas look so attractive..I had seen that episodde too..

    ReplyDelete
  3. that looks yummilicious.. nice complimenting colours... lovely snaps..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hmmmmmmmm tasty and delicious koftas

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, looks so professional, very tempting..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oooooo I have been tempted to try making them too since a long time.
    Now that I think about it, why don't I cook this for dinner tonight!?
    Sounds good :D
    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    Giveaway # 1: Cupcake Carrier - Bake n' Take!

    ReplyDelete
  7. this is looking so yumm. I love the color of your tomato gravy

    ReplyDelete
  8. wow....xdeliciou n yummy koftas....

    ReplyDelete
  9. Landed here searching for koftas...looks colorful..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Whoa, I can't believe I haven't seen these before! These look perfect, I am so hungry now!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. The koftas are looking delicious and so beautiful in that red gravy. Lovely combination of flavours and colours.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kofta's i love it alot that too in tomato gravy nice. Great post. CLickfood.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for dropping by. Your comments and feedback are highly appreciated. Happy Cooking!