Ground lamb was on sale last week, so I grabbed a bit on a whim. TF loves lamb. (So do I, but I think she feels more strongly about it.) I figured I could peruse 660 Curries and find something tasty to do with it.

Most of the curries in the lamb section actually call for chunks of lamb rather than ground lamb. But there are a few at the end of the chapter and in the appetizer section that have you making various types of dumplings and meatballs out of it.

I opted for shahi kofta curry, which involves making slightly minty lamb-almond meatballs and then dousing them in a creamy, spiced tomato sauce. It was delicious!

I served it with some palak pulao and gobi manchurian and called it a day. I think it probably could've done with one more curry to round out the meal, but I ran out of both spoons and time. And, on the bright side, the Kidlet actually liked both the lamb and the cauliflower! Great success.

Shahi Kofta Curry

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 450g ground lamb
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 c. ground almonds
• 1/4 c. fresh mint leaves¹, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds (from green pods), ground
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream

Directions

1. Combine lamb, onion, almonds, mint, cilantro, garlic, garam masala, and salt and mix very well.
2. Form meatballs of whatever size you prefer. Iyer suggests 12 meatballs, but I prefered to make a larger number of smaller balls.
3. Heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
4. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
5. Add the meatballs and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the meatballs have browned all over (5-8 minutes).
6. Carefully remove the meatballs from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
7. Add the tomato sauce to the pan and scrape any stuck-on bits off the bottom.
8. Add cardamom and cayenne.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the oil starts to separate (~8 minutes).
10. Stir in the cream.
11. Return the meatballs to the pan and stir/spoon the sauce over them to coat.
12. Cover and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through (10-15 minutes).
13. Serve over palak pulao, pasta, or other starch of your choice.

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¹ If you have access to high quality dried mint, you may substitute 2 Tbsp. of dried mint for the fresh. Avoid generic grocery store mint if possible, it tends to be fairly lacklustre and bland. I have had good luck with dried mint from halal/Syrian grocery stores. ^Back