Makes 4 servings
for the kofte
300g paneer
3cups cooked rice
½cups almonds, chopped
2tbsp raisins
2tbsp dessicated coconut
for the sauce
2 medium onions
2 cans of tomatoes, chopped
3 cups of yogurt
5 cm ginger root
5 garlic cloves
½cups almonds
6 cloves
6 cardamon pods
5 cm cinnamon bark
2tsp cumin
2tsp coriander seed
1tsp black peppercorns
1tsp mustard seed
5 deseeded dried red chillies
50ml oil
This is an indian dish that Kat had in a restaurant once and loved it. We recreated it at home by amalgamating several different recipes that we found on the web. The kofte are small falafel-sized doughy balls made from paneer (indian cheese) and cooked rice, which stew like dumplings in the sauce. It's a fantastic alternative to the usual veggie cauliflower/eggplant/potato curries. If you can't find paneer in a supermarket, you can make it yourself (it's very easy) or use drained cottage cheese.
To make the kofte, mash the cooked rice into oblivion, crumble in the paneer and add the chopped almonds, raisins and coconut. Mix well with your hands until fairly homogenous, then form into balls about an inch across. Place the balls on a plate and leave them for half an hour while you make the sauce.
To make the sauce, first grind all the spices into a fine powder. Chop the onion (roughly), ginger, garlic and almonds and place in a blender with the spice powder. Puree for 30 seconds until smooth. Put the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over a high heat, and fry the onion-spice mixture for a few minutes, until your eyes stop watering. Add the tomatoes and boil for five minutes until it reduces slightly, then add the yogurt and turn the heat down to a simmer, stirring all the time. You're going to add the kofte to the sauce, so if you don't think there's enough sauce to cover them completely add a little water and stir well. Turn the heat right down and gently place the kofte into the sauce, taking care not to break them, and push into the sauce so they are completely covered. Leave for about 20 mins and don't stir at all, or you'll end up with mush. When they're cooked, serve gently onto a plate to keep the kofte intact, and serve with rice and/or roti.