Lacto-Vegetarian Eggless Vegetarian Recipes

Here’s an experiment of mine – tofu kofta, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. This is an Indian style kofta using tofu.

In India, koftas are deep fried vegetable balls that are served with thick gravies or sauces.  Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste and give me any good or bad feedback on this tofu kofta recipe.

For the koftas

500g Tofu (grated)

2 Tsp Garam masala

1 Tsp Salt

1 ½ Tsp Kashmiri mirch (mild)

1 Cup Gram Flour

2 Tsp Coriander (chopped)

½ Cup Water

Oil for deep frying

For the thick sauce

2 medium (approx. 290g) Onions (finely chopped)

10 (approx. 40g) Garlic cloves (blend to paste)

1 inch (approx. 20g) Ginger (blend to paste)

2 Tbsp Oil

½ Tsp Asafoetida

1 Green chilli (chopped) – [Optional]

1 Tsp Garam masala

1 Tsp Turmeric powder

1 Tsp Kashmiri mirch powder (mild)

1 ½ Tsp Roasted cumin powder

1 ½ Tsp Salt

200g Tin tomatoes (blended)

2 Cups Hot boiling water

½ Cup Warm milk or soya milk

A few strands of chopped coriander (for garnishing)

Cooking time:     (Approx. 1 ½ hours)                         Serves: 4

No. of koftas: (Approx. 22   depending on size)

To make the tofu koftas

Remove the tofu from package and drain out any water. Put the tofu in a tofu press or place in between two large plates, put something heavy on the top plate – this is to remove water from the tofu. Once the water has been removed, grate the tofu.

In a bowl mix the grated tofu and all the other dry ingredients together.  Add the water and mix well.  The kofta mixure should be neither runny nor too dry.  Keep aside to allow the spices to blend into the tofu.

To make the thick sauce

In a deep based pan, heat oil, add the asafoetida, wait for a few seconds and then add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions until they are slightly glazed. Then add the ginger & garlic paste, and cook for a few minutes until slightly brown. Add the chopped green chilli and cook for another few minutes.

Put all the powdered spices (Garam masala, Turmeric, Kashmiri mirch, Cumin powder and Salt) into the pan and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the blended tin tomatoes and cook for another 5 – 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add hot boiling water and cover the pan with the lid.  Cook on low heat for about 1 – 2 minutes or until the sauce starts bubble.

Slowly stir in the warmed milk into the sauce, cook for a few more minutes and then take the pan off heat.

Frying the koftas

Once the sauce has been made, pour oil into a deep frying pan.  Scoop small amount of the kofta mixture and mould to a ball shape. The koftas should ideally be golf ball sizes.

Carefully, place each kofta ball into the frying pan and cook till slight golden brown in colour. Place the fried koftas onto kitchen towels to dry out the excess oil.

Once all the koftas are fried, place them in thick sauce and gently mix  so that the koftas are covered in the sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.

These tofu koftas can be served with rice, quinoa or roti.

Helpful tip

• The key to this recipe is the thickness of your sauce. This is achieved by the onion, garlic and ginger paste. If these are not cooked properly the sauce will not taste right nor will it thicken to the right consistency.

• Ideally the koftas should be mixed with the thick sauce at least an hour before serving. However, by doing so the koftas will soak up the sauce. In such circumstances add a little hot water into the pan and mix well.

Enjoy

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