Cabbage Kofta Curry Recipe – Kofta, its a ball made up of minced stuffing mixed with spices. In its simplest form Kofta is primarily made of minced meat, however in Indian subcontinent, for the vegetarians, its mainly filled with Paneer or Lauki (Bottle Gourd). There are shrimp and fish koftas too, found mainly in coastal regions of India. Bored of normal veg kofta, I am making this Cabbage Kofta Curry.
Depending on where in world you are, you may find Kofta made as dry balls or can be with gravy (generally served with rice).
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What is kofta
The word kofta is inherited from classical persian kōfta, meaning “to grind” or “to beat”, reflecting the ground meat used for the meatballs.
Making of kofta varies from place to place.
For instance, in Lebanon, Kofta is mostly made from beef, and in Romania, Kofta is called chiftea, and is usually made of pork.
I have been usually making Lauki / Bottle Gourd every now and then. On special occasions I make Malai Kofta. Lately, I was mulling about making Cabbage Kofta curry. When I bought cabbage recently, I thought I will make this cabbage kofta.
Whenever I try something new, I feel the need to get someone who can give me genuine feedback on it. Who else can be best critique other than my hubby? ! After making this cabbage kofta, I served him this kofta in dinner with chappatti and rice, yess! He loved it.
There is a lot of similarity between making Lauki and Cabbage Kofta.
How to make best kofta
The key to making good kofta curry is that
- Good soft Kofta, which should not be too soft that it crumbles.
- Good kofta should not be hard, should be just melt in mouth.
- A good rich gravy, not runny.
To get soft kofta, your dough should be soft having a thick batter consistency and should be fried on medium heat.
Here is a top tip which I follow to check if a restaurant is a good Indian restaurant and knows its food. For every new Indian/ Pakistani restaurant I visit, I will ask for a portion of Malai Kofta and if one can make good malai kofta, they can make generally most of curries well. Try this tip out yourself next time you visit a new restaurant.
Method to make best cabbage kofta curry
- In a mixing bowl, take everything listed under kofta ingredients and mix well. Use 1-2 tablespoon of water to make thick batter (see pic). Take 2 tablespoon batter and form ball like shape of it. Make all the balls similarly.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai and fry the kofta balls on medium heat till they are golden brown. Take them out and keep aside.
- In another pan, take oil and once it’s warm add asafoetida, cumin seeds, bay leaves and black Cardamom. Once they splutter add onion and sauté till they are pinkish brown.
- Add all the spices and roast them for a minute. Now, add tomatoes and fry the masala till the mixture start leaving oil. Add yogurt and mix well. Add 1.5 cup of water and let it boil for 7-8 minutes.
- Now add the koftas and let it cook for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle kasuri Methi and then switch off the heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Pro Tips for cabbage kofta curry
- Grate the cabbage just before when you to make your curry, else grated cabbage will leave water.
- You can use purple cabbage too for this recipe.
- You can shallow fry or air fry koftas.
- Add cream instead of yogurt in this recipe, as an alternative (For Vegan version, use almond milk).
This cabbage kofta curry is
- Easy to make
- Gluten-free
- Extremely delicious
Serving suggestion
Serve hot cabbage kofta with steamed basmati rice, pulao or any Indian bread.
Vegan Kofta
Vegan version of this cabbage kofta, you can replace yogurt / cream with vegan yogurt / cream.
Recipe Card
Cabbage Kofta Curry
Ingredients
For Kofta
- 500 Grams Green Cabbage Grated
- 1/2 Cup Gram flour / Besan
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/3 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Green chilli Finely Chopped
- Oil For Deep Frying
For Gravy
- 1 Onion Finely Chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves / Kasuri Methi
- 2 Tablespoon Oil
- 2 Tomatoes Finely Chopped
- 1-2 Bayleaves
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/3 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 Tablespoon Yogurt
- 1/3 Teasspoon Asafoetida
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, take everything listed under kofta ingredients and mix well. Use 1-2 tablespoon of water to make thick batter (see pic). Take 2 tablespoon batter and form ball like shape of it. Make all the balls similarly.
- Heat oil in a pan/kadhai and fry the kofta balls on medium heat till they are golden brown. Take them out and keep aside.
- In another pan, take oil and once it’s warm add asafoetida, cumin seeds, bay leaves and black Cardamom. Once they splutter add onion and sauté till they are pinkish brown.
- Add all the spices and roast them for a minute. Now, add tomatoes and fry the masala till the mixture start leaving oil. Add yogurt and mix well. Add 1.5 cup of water and let it boil for 7-8 minutes.
- Now add the koftas and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Sprinkle kasuri Methi and then switch off the heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Notes
- Grate the cabbage just before when you to make your curry, else grated cabbage will leave water.
- You can use purple cabbage too for this recipe.
- You can shallow fry or air fry koftas.
- You can add cream instead of yogurt in this recipe. (For Vegan version, use almond milk).
thanks for posting a unique dish with cabbage