Meatless Meatballs

Meatless Kofta

My grandmother used to make these with minced goat meat.  They were a once in a month treat usually on Sundays, alternating with keema (minced meat curry).  We would eat these with hot chapatis, and although I cannot make chapatis like my grandmother used to, it is rather enjoyable with whole wheat tortillas.

Ingredients for the sauce:
3 T groundnut oil
3 medium onions, very thinly sliced where they are almost translucent
3 small dried bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4-5 cardamom pods, just bruised (Since it is a Sindhi dish, we used green cardamom instead of black, which is traditionally used in North Indian curries)
2 cloves
1 T ginger paste
1 T garlic paste
1.5 t cumin powder
1 t coriander powder
1/2 t red chili powder
 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
5-6 mini yukon gold potatoes, or 3 large ones cubed
Salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a pot on Medium.  Once heated, add the onions, and DO NOT STIR for at least 10 minutes. You want these to get a nice color so stir in 10 minutes and then keep a close eye on them so they just brown but don't burn.  It took me a good 25 minutes until the onions were nicely caramelized
2. Once they look lovely and jammy, add the whole spices (bay leaves, green cardamom, cinnamon stick, clove) and ginger and garlic plaste.
3. Stir for a few minutes until your kitchen starts to exude that spicy aroma, and add the ground spices (cumin, coriander and red chili)
4. In about 3-4 minutes, add tomatoes and stir. Simmer for about 20 minutes

Ingredients for the Kofta:
1 cup Nutrella (little soy granules), soaked in 1 cup of water for 15 minutes and then squeezed dry and sauteed for about 5 minutes in a pan with a little bit of oil
1 inch ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 green chillies (hot ones)
a handful of coriander (tender stems and leaves)
a handful of mint
1 cup Panko or any bread crumbs ( or 1 slice of soaked white bread, ends removed )
1 egg
2 t Dijon mustard
1 t salt
1 t cumin

1. In a food processor, blend together the green chillies, coriander, mint, ginger and garlic and add to the pan with the nutrella for about 5 minutes
2. In a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients including the pan mixture
3. Get your hands in there and mix everything until it comes together nicely.  In your hands take a little bit and make golf ball sized balls.  If it falls apart easily, add more breadcrumbs, but be careful not to overdo it.  Once done, you can refrigerate for 10 minutes or until the sauce is ready.  
4. In a flat wide pan, add oil to the coat the bottom, and heat to Medium.  Carefully place the kofta in the pan and cover with a lid for 7-8 minutes.   Turn them over and let them cook covered for another 5-6 minutes.

Serve the kofta topped with generous amounts of sauce and roti.