Chicken koftas in walnut gravy

I love cooking so much because I love eating much more. So, even when I have to follow an elaborate process for a simple dish, I lovingly do so for the ultimate burst in my mouth that makes my heart smile. So here is a simple Chicken Koftas in walnut gravy that will take time to prepare but taste is going to make you feel happy in and out.

I love chicken in all avatars and I will keep on saying this time and again. I conceptualized the idea behind the recipe when I saw that charred powdered walnuts was used as a special flavoring for a gravy in a cookery show. I rarely get chicken mince to home. But for those rare times, I do make an effort to create unique dishes. So, this time I decided to play around with the nutty flavor of walnut with purely Indian gravy base. The outcome was a rich, creamy and nutty gravy floating around the soft juicy chicken kofta.

Chicken koftas in walnut gravy

Serves- 3 to 4 persons

Ingredients: 

For Koftas

Chicken mince- 350 gms

Marinate the mince with the following ingredients

Lemon juice -1tsp.

Onion (medium)- 1 finely chopped

Mint leaves- handful finely chopped

Coriander leaves – handful finely chopped

Garam masala- 1 tsp.

Coriander powder - ½ tbsp.

Roasted cumin- chilly powder- ½ tbsp.

Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tsp.

Green chili- 1 finely chopped

Besan- 3tbsp.

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Marinate for an hour and wet your hands to form balls out of the mince

The above the mentioned quantity would make 12 large kofta balls.

For the walnut gravy

Onions (medium)-2 chopped, boiled and blended

Tomato (large)- 1 chopped and blended

Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp.

Coriander powder- 1½  tbsp.

Cumin powder – 2 tsp.

Chilly powder -½ tbsp.

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp.

Walnuts- boiled for 4 minutes and blended with 1 tbsp. milk.

Mint leaves- 1 tbsp.

Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp.

Odia garam masala- 1 tsp.

Green chilies-2

Oil- 1 tbsp.

Salt to taste

Ingredients for tempering

Cinnamon- 1’’ inch

Cardamom- 2

Cloves- 4

Bay leaf- 1

Serves-2 -3 people

Procedure:

Firstly, deep fry the chicken kofta balls. Remove from heat and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients for tempering. After it splutters and you feel a nice aroma, add the blended onion paste. Cook cover for 5 minutes, and then add the ginger –garlic paste and cook for another 3 minutes. Then finally, goes the blended tomato paste along with coriander- cumin- chilly and turmeric powder. Cook the masala well and after the raw smell of the spices disappear. Add the pureed walnut-milk paste. Cook covered for five minutes. After the masala is ready add water and salt, bring it to a boil and simmer it for 5-8 minutes. Then add the finely chopped mint and coriander leaves, the odia garam masala and the koftas. Give it all a final stir and switch off the gas.

Chicken koftas in walnut gravy tastes best with some naan or pulao.