I do not have a standard recipe. I merely recall watching it being made at home. It was a dish we had regularly. It is labour intensive and not many people like to make it now at home. I can imagine why. But if you have the patience, try it.

Keema/ mince ( any will do although red meat is the best because of its fatty content)
Salt
Garam masala ( I make it at home)
Turmeric
Dhania powder
Ginger
Garlic
Onions
1 or 2 eggs
tomatoes
Fresh green coriander to garnish

To make the kofta

I use the sil batta. You may want to use the food processor.
Take the mince, small amounts at a time, add the garam masala and salt. Grind it till it is a paste. Grinding like this helps release the fats within the meat and it makes for an excellent binding agent. Use the entire quantity of meat in this manner. Then add an egg or maybe two, work it into the mixture. Make the meat balls.

To make the curry. Normal manner.

Brown the onions in oil.
Add the cut ginger and garlic.
Cook.
Add tomatoes,
Add the garam masala, dhania powder, haldi, and salt. You can add khada masala or powdered. I prefer the powdered for this as it does not get into the teeth.
Add a dash of water.

Cook on a slow fire. Cover. Stir till it begins to release oil.

Add water. Salt it.

Bring to a rolling boil. Then put the fire on low. Let it roll till the flavours come together. Taste it. If need be, add more salt or even garam masala.

Once done, slowly slip in the meat balls. They will hold. There is no need to fry these as many recipes on the internet advise one to do so.

At this point, I raised the flame once more, to bring it to a rolling boil. Then reduce it. Leave the dish on an open fire and let it cook gently for at least an hour or more, depending on the quantity of meat used.

You will also see it come together.

Once done, garnish with the green coriander.

Btw, my mum did not always use the sil batta as my grandmothers and great-grandmothers did. Mum merely mixed the mince with the masalas and egg and made meat balls that she slipped into the curry. It is yummy. The only difference is that if you grind the meat, you get a lovely texture like a goshtaba. But if you do not, it is still yummy but the mince grains are visible.

I have not given you quantities of ingredients as you can use it as per your taste buds. But normally for 1 kg meat, I would like to use a decent amount of onions as they get reduced considerably once browned. Also, go easy on the tomatoes if they are sour. Use the masalas sparingly, just enough to give the dish a personality. Turmeric is essential for digestion and colour. Also, always remember to salt at every stage of cooking/grinding. I alsoprefer to use a generous quantity of ginger to ensure that it does not sit heavy on the tummy. It gets polished off very rapidly.

Try it.

11 August 2025