Passport & Plate - Punjabi Keema Golis
India | Tuesday, March 4, 2014 | 5 photos
Ingredients
Oil – 3 tbsp
Minced Meat (Lamb) also known as Keema – 500 gms
Onions - 3 to 4 – chopped finely
Tomatoes - 4 to 5 – chopped finely
Curd – 8 tbsp
Fresh Coriander – Chopped finely
Green Chillies - 2 – Chopped finely
Lemon Juice – 2 Lemons
Eggs – 2
Red chilly powder -- 1 TSp
Dry coriander powder -- 1½Tsp
Garam Masala -- 1¼ Tsp
How to prepare this recipeFry the onions till they brown, and separate into two equal portions.
Add one portion of the onions to the keema along with two eggs, fresh coriander, green chillies, and lemon juice. Add salt and mix well.
Shape this mixture into small balls, about the size of a walnut. (This quantity should make approximately forty balls.)
The mixtures is not solid and therefore you may not get the perfect balls. Don’t worry, that's normal. Just make small balls as well as you can. They will magically take shape when they go into the gravy!
To the remaining onions, add the tomatoes. Mix well and cook till soft. Add red chilly powder, dry coriander powder, garam masala and mix well.
Add the beaten curd.
Stir in the golis one by one to the hot gravy. Let it cook in an open pan on low flame till the mutton balls are cooked, and the oil separates. It takes about 25 minutes to cook fully. When pressed lightly, it should be spongy to the touch. Stir lightly and let it simmer.
Put the gravy in a bowl and garnish with some fresh coriander. Traditionally, this preparation is enjoyed with tandoori rotis, but I suggest dunking a nice bun into the blissful gravy!
The story behind this recipeEvery year during our summer vacation we would travel to our grandparents’ house. Along the way, we would stop at one of the many dhaabas (roadside restaurants) to catch a quick bite. The food at these dhaabas was heavenly, and the aroma of the Punjabi curries made our stomachs do joyous backflips! But even as we dipped our rotis in the mutton curry, we knew that we were driving towards better food!
My grandmother enjoyed this time of the year the most. She had her family around her and she would do what she loved doing the most, cook for us! It is one of my clearest memories of her — the smell of her kitchen. She had an unparalleled zest for food and would note down every recipe she came across on various sheets of paper, which would later be tucked into diaries that were already full of delicious ideas. One of her special dishes was her Mutton Keema Kofta Curry. This curry was inspired by the roadside dhaabas and was wolfed down by us the moment it was served.
When my grandmother passed away, her recipes were scattered. Everyone had bits and pieces of her life. Many of her trademark dishes were lost, including the Kofta Curry. Many years later, during one of my visits to Delhi, my aunt gave me an old diary. I recognised my grandmother’s writing and flipped it open in excitement of seeing her tiny scribble. My aunt, knowing my love for food, had decided to give it to me. I held it close to me and packed it carefully with my things.
Once I was home, and by myself, I sat down to read it. As I flipped through the contents, I noticed a little piece of paper sticking out. I pulled it out, and my eyes widened as I realised that I was holding the recipe to the Kofta Curry in my hands! Calls were made and the entire family rejoiced at this discovery. My grandmother was suddenly smiling again, through the food and love she had left behind.
Sending this recipe as an entry for this scholarship is my tribute to her.
