Topic: Madhur Jaffreys lamb meatball curry

[Yakmandoo]

Hi guys
id read a few threads on here a few weeks back regarding Madhur Jaffreys curry nation , i watched everyone of the episodes with great pleasure , this recipe http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/653614 stood out from the rest for me , so the next day i had a go at making it, all i can say is WOW !!!
     Im not usually am authentic curry man but this is well worth the effort , heres a few tips before you try, id cook the lamb meatballs off a little before putting them into the curry as mine ended up very laden with lamb fat and had to spoon it off !! as with all curries it tasted better the next day and the Mrs had it for tea 3 nights running lol.
  My next Madhur Jaffrey tryout will be the Lamb NiHari ... http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZZgp5L3pcDoC&pg=PT99&lpg=PT99&dq=Madhur+Jaffrey+curry+nation+Lamb+niHari&source=bl&ots=LjqpZpL_TG&sig=Hg4eq_IYabykEVR2uyHqs7Qz9uU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iXThUO6POsia1AXMvYD4CQ&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBA

[George]

i had a go at making it, all i can say is WOW !!!

I've always held Madhur's recipes in high regard and, taken together with your very positive feedback for this specific dish, I must try it.

Keep the comments coming, if you find success with any other recipes.

[Malc.]

Looks good, got it saved in My Cookbook.


Can I ask how hot was the dish in terms of spice? I ask as the wife doesn't like it too hot so I  might have to temper it down a little.

[tempest63]

I fall back on Madhur Jaffrey recipes al the time and it was great to see her latest TV show, even better was the fact that they rerun the BBC original, something I have been trying to get with no success on DVD.

I wonder if anyone cooking this recipe ever tried and compared the Camellia Panjabi recipe from her 50 favourite curries. It was in the original book but was removed from subsequent revisions, my books are currently in storage but I will check the Internet to see if I can find it and post it here.

[tempest63]

Kebab (Kofta) Curry
From Camellia Panjabi, 50 Great Curries Of India

This is a curry made with long kebabs of minced lamb. It is a recipe from a
leading Kashmiri family. They call it a kofta curry and say that long kebabs
absorb the flavour of the curry more evenly than the round ones. The koftas
are very tender and the gravy thin but full of flavour.

Ingredients
For kebabs
2lb (900g) very finely minced lamb
3 teaspoons fennel powder
11/2 teaspoons ginger powder
11/2 teaspoons red chilli powder
6 large black cardamoms
1 tablespoon oil
Salt
1 egg

For the sauce
5 tablespoons full-fat yoghurt
6 tablespoons oil
8 cloves
2-in (5-cm) cinnamon stick
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger powder
2 teaspoons fennel powder
Salt

Method
1.. To make the kebabs, mince or process the lamb once more until it is
very fine.
2.. Mix the fennel and ginger powders. Remove the seeds from the cardamoms
and pound until crushed. Mix all the spices with the minced lamb in a bowl.
Add the oil, salt to taste and the egg and mix well.
3.. Keep a bowl of warm water handy to dip your hands into when making the
kebabs. Take a handful of the minced meat, about the size of a lime, and
roll it to a 3-inch (7.5-cm) sausage. Place on a flat dish or tray. You will
get about 30 kebabs which, when cooked, will shrink to a 2-in (5-cm) length.
4.. To make the gravy, whisk the yoghurt and set aside.
5.. Take a cooking pot with a diameter of at least 10-12 in (25-30cm) - it
can be a shallow one - into which the kebabs will fit without breaking. Heat
the oil in the pot over a low heat. Add the cloves and cinnamon first, then
after a minute or so add the tomatoes. Fry until the liquid from the
tomatoes has almost evaporated. Stir in the tomato paste.
6.. Add the chilli powder and fry for a minute, and then put in the
yoghurt. Stir continuously to prevent the yoghurt from curdling. Add the
fennel and ginger powders, season and cook for 5 minutes, stirring all the
time.
7.. Add 5 cups hot water and bring to the boil. Very gently lay in the
kebabs one at a time. Leave to cook for about 20 minutes over a low heat.
The kebabs will absorb a lot of the water. Do not stir once the kebabs are
put into the pot. It the gravy needs to be stirred, hold both sides of the
pot and rock it gently.
8.. Taste and add more salt if necessary, mixing it first with water and
pouring it into the pan in various places. You will know when the dish is
totally ready, as oil will rise to the top of the gravy.
If the kebab curry is to be reheated before serving, remove from the heat
just as the oil begins to rise to the surface and set aside. Then reheat
gently for 5-7 minutes, before serving.

If the mince is fatty and the curry oily, add 2 eggs instead of 1, and when
the kebabs are made up, steam them for 10 minutes, allowing the fat to drip
off before putting the kebabs into the pot.

Note. From memory I believe a lot of CP recipes tended to end up on the watery side and I believe this was due to the fact that she uses cup measures but somewhere in the small print it was stated that the cups were 200 ml not the standard UK 250ml. Just be cautious when adding the fluid as the Koftas can get too hard if overlooked so you don't want to leave them in the pan if you turn up the heat to reduce the sauce.

[Naga]

Thanks for posting this - it's missing from my copy of her book too.

[tempest63]

When the original large format book was released there where a number of recipes included that were removed from subsequent releases. There were also a number of typos in the first book, I remember one recipe called for some ingredients to be whizzed in a processor then reserved, unfortunately they were then never reintroduced into the recipe. The Kofta recipe called for fennel in the sauce, but was never listed under the sauce ingredients.

Back in the day of UKFDI these anomalies were discussed and became a bit of a joke, which was unfortunate as it slightly ridiculed some great recipes that had not been properly proof read before publication.

I have the original large format book in storage but once back I could post the recipes that were deleted from it. The list of deletion s is shown below.

Out-Kebab Curry.
In-Lamb Korma Pilaf.
Out-Lamb Curry with stir-fried spices.
In-Lamb with herbs and black pepper.
Out-Minced lamb with coriander.
In-Lamb with plums.
In-Goa Lamb Vindaloo.
Out-Chicken Korma with coriander leaves.
In-Green Chicken Korma.
Out-Red Chicken Curry.
In-Parsee red Chicken Curry.
Out-Goa Pork Vindaloo
In-Malabar Prawn Curry.
In- Prawn with Spring Onions and Fenugreek.
Out-Fish in Mustard Gravy.
Out-Soya Kofta Curry
Out-Okra in Yoghurt.
Out-Kashmiri-style Potato Curry.
In-Pineapple Curry.
In-Creamy Potato Curry

T63

[tempest63]

Just as an aside to the threads above, I recently saw a web site that was linked to Facebook where a guy was going through CP's 50 favourite curries and preparing each recipe in order and giving a review on each.

Anyone here up for a similar challenge?
Maybe a different book?

http://pinterest.com/murtomaa/50-great-curries-of-india-camellia-panjabi/

[Naga]

Wow! That's certainly a labour of love, but I, for one, will be keeping an eye on his progress and opinions. Again, thanks for posting this.

I don't think I'd have the time to work my way methodically through a recipe book, but it would certainly make for a bumper Curry Recipe Group Test!

[Graeme]

Hi guys.

Thanks Yakmandoo i will look this up :-) i also rate her breads to,
hot from the BBQ painted with hot ghee/butter etc

I know this is a post about Madhur Jaffrey but just to pick up on one point...
As T63 points out the "Prawn with Spring Onions and Fenugreek" can i say are lovely
and i often make them as a starter. I have no idea why it was removed from the other editions.

I suggested a book corner a while ago and this is what i was aiming at.
Pics of books because diffrent editions some times have errors and/or items removed
the front/back cover pics and the ISBN number etc could help.

I think i have seen about 6 versions of Camellia Panjabi, 50 Great Curries Of India,
one even had a CD.

Now i am off to look at Madhur Jaffreys lamb meatball curry :-)