Beef Kofta Curry is a Pakistani meatball curry made with tender, melt-in-the-mouth meatballs called koftas, cooked in a savory onion and yogurt sauce. My foolproof recipe ensures that the meatballs are tender and won’t break in the curry.
What Is A Kofta
Kofta (or kofte) refers to a meatball, and koftay ka salan (meatball curry) is a Pakistani dish. It starts with making meatballs from minced meat, which are then simmered in a curry made with onions and yogurt.
Making these meatballs can seem intimidating, but with my recipe and tips, you'll achieve tender, juicy koftas that hold their shape and don't break apart.
While many recipes use tomatoes for the curry base, I find the onion and yogurt sauce more authentic. Some prefer deep-frying their meatballs, but this results in a tougher exterior, which isn't ideal for this curry, in my opinion.
Want to try more ground beef dishes? Check out my Chapli Kabab, Aloo Keema and Seekh Kabab.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Foolproof for Beginners: Simple steps ensure perfect koftas every time.
- Authentic Flavor: Traditional kofta curry recipe for a true Pakistani taste.
- Soft, Tender Meatballs: Juicy koftas that stay intact — no breaking apart.
How To Make Pakistani Kofta Curry
- Make Onion Paste: Fry the onions in hot oil until golden brown. Remove and set aside on a plate. Add a splash of water to the onions and grind them into a smooth paste in a grinder.
- Form Meatballs: Mix all the meatball ingredients, then shape into golf ball-sized meatballs and set aside.
- Make Curry Base: In the same pot, saute the ginger garlic paste. Then stir in the onion paste, yogurt, salt, red chili powder, cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Cook until the oil separates from the masala.
- Add Koftas: Add good amount of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and carefully add the meatballs. Cover and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve: Once the oil rises to the top, turn off the heat, sprinkle garam masala, and garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced green chilies.
Serve this delicious kofta curry with naan, roti or rice with a side of salad!
Tips To Make The Best Kofta Curry
- I don’t wash my ground beef, but if you do, make sure to drain any excess water to prevent the meatballs from breaking while cooking.
- Ask your butcher to grind the mince meat twice for a finer texture. If double-ground beef isn’t available, add all the meatball ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.
- If you notice excess water in the ground meat mixture, add a bit more roasted gram flour (besan) to help absorb it.
- Ensure your meatballs are smooth before adding them to the curry. Use oil to smooth them out and eliminate any cracks.
- Avoid using cooking utensils to handle the meatballs while they simmer. Instead, gently tilt the pan to mix them.
Storage & Freezing
You can freeze the entire curry in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
You can also prep and freeze the koftas (meatballs) in larger quantities. When needed, simply make the curry base, take out the meatballs, and drop them into the steaming hot curry. Let them cook for a couple of minutes until the koftas are soft.
This beef kofta curry can be store in the fridge for up to 6 days.
More Pakistani Curries
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📖 Recipe
Beef Kofta Curry (Pakistani Meatball Curry)
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 yellow onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
FOR MEATBALLS
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) ground beef
- 2 tablespoon grinded onion paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon gram flour roasted
- 2 green chilies chopped
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot and fry the onions on medium high heat until golden brown, then transfer them to a plate.
- Add a splash of water to the onions and blend them into a smooth paste using a grinder or small blender.
- To a mixing bowl add all the meatball ingredients and mix well till everything is homogenous.
- Scoop some meat from the kofta mixture and shape into golf ball-sized meatballs, then set them aside. Make sure the meatballs are smooth and crack-free.
- In the same pot in which you fried onions, sauté the ginger garlic paste. Then, add 2 tablespoon onion paste, yogurt, salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and turmeric. Cook the masala until the oil separates.
- Add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and gently add the meatballs into the curry. Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Avoid stirring with a spoon to prevent the meatballs from breaking—simply tilt the pot 2-3 times so they cook evenly.
- Once the oil rises to the top, turn off the heat, sprinkle garam masala, and garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced green chilies.
- Serve the kofta curry with naan or rice!
Video
Notes
- You can replace ground beef with ground chicken, lamb, veal or mutton.
- Feel free to add potatoes or peas to this kofta curry.
- I add 12 meatballs into this quantity of curry and make flat kababs if any mixture is left and use it as a side.
Nutrition
PIN IT FOR LATER
Amina says
My husband is learning to cook and has made this recipe four times. I am going to have a go tomorrow, the mince is waiting in the fridge!
The recipe is easy to follow and tastes absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing.
A says
You should write ingredients separately for Koftas and for curry?
I saw total ingredients and for Koftas, obviously you don’t add yogurt in keema, I never did .
I am sure lot of people enjoyed your recipes
Qashang says
The ingredients for the koftas (meatballs) are written separately in the recipe card. And yes I do add a little amount of yogurt to the koftas. It keeps them tender.
Sabaah says
How long do u cook the koftays once their in the salan?
Qashang says
Around 15-20 mins on low heat.
Chizari says
I made this it was great!! I made extras so there was enough for lunches the next day. I also did tomato i the curey
Qashang says
Thanks for the feedback!
Aniqa says
Ended up on this site while searching for Pakistani kofta recipes. The koftas turned out to be good. I added one tomato but still think gravy was very oniony.... maybe I didn’t fry the onions well enough before grinding them. Will try again with further tweaks. ☺️
Khadijag says
Omg tried it last night and it was sooo goood! The koftas were so moist and tender and the curry is delicious. The only modifications I made were to add 1 tomato to the curry before adding the yogurt. I also added a bit of seekh kabab masala to the kofta mix. Will definitely be making this again!!!
Chili to Choc says
Yaay hope you like it! x
Rabia says
Looks amazing: can’t wait to try this out tonight!
Chili to Choc says
Thank you so much!
Wajiha says
That looks incredibly authentic! The color and koftas both! Such a good job!!