Beef Kofta Curry is a Pakistani meatball curry made with tender, melt-in-the-mouth meatballs called koftas that are cooked in a savoury onion and yogurt sauce. My fool-proof recipe will ensure that the meatballs are tender and do not break in the curry.
What Is A Kofta
Kofta means a meatball. And koftay ka salan (meatball curry) is a classic Pakistani curry which is prepared by first making meatballs with mince meat and then putting them to cook in a flavourful curry made with onions and yogurt.
Many people get intimidated at the thought of making these meatballs but today my recipe and tips will help you attain perfect koftas. These koftas are soft, juicy and tender yet stay intact and do not break. And the curry base is quite luscious.
Many recipes use tomatoes to make their curry but I feel the onion and yogurt sauce is more closer to the authentic koftay ka salan. Also some like to deep fry their meatballs which in my opinion gives a harder exterior to the meatballs.
Tips To Make Perfect Koftas (Meatballs)
- I don't wash my mince. If you do, make sure that you drain any excess water so that the meatballs don't break while cooking.
- Ask your butcher to grind your mince twice for a finer texture. If you can't get double ground mince then add all the meatballs ingredients to a food processor and pulse till everything is homogeneous.
- If you feel there is still excess water in your mince mixture add some more roasted gram flour.
- Make sure your meatballs are smooth before adding them to the curry. Use oil to smoothen and get rid of any cracks.
- Don't touch the meatballs with a cooking utensil while they are simmering. Just slowly move your pan to mix them.
Can You Freeze Beef Kofta Curry
You can freeze the entire curry and keep it in an airtight container for upto 2 months. You can also prep and freeze the koftas (meatballs) in a larger quantity and when required just make the curry base, take out the meatballs and drop them in your steaming hot curry. Let cook for a couple of minutes until the koftas are soft.
Watch How To Make It
You can check out a step-by-step tutorial of this Beef Koftay Curry in my Instagram highlights here.
More Pakistani Ground Meat Dishes
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📖 Recipe
Pakistani Kofta Curry
Kofta curry is Pakistani-style meatball curry made with tender, melt-in-the-mouth meatballs called koftas that are cooked in a savoury onion and yogurt sauce.
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Servings:
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 beef mince
- 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 coriander chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot and add the onions. Fry them till they are golden brown and then take out in a plate.
- Add a splash of water and grind the onions to a smooth paste in a grinder.
- Mix all the meatball ingredients together. Make golf ball sized meatballs and keep aside.
- In the same pot fry the ginger garlic paste. Add more oil if required. Then add the remaining onion paste, yogurt, salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric.
- Cook (bhonify) this masala till the oil separates. Then add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil on medium high heat.
- Lower the heat and add the meatballs very carefully into the curry. Cover the pot and cook for 15-20 mins on low heat. Don’t use the spoon for mixing the meatballs or they could break. Just shake your pot 2-3 times to flip them so that they cook evenly.
- Turn off the heat when the oil comes on top, sprinkle garam masala and garnish with fresh coriander and sliced green chilies.
Notes
- You can replace beef with chicken, lamb or mutton.
- I add 12 meatballs into this quantity of curry and make flat kababs if any mixture is left and use it as a side.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and a review in the comments. You can also tag @chilitochoc on Instagram. I love hearing your feedback!
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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!!