Nargisi kofta / kabab

Nargisi kofta / kabab

Kofta has it’s origin in Central Asia and with the conquest of muslim emperors , it’s being introduced in the Sub-continent . Among the many variations , the most elegant one is undoubtedly Nargisi kofta , where a hard boil egg is stuffed in a layer of ground meat . The British Scotch egg is considered to be inspired by this amazing Mughal delicacy during the reign of British in the Sub-continent .

There are several versions of Nargisi kofta . Sometimes raw grounded keema/ mince is used . Sometimes the keema is boiled with split pea or chick pea and then grounded again to use the kofta . Sometimes the kofta is cooked in gravy , while sometimes it is served dry , without gravy .

Among these various versions , I would love to share the raw mince version and withhout gravy .

Introduction:

2 lb beef mince
4 or 5 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup fried onion or bereshta
1 tea spoon ginger-garlic paste
1/4 th cup chopped mint or pudina
1/2 tea spoon red chili powder
1 tea spoon finely chopped green chili
1/2 tea spoon cinnamon powder
1/4 th tea spoon nutmeg powder
1/4 th tea spoon mace/ javetri powder
1/2 tea spoon cumin powder
3/4th tea spoon Garam masala or kabab masala
2 or 3 beaten eggs
1 slice of bread , soaked in milk
salt to taste

Other ingredients :

Beaten egg white for frying .

Procedure :

1. Squeeze the milk from the bread so that there is no single drop of milk . Now mix the mince with bereshta , ginger-garlic paste, pudina , green chili , chili powder , cinnamon powder , nutmeg-mace powder , garam masala powder , cumin powder , salt , bread slice and beaten eggs . Keep it in the fridger for 1 hour .

2. Prick the eggs with the sharp edge of knife or toothpick from one side to other , keeping the egg in tact . It will help the eggs not to burst after adding them in the oil . Now take each egg and cover with good amount of keema/ mince . Coat in beaten egg white and deep fry on medium- low flame until done .
Cut in halves lengthwise before you serve . Cut after the kofta cooled down .

Tips:

1. Don’t wash the keema/ mince for any kabab or kofta . Ask the butcher to wash the meat first then make a keema of it . If the keema is washed , the kabab will fall apart after putting them in oil to fry . Washing of mince also degrades the texture and flavor of kababs . It is a very important note to remember .
If the keema is washed , you will need more binding agent so that it does not fall apart after adding them in the oil . But the more binding agent like bread , flour , besan , cornflour you use , the more it gets tough .

2. To avoid the bursting of eggs in the oil , as I said earlier , always prick the eggs with a knife or toothpick from one side to another before you enclose the egg in the mince patty . And also try to cover the eggs with good amount of mince because after adding the kofta to the oil , the meat tends to shrink down , so if there is not enough mince around the eggs , the mince will fall apart .

3. Don’t use egg yolks to coat them before frying . Using of egg whites only will help the oil to be clean other wise the oil you are using will get dark .

4. It is always preferred to keep the koftas in the fridger for at least 1 -2 hour before frying them in oil .