Zucchini Kofta Curry

Midsummer and the zucchinis just keep on coming. If the zucchinis just won’t stop growing in your garden and you’re needing something exciting to do with all of the excess besides making yet another loaf of zucchini bread, this is for you. I promise, you’ll miss having so much fresh zucchini in the wintertime, so enjoy it while you can.

During July and August, there is never a time in my house when there is not a huge pile of zucchinis on the kitchen table. Don’t get me wrong I love zucchini, but sometimes, week after week of having a constantly replenishing stack of them on the table can strain my relationship with it.

It’s at these trying times (lol a bit dramatic, huh?), that I’m back on the prowl to find new ways to use my excess reserves of zucchini, and that’s exactly how I came upon this recipe. Flicking through my cookbooks, I saw this one and thought, “Perfect! It uses zucchini. Ding, ding. We have a winner!” I’m a very easy person to please.

That said, while I decided to make this recipe because of my huge pile of zucchinis, I absolutely love it. Even if I didn’t have zucchinis to use up, I would make this recipe again, no question.

The curry has the perfect amount of spice and tomato flavor, and while your typical kofta (either fried veggie balls or meatballs) can be a little heavy (but still delicious), this zucchini version is lighter and a perfect curry accompaniment.

This recipe comes from Chetna Makan‘s book, Chetna’s Healthy Indian Vegetarian, and is just one of many mouthwatering recipes from this book! If you’re a big Indian food fan, please get this book. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, I promise, you’ll love all the delicious and exciting recipes that this book has to offer.

Okay, my sales pitch is over, but seriously, make this curry.

Zucchini Kofta Curry Recipe:

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

For the curry:

• 1 TBS ghee
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 inch ginger, grated
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 250ml (9 fl oz) water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp gram masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 TBS dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
• 1 TBS heavy cream

For the koftas:

• 2 zucchinis, about 350g (12oz)
• 50g gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp amchoor (mango powder)
• oil, for frying

Directions:

Step 1: To make the curry, heat the ghee in a pan and cook the onions for 15 minutes on a medium heat until they have a deep golden brown color. Add in the green chili, garlic, and ginger and cook for another minute. Next, add in the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Then cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes on a low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

Step 2: Once it’s slightly cooled, blend the mixture in a blender, then pour it back in the same pan. Add the water, salt, sugar, and all of the spices to the mix. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes.

Step 3: To make the koftas, grate the zucchinis and squeeze out the excess liquid (I like to do this by wringing them out in a kitchen towel). Put the zucchinis into a bowl with the flour, salt, chili powder, and amchoor. Mix this together well – the mixture will start to come and bind together when you stir.

Step 4: Heat a flat griddle or skillet and add the oil. Shape the kofta mixture into 8 balls and lightly press them into patties. Fry them slowly on medium-low heat for 5 minutes on each side. They should be golden brown and cooked through – don’t try to use a high heat as they will burn very quickly this way.

Step 5: Stir the cream into the curry. Pour it into a serving bowl and place the cooked koftas on top to serve.

Happy cooking!:)