Egg in spiced lamb mince
This kofta is named after the poetic daffodil- Narcissus poeticus, found in the Kashmir province of India. A white daffodil with a yellow heart. Hard-boiled egg is encapsulated in an aromatic, soft paste of lamb mince. When you cut it in half, you see the deep-yellow yolk surrounded by white, framed by the light brown mince. This kofta is part of the Persian influence on the Mughal cuisine of North-India, perfected by the cooks of the royal houses. The secret is to use mince with less fat content so that it does not shrink while frying, and to knead or grind the mince to a very soft paste. That is all you need to get it perfect. A variant of Scotch eggs, but according to me, immensely more flavourful.
For 4 persons – 1 tsp=5ml/1 tbsp=15ml/1 cup=225ml
| 6 eggs | |
| 600 g low-fat lamb mince, at room temperature | |
| 2 tbsp sour yoghurt/ Skyr | |
| 2 tbsp poppy seeds | |
| 2-3 green chilies chopped (to taste/ or remove seeds) | |
| 3 cm piece of ginger, peeled & chopped | |
| 3 sprigs of fresh mint- leaves finely chopped | |
| ½ small onion finely diced | |
| 1 tsp coarse salt (to taste | |
| 1 medium onion –diced as small as you can | |
| 1 tbsp oil | |
| 6 tbsp of chickpea flour | |
| 2 tsp garam masala | |
| ½ tsp turmeric powder | |
| Oil for deep frying + wok |
Egg in spiced lamb mince This kofta is named after the poetic daffodil- Narcissus poeticus, found in the Kashmir province of India. A white daffodil with a yellow heart. Hard-boiled egg is encapsulated in an aromatic, soft paste of lamb mince. When you cut it in half, you see the deep-yellow yolk surrounded by white,...
| 1. | Boil the eggs well in advance. Set them in a pan of water, after water comes to boil, cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and place into a bowl of cold water. |
| 2. | Put the mince in a large bowl, add the yoghurt & mix well. |
| 3. | In a mortar & pestle, pound the poppy seeds to a powder. |
| 4. | Add to it the chopped chili, ginger & mint. Pound to a rough paste. |
| 5. | Add the coarse salt and the ½ diced onion. Pound to a paste as fine as possible. |
| 6. | Heat a small pan with 1 tbsp of oil, add the diced onion, fry over medium heat till golden. |
| 7. | Remove the onion onto a kitchen paper to absorb the oil. |
| 8. | Add the chickpea flour to the pan and roast it over low heat till fragrant. 3 minutes |
| 9. | Then add the fried onion to the paste and pound it with the other ingredients. |
| 10. | Add the green paste to the mince along with the garam masala, turmeric & roasted chickpea flour. Mix well with your hand or a fork. |
| 11. | With the pestle, gently press & twist into the mince mixture. Keep on doing this till the mince becomes a paste- 5 minutes. |
| 12. | Then with a moistened hand, knead the mince mixture further a little more to make it homogenous & to get a soft & smooth paste. |
| 13. | Divide mince into 6 parts. Shell the eggs, gently wipe them on a tea- towel to remove traces of water. |
| 14. | Set a wok on the stove with the oil and heat it to medium-hot. (Add a cube of bread to check if it is hot for frying. The bread should quickly rise to the surface. |
| 15. | Take one ball of the mince & in the palm of your hand, or on a clingfilm pat out an even a disk of about 10 cm. |
| 16. | Place the egg in the center and gently gather the mince around the egg. Using both palms (moistened with water), gently pat around to get a firm, compact round ball or oval shape. |
| 17. | Lower it gently into the hot oil. Fry the kofta all around, by turning it a bit every 2 minutes so that all sides are evenly golden brown. 4-6 minutes. |
| 18. | Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, and then place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. |
| 19. | Form and fry the rest of the koftas likewise. |
| 20. | Serve sliced gently into halves, and with mint chutney or mustard sauce. Accompanied by a salad, it makes a complete meal. |