Kale Leaves Kofta Curry

“Patta- Patta boota boota haal hamara Jane hai”…..It means leaves and more leaves including shoots (I hope “boota” means shoots, they know my state? I mean my state of mind…Now when ever I see every “patta”, err every “hara patta”, I like to recall the name, and if it’s edible I again try to recall how it should be made.Oh! You see I am having this short memory loss syndrome, “sab kuch bhul gaya” state of mind for the time being which somehow turns out to be short-lived thankfully. So, even though I see healthy green leafy vegetables, I tend to have this short memory loss syndrome. Well, reason behind this is, I have to make my curious daughter understand that there is a world out here where people don’t eat non-vegetarian diets only. Some also are strict vegetarian and are living a very healthy life as well. And I find little intimidating when they visit me, I am left with less choices what should be made and then served to them.So,the short memory loss syndrome happens ( please don’t form conclusions, these are only due to my culinary inadequacy, nothing to be associated with being vegetarian to be very precise). But thankfully I regain my senses quickly, and decide to make homely meals for them.

Imagine if we can hear the voices of trees and leaves, what goes into their minds, I think below conversation can easily be a reality.

Reporting from Kale leaves dreamland………..

One fine day, in the month of September, on a crisp sunny morning, bunch of curly kale leaves were sitting in my fridge, and I heard some whispers – “Look again; the lady of the house has little intentions to make anything out from us.”

Here comes another whisper-“But she always does that seeing some “hara patta”, in vegetable grocers, she picks them up, sometimes smells them and then takes into her trolley. What’s the use of buying if she doesn’t use them in cooking?”

A quiet lonely kale leaf-“Hold on you gossip mongers, she does try to include possibly every edible green leafy vegetables whenever she can. And she knows it with out veggies; the healthy meal plans can not be maintained.”

Another cheerful kale leaf-“Oh! Perhaps she can do a stir/fry with garlic, whole dry red pepper and nigella seeds. She can even make Kale leaf Paratha or kale leaf chorchori .But she already do that quite often. Then why not she tries making kofta curry this time just like malai kofta curry or kanch kolar kofta curry.”

All in one voice-“We hope she should go ahead and make Kale Kofta Curry. Is she listening to that?”

Those were words of wisdom floating in Kale leaves fairy land, the land of healthy nutrients –packed Curly Kale leaves in my fridge.

Now to the real world out here.

And here I am, making Kale Kofta curry taking clues from an intelligent conversation going on with Kale leaves sitting in my fridge. I hope those leaves were satisfied that I tried to make some unusual stuff out of them other than a simple stir/fry recipe. On the record the curious daughter also gave thumbs up to the recipe. If you like kale leaves then try them out like kofta curry.

Now to the recipe

Kale Leaves Kofta curry

Recipe requirements

For the Curly Kale koftas- (measurements are approx)

(Serves 4-5 people)

• About 300-350 Gms of curly kale leaves chopped roughly
• ¾  cup of besan
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
• Pinch of hing
• Pinch of soda
• ½ cup of cooking oil

Method

1. Blanch curly kale leaves and reserve the water to be used later on.
2. Now in a mixing bowl, add in besan-Bengal gram flour, red pepper powder, and salt, pinch of asfoetida and pinch of soda. Add in blanched curly kale leaves to it. Now use the water which you earlier reserved it after blanching the leaves. Knead well if required add in 1-2 tsp of cooking oil. If you required more besan or Bengal gram flour, you may add in more so that dough can be made into small rounds easily.
3. Divide the dough in equal portions, and then spread each portions little bit, place one or two raisins or cashews or a half a tsp of malai in between and then cover the round from all over and then roll each portions into small rounds with the help of your palm. Keep this covered and refrigerated to firm up little more.
4. Now heat up a frying pan or deep bottom pan- add in cooking oil, let it heat up properly. Now fry each small round very well in hot oil. Take out and drain over paper towels. You can go ahead and enjoy it with some hot and sweet chili sauce or wait till you make kofta curry.  Note- You can add boiled potatoes as well to make it even more soft, but I have not included them in this recipe as of now.

  For the gravy of Kale Kofta Curry (measurements are approx)

Recipe requirements

• 2 medium size onions
• 2 tsp of garlic paste
• 3-4 tsp of ginger paste
• 2-3 dry whole red dry pepper
• 2-3 tej patta
• ½ tsp of fennel seeds
• 4-5 whole black pepper
• 3-4 tsp of mustard oil
• ½ cup of double cream
• ¼ cup of tomato puree
• ½ tsp of garam masala – home made preferred
•  2 tsp of red pepper powder
• 1 tsp of cumin powder
• 1 tsp of coriander powder
• ¼ tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
• 1-2 tsp of ghee (optional)

Method

1. Wet grind onions, ginger. Garlic, fennel, whole black pepper into smooth paste with some water. Blanch a whole tomato. Take off the skin from it. Now make puree of this tomato.
2. Now make home-made garam masala powder- Dry Roast 2 green cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, few strands of mace, pinch of nutmeg. I sometimes do add in whole black pepper and fennel seeds to the home-made spice powder. But since these two technically is not part of garam masala, you may skip it or include them while you make paste of onions+ginger+garlic.I have made many times the gravy for kofta curry niramish way- so I tend to avoid onion and garlic to that. Then I nearly increase the amount of ginger and add in cumin seeds+fennel seeds+whole black pepper to make a wet paste. Now that recipe is little different as it fits more into “niramish ranna”.
3. Now heat up a saucepan/kadai, add in mustard oil. Let it come to smoking point, add tej patta, whole red pepper, then add in the wet masala paste to it, and stir/fry it for 3-4 mints. Add in tomato puree to it.
4. Add in salt, red pepper powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Add in about ½ cup of water. Keep on stir/fry for 7-10 mints at med-high flame checking if the masala don’t get stuck on the bottom of pan. And splash some water over it if it starts to stick at the bottom.
5. If the colour of the gravy changes to little dark in colour or if the oil starts to come from the sides. The masala is ready. Add in 1-2 cups of water depending on the gravy you want. I did add roughly 1- 1 and ½ cup of water.
6. Let it come to one strong boil, and then slowly add in fried kale leaves koftas to it. Cover the pan and put the flame to med-low and let it simmer slowly further 10-15 mints.
7. After about 6-7 mints, add in double cream and mix well. Now if required add in warm water to make the gravy little runny as the koftas generally tend to soak up the gravy quite fast. Stop the flame and take it off.
8. Sprinkle some Kasoori methi over the gravy.

Serve and enjoy with warm cooked Pulaos or Rotis, what ever way you prefer.

Here wishing everyone - happy Vishwakarma Pujo or Ranna Pujo as known in Bengal.Enjoy your Kite flying session.

Happy Cooking Friends