Bengali
Kanchkolar Kofta Curry
- Duration: 60 mins
- Serves: 4-6 people
Authenticity Slice
Add homemade spice powder to bring out the traditional flavour and slightly thick texture of the kanchkolar kofta curry.
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Trivia Tadka
While raw bananas are commonly used in the Bengali cuisine, the technique of making kofta, which wasn’t a part of the cuisine originally, came in due to the influence of Mughals in the region. Kanchkolar (raw banana) kofta is one of the many delicious deep-fried gravy dishes.
Ingredients
For the koftas
- Raw bananas (kaccha kela) (4–5)
- Potatoes (aloo) (2)
- Gram flour (besan) (4 tbsp)
- Cumin powder (jeera powder) (1 tsp)
- MTR Garam Masala (1/2 tsp)
- Salt ( to taste)
- Oil (1 cup)
For the gravy:
- Onions (2)
- Garlic cloves (lehsun) (4)
- Ginger (adrak) (1 tsp)
- Tomato (1)
- Mustard oil (sarson) (5 tbsp)
- Bay leaf (tej patta) (2)
- Cloves (laung) (4)
- Cardamom (elaichi) (4)
- Sugar (1 tsp)
- MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder (2 tsp)
- MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (1 tsp)
- Salt ( to taste)
- Coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya) (4 tbsp)
- Dry red chili (sabut lal mirch) (2)
- Cumin seeds (jeera) (2 tbsp)
- Fennel seeds (saunf) (1 tbsp)
- Fenugreek seeds (methi dana) (1 tsp)
- Black cardamom (badi elaichi) (2)
Method
- Dry roast 4 tbsp of coriander, 1 tbsp of fennel, 1 tsp of fenugreek, 2 tbsp of cumin, 2 dry red chillies, 3 cardamoms, 2 cinnamon and 1 black cardamom for 2–3 mins.
- Then dry grind these spices in a mixer to a coarse powder. Set aside in a bowl.
- Wash the raw bananas. Pressure cook them along with potatoes for 2 whistles over medium heat.
- Once they cool, peel the skin of the bananas and the potatoes. Gently mash them together.
- Add cumin powder and 2–3 tsp of masala powder prepared in the first two steps.
- Add gram flour and combine everything together to make a smooth dough-like paste.
- Now divide this mixture into small pedas (balls), roll them in your palms.
- Heat oil and deep-fry the koftas, 2–3 at a time. Next, make a paste of onion, ginger, garlic and a teaspoon of mustard oil.
- To prepare the gravy, heat mustard oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add tej patta and sugar, let the sugar melt and caramelize for about a minute.
- Add cloves, crushed cardamom and the onion–ginger paste made. Keep on stir frying.
- Stir in MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder, MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder, salt and the remaining masala powder.
- Add finely chopped tomato and sprinkle some water on it. Keep stir-frying for 4–5 mins. Then splash more water as the masala tends to go dry. If oil leaves the sides of the pan, the masala is ready, otherwise keep on sautéing it.
- Add 3–4 cups of water now. Cover and let it simmer for 8–10 mins.
- Now for the last phase of making the gravy, add the fried vegetable koftas and cover the pan with a lid. Let it cook for a minute or two. Do not cook the curry for too long as koftas tend to break and turn soggy. Turn off the heat.
- Add about 1 tsp of ghee and 1/2 tsp of MTR Garam Masala, stir and let it rest for a minute or two.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve kanchkolar kofta curry hot with roti or rice.
