Game Bird Nargiski Kofta

Recipe by Cyrus Todiwala. Serves 4.

Introduction

Nargiski Kofta is the classical Indian/Persian Scotch Egg, and dates back centuries. This Kofta is a variation of the usually made Lamb Kofta, and is made from a combination of game meats which is actually more traditional. You may combine any meats you like to make your own Kebab depending on what meat you have at your disposal.

Ingredients (main)

Pheasant 250Gms Boned leg and breast

Partridge 250Gms Boned leg and Breast

Grouse of Mallard 250Gms Boned Leg and Breast

Ginger 3 inch piece

Garlic 8 cloves

Green chillies 2-3 slender finger sized

Fresh coriander 8-10 stalks with leaves and stem

Mint 20-25 leaves

Salt One and half teaspoons

Garam Masala Powder 1 teaspoon

Eggs 4

Method (main)

If you have a food processor, mince all the above together. Preferably twice to get a fine mince, check seasoning & set aside. If you do not have a food processor get your boned game minced by your butcher then chop all the fresh ingredients very finely and then knead this into the mince.

Eggs to be semi-soft boiled. (Seven minutes into boiling water and then to be chilled in iced water, peel when well chilled gently).

Divide the mince into four equal portions and work each ball with your hands until soft & supple.

Flatten the mince in your palm and place an egg in the middle.

Enclose the mince around the egg and with the use of both hands to form a “Kofta” in the shape of a ball or an egg. Make sure no open edges are exposed

Repeat the process for all the eggs and make six kofta’s in all.

These have to be cooked in the sauce below or use another sauce you may like for the Indian repertoire. Curries work very well too.

You may if you like either fry these or also bake them in a hot oven around 200*C +and then place them in the sauce later. Frying in shallow or deep fat to seal the mince in and then simmering to finish in the sauce is best. Or you can add them in raw and cook the in the sauce itself. All three techniques are OK and suited to your choice.

Frying seals the mince in quite rapidly. However, if putting in an oven, be sure that it is very hot otherwise you will loose too much fluid. The best thing is to apply some oil with your palm on the Koftas then place them on a oiled or non stick mat in a tray and place in an oven well over 220*C. however sometimes in these instances the meat can slip off too so maximum heat is necessary.

Ingredients (sauce)

Onion 3 medium finely minced

Ginger 2inch piece

Garlic 4-5 cloves

Red chillies 3-4 dried large sized

Cumin seeds 1 heaped teaspoon

Coriander seeds 1 heaped tablespoon

Fennel seeds 1⁄2 teaspoon

Cinnamon 1 two-inch piece broken up

Turmeric powder 1⁄2 teaspoon

Cashew nuts 15-20 raw not roasted

Peeled almonds 12-15 or use two tablespoons of ground almonds

Yoghurt 250Gms

Tomatoes 2-3 cut into pieces

Oil 2 tablespoons cooking oil but not olive

Salt To your taste

Fresh Coriander 2 heaped tablespoons chopped

Stock or water If needed to make the blender puree better. Use chicken stock if possible. All you need to keep is what may be needed, say 500ml.

Method (sauce)

Heat the oil in a casserole and saute the onions on a medium flame.

Meanwhile add all the remaining ingredients into the blender and puree to a fine consistency.

Add more stock or water if needed to get your puree smooth and everything to be reduced to a fine puree.

You will have to cut up the ginger into small pieces and the cinnamon to be broken into small pieces too.

Stir the onions regularly and brown them to a rich dark brown.

When the onions are browned add the masala and stir continuously for two to three minutes until the masala as a whole begins to bubble.

Lower the flame and cook covered for fifteen minutes to twenty stirring from time to time and ensuring that the bottom of the pan is scraped clean.

If the sauce thickens too rapidly add some stock or water. The consistency of the sauce needs to be more or less between single and double cream.

Check the seasoning and cook until a thin film of oil comes to the surface and the sauce tastes cooked.

Add the chopped coriander and then the koftas if raw and cook them covered for upto twelve to fifteen minutes on a slow simmer.

If you are adding them cooked, you only have to simmer them for a few minutes until heated. Remember we must try and not over cook the eggs inside.

Also, both the recipes can be used independently of one another and, you can serve the koftas with green chutney or a raita or another rich Indian style gravy or a coconut based curry.

They can be cut into half and served along with other foods to create more portions.

Use the mixture with quail eggs instead and serve as a canapé. These may take only a minute or two to cook. Frying them is best as the appearance is better and may take just one minute or until you get a nice colour.