With roots in Northern India, vegetable koftas in tomato cashew curry is a popular, restaurant-style dish often made with heavy cream and an abundance of cashews. In her new cookbook, “Mumbai Modern: Vegetarian Recipes Inspired By Indian Roots and California Cuisine” (Countryman Press, $35), Fremont Jam Lab blogger Amisha Dodhia Gurbani makes it vegan by leaving out the cream and using cashew puree, which yields a luxurious richness.
Koftas need to be made the day they are eaten, but the tomato cashew curry can be made a day ahead and stored in a container in the fridge. When ready to serve, warm the mixture on the stove and add some water to loosen the consistency.
Vegetable Koftas with Cashew Tomato Curry
Serves 6 to 8
VEGETABLE KOFTAS
2 medium potatoes (1½ cups potatoes), cut in half with skin on
1 carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces (½ cup)
½ cup green peas
½ cup green beans, cut into pieces
1 cup cauliflower florets
5 tablespoons chickpea flour
4 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)
½ teaspoon red chili powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Vegetable oil, for frying
TOMATO CASHEW CURRY
1 cup whole cashews
½ cup warm water for cashews, plus 1¼ cups water for curry
½ large onion, cut into big pieces
2 inches ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 green chile
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
1 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
3 cardamom pods
2 medium tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
½ teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons table salt
1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves; optional)
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro to garnish
DIRECTIONS
To Make the Vegetable Koftas: Fill a medium pot three-quarters with water, bring the water to a boil and add the potatoes. After 15 minutes, add the carrots, green peas, green beans and cauliflower. Cover and let cook for a total of 20 to 25 minutes until softened.
Drain the water and let the vegetables cool completely for about an hour. Remove the skin of the potatoes. Using a vegetable masher, mash the vegetables coarsely, but not completely.
Add chickpea flour and bread crumbs, and the dry spices and cilantro. Mix it together, but do not overmix.
Divide the mixture to make 14 to 16 small balls, rolling them between the palms of your hands into perfect balls. (Use a little bit of oil on your palms, if needed.) Set them aside on a plate.
Meanwhile, let’s make the curry: In a small bowl, place the whole cashews in ½ cup warm water.
Using a high-speed blender, puree the onion, ginger, garlic, green chile and ¼ cup water into a paste.
In a large pot set on medium heat, add the vegetable oil, cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamom. Sauté with a wooden spatula for 30 seconds.
Add the onion puree and sauté for 5 minutes, until the water has almost evaporated. Meanwhile, puree the tomatoes in the high-speed blender.
Add the pureed tomatoes and tomato paste and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the ground turmeric, red chili powder, amchur, garam masala, cumin, coriander, salt and brown sugar. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, puree the cashews along with the warm soaking water in a high-speed blender into a smooth puree.
Add the pureed cashews to the pot and mix until well combined. Add the remaining 1 cup water, adjusting for consistency — not too thick, not too thin.
Cook the mixture on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom and does not splatter anywhere.
Add the dried fenugreek leaves as the last step, if using, and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
To fry the koftas: In a medium pot, add vegetable oil about halfway up the pot and set over medium to high heat. Let the oil heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Drop a piece of the kofta dough into the oil. If it floats up, you know the oil is ready to fry.
Set a plate aside with parchment paper.
Add about 3 balls at a time into the hot oil, and, using a spider (or slotted spoon), fry them for about a minute on each side until golden brown all around. Let them drain on the parchment paper. Repeat with remaining kofta balls, frying them 3 at a time.
To serve, place the tomato cashew curry in a serving bowl. Drop in the kofta balls in a pretty manner. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with naan or rice.
— Amisha Dodhia Gurbani, “Mumbai Modern: Vegetarian Recipes Inspired By Indian Roots and California Cuisine” (Countryman Press, $35)
