More Food #1 - When You hand yourself Disappointing Koftas

So I spent nearly all of my long-weekend cooking. Again*.
And contrary to popular suggestion, I do not have an overly posh kitchen. (*Grin*, poshmaxxxx, indeed).

In just one day, for instance, I ended up making Spinach Koftas, Pulao, Custard with fruit, Seafood Paella and Pan-Seared Fruit. Even spread over two meals, this is a lot for two people.**

I'm splitting this into two separate posts, just in case you're keeping track of / interested in the recipes.

First, the spinach koftas.
I tried, with entirely dissatisfactory results to adapt this recipe for spinach balls to the contents of my pantry.
I ended up veganizing it, replacing eggs with flax meal and using Bisquick instead of flavored stuffing.
My Verdict: Um, Terrible Idea. (Read That In The Upper Case, dost. In The Upper Case.)

I ended up with gooey, sticky, doughy tasting kofta-style spinach balls, which while edible are almost-entirely unappetizing. I have, however, used them with reasonable success as kathi roll fillers, sandwich stuffers and most delightfully, Koftas.

For the gravy, I used:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• A handful of cashew nuts
• 3 small green chillies, split down the center
• 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
• 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste (or 3 tsp chopped garlic + 2 tsp minced ginger)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp brown sugar

First, dry roast the cashew nuts and set aside to cool.
Add oil to a saucepan. Once it warms up a little, add the green chillies and ginger garlic paste.
Next, throw in the onions and let them caramelize a little.
Add the chopped tomatoes.
Add the spices - turmeric, cumin, corriander, garam masala, and salt.
Cook for a few minutes (10 or so) and take it off the stove and let cool. Once you're sure that you won't scald yourself, throw the mix into a blender and blend. (In mine, I have to blend in batches, to avoid dealing with explosive spills).
After blending, transfer the mix back into the saucepan, add the ketchup (or tomato puree, if you'd rather), add water and throw in the spinach koftas. Check the spices and adjust as you'd like and let simmer for a few minutes.

I ended up with this:

For a less jugaad-driven recipe, this is fantastic.










Tomorrow (or sometime soon) - Variations on a theme - Pulao and Seafood Paella.

*As an aside, I'm sure an analyst would have a field day with how much I've been turning to the kitchen for solace lately. 

**Slightly more problematically, there have been almost no leftovers.