Aloo Akbari
This curry is one of the fanciest looking vegetarian dishes I have made.
The filling of cashews and raisins, in the potatoes makes it rich and delectable.
Although the recipe does call for deep frying the koftas I decided to roast them on a griddle. Serve with rotis, naan or rice!
·
Potatoes
- 2 large, approximately 1&1/2 cups, boiled and grated.
·
Salt
- ½ tsp
·
Garam
Masala - ½ tsp
·
Red
chili powder - ½ tsp
·
Baking
soda - tiny pinch, optional
·
Cashews
- 6 to 7, chopped into small pieces
·
Raisins
- 5-6, chopped roughly
·
Corn
starch - 1 to 2 tbsp, if desired for better binding of potatoes
·
Oil
for Deep frying or shallow fry like I did.
Curry
Ingredients
·
Oil
- 1 tbsp
·
Onion
- 1 medium, chopped roughly
·
Cashews
- ¼ cup
·
Garlic
- 3 cloves, peeled and washed
·
Ginger
- 1 small pieces, approx 1 tsp
·
Water
- ½ cup + 1&1/2 cup
·
Kasuri
Methi - 1 tsp, crushed
Curry
Spices & Condiments
·
Coriander
powder - 2 tsp full
·
Turmeric
- ½ tsp
·
Degi
Mirch or Kashmiri Lal Mirch or Fancy Paprika - 1 tsp
·
Red
Chili powder - ½ tsp
·
Garam
Masala - ½ tsp
1 tsp honey optional
- Preparing for Akbari / Mughlai Curry
1. Heat ½ cup water and soak
cashews, roughly chopped onion, ginger and garlic in it. Set aside for 10-12
minutes.
Preparing
for Aloo / Potato Kofta
1. Take cashews and raisins
as mentioned under kofta and chop them into small pieces. Mix and Set aside in
a bowl.
2. Use potatoes that you have
already boiled in advance and cooled for few hours, for best results. I request
you not to use freshly boiled potatoes.I boil potatoes a day before or at least
4-5 hrs before making the curry. Cool them completely. I often refrigerate the
potatoes after boiling whenever I have to fry these or use as stuffing.
3. Take the boiled and cooled
potatoes. Grate them fine, making sure that there are no lumps or big pieces.
4. Add all the spices as
mentioned above for koftas + baking soda. Grease your hands with oil and Start
bringing the grated potatoes together as a dough. If the potatoes are difficult
to bring together in dough form, start adding corn starch/corn flour little by
little to bind the potatoes.
5. Once the dough is formed,
grease your hands again and pinch approximately 1-2 tbsp of potato dough at a
time. Flatten it in the center of your palm. Take a little bit of cashew and
raisin filling and place in the middle of the potato dough. Bring the sides of
the potato dough in the center, enclosing the nuts in the middle. ROLL IT TIGHTLY,
LEAVING NO CRACKS. Set it on a plate.
6. Finish all the potato
dough like wise.
7. You can shape them in any
form - round, flat like a patty or oblong roundels.
Frying or shallow frying the Aloo / Potato Koftas
1. Heat the oil n the frying
pan. Then reduce the heat to medium high.
2. Place 2-3 koftas only, at
a time, in the hot oil in the pan.
3. Or shallow fry on a griddle.
4. It should yield
approximately 10-12 large koftas or 15-18 mini one
5. If you are deep frying add a generous pinch of
salt in oil before frying, the fritters and koftas do not absorb that much oil.
Try the tip if you want to.
Making
the Akbari / Mughlai Curry
1. Take the good quality
blender. Place the soaked cashews, onion, ginger and garlic in it along with
the water these were soaked in.
2. Blend these ingredients
into a smooth paste. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the non
stick or heavy bottom pan. Add coriander powder, Fancy paprika/degi mirch,
turmeric, salt, red chili powder to the hot oil. Reduce the heat and saute the
spices for few seconds.
5. Keep the heat to medium
and add the cashew and onion paste to the pan. Stir the paste with spices with
a spoon. Add honey and 1&1/2 cups of water + garam masala. Give it a good
stir.
6. Cover the pan with lid and
cook on low medium heat till the curry is reduced to required thickness. This
curry is notorious. The cashew paste in the curry keeps absorbing the water. So
if you see that it thickens up more than required, then add more water, a
little bit at a time. Adjust salt and garam masala to your desired taste.
7. Once the curry is cooked,
add crushed dry kasuri methi. You may add dried or fresh mint
instead for garnish and that extra oomph.
Serving
I
would not suggest you to dunk the koftas in curry for a long time and leave.
These will soak up all the curry. The best way to do is, Keep your curry less
thick. Heat it well before serving. Add the Aloo koftas 10 minutes before serving.
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