Indian Vegie Feast # 7 – spinach kofta in tomato gravy
spinach kofta in tomato gravy
The state of Gujarat in western India advocates a meat free diet. This dietary recommendation dates back two millennia, when the slaughter of animals was banned in the name of peace. Mahatma Ghandi, a great promotor of a strictly vegetarian diet is Gujarat’s most famous son.
Some wonderfully creative recipes have come from two thousand years of inventive cooking with vegetables and pulses so I wasn’t surprised to learn the origins of this kofta dish.
Besan is flour made from chick peas. It’s rich in protein and has a delicious nutty flavour. It also has amazing binding quantities so a small amount is all that’s need to hold the finely chopped spinach together to create a surprising light but meaty quality. The spinach will absorb a large amount of flavour so don’t stint on the seasonings.
Serve the spinach kofta in their tomato gravy topped with a dollop of natural yoghurt.
Spinach Kofta in Tomato Gravy – serves 4 with other dishes
kofta:
500g fresh baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoon besan (chickpea flour)
1 teaspoon crushed dried red chilli
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for frying
gravy:
2 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil*
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon grated ginger
4 ripe roma tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed dried red chilli
1 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Sea salt or to taste
kofta:
Wash the spinach the drain in a colander.
With water still clinging to their leaves, put the spinach in a large over a high heat.
Cover tightly and cook until the spinach wilts.
This will happen quickly so keep an eye on the spinach. Turn the mass of leaves over with tongs to hasten the process.
Drain, then refresh the spinach in iced water.
Squeeze handfuls of the spinach tightly to remove as much water as possible.
In the food processor, pulse the spinach until roughly chopped.
Add the remaining ingredients and process until well combined.
Roll the spinach mixture into small ball about 3cm in diameter.
In a small non stick pan, heat about 1 cup of vegetable oil.
When the oil reaches 180C, drop in a few kofta at a time and fry until golden.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
gravy:
Heat the garlic oil in a wide shallow pan.
Add the cumin seeds and toast until golden.
Add the remainder of the ingredients, stir well then bring the pan to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer until the tomatoes collapse and you have a rich tomato sauce.
Check the sauce for seasoning, then tip the kofta into the sauce and simmer gently for a further 5 minutes to warm the kofta through.
Serve immediately.
* you can use plain vegetable oil or ghee and add 2 crushed cloves of garlic with the tomatoes if you prefer.
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29 comments on “Indian Vegie Feast # 7 – spinach kofta in tomato gravy”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
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I tried the recipe and it’s as delicious as it sounds, thank you very much for sharing!
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So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know
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I think that’s my favourite one so far – just looks so delicious!
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Thanks Tracey..😀
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This looks great! I happen to have the spinach in my refrigerator and all other ingredients in my pantry, so I may make these tonight!
I wonder if refreshing the spinach is really necessary?
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I like to squeeze spinach tight in my hands to get rid of the excess water so I needed it to be a temperature I could handle. I was also concerned that the besan might clump if the spinach was hot so I erred on the side of caution. Hope you enjoy this too
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I use an old tea towel, which works very well.
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Made this tonight and was delicious. But there is something wrong with the amount of salt. For the koftah I did use a teaspoon as per the recipe, but next time I’ll use less. 2 teaspoons in the tomato gravy is way too much; I used 1/4 teaspoon instead. This surprises me, as you usually use very little salt in the recipes you post.
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I think you’ll find it’s the difference in salt. I always use Australian mineral rich sea salt flakes. I have noticed that “cooking salt” is much saltier. It’s wise to let your palate make the decision when it comes to seasoning.
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It’s the texture of the salt. A teaspoon of flakes weighs less than a teaspoon of fine salt. If you have precision scales, I’d be interested to know how many grams of your salt there are in a teaspoon.
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OK. 1 teaspoon Murray River Salt Flakes = 3g. When I’m baking bread I always weigh everything. Bread using regular cooking salt is much saltier than bread with an equal weight of the above salt flakes, so while weight is unquestionably a factor the mineral composition plays a big part too.
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That explains everything. A teaspoon (5 ml) of regular table salt is 7.5 grams. I’d still use a lot less than 2 tsp in the tomato sauce though. And if your salt is not 100% NaCl, that would indeed make a difference, too. (There are people who say that 5 grams of sea salt that is 100% NaCl gives a different result in bread or soup or sauce or some other recipe in which it is dissolved than 5 grams of table salt. And that of course is nonsense.)
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PS I also used fresh tomatoes and they vary so much in flavour of course altering the amount of salt needed.
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I used canned tomatoes and added a pinch of sugar after tasting.
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I am so into anything with tomato gravy!
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Clearly you are a woman of taste…
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Of course! I follow you!
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LOVE those gorgeous green kofta! I want to dive right in
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Thanks Archana, I’ll take that as a huge compliment from the Ministry of Curry
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Please do! One of the best kofta curries I have seen!
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Another fabulous veggie curry for teh collection. Love the sound of these koftas.
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Thanks Francesca, they were delicious. I think this might be a good one to make with the grandkids. Squishing spinach to shape is a fun job..
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great idea spinach kofta , looks delicious!
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Thanks that were tender and tasty
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Veggie koftas. Be still my beating heart, we always order them but I have never made them. This is a call to arms Sandra. The Yak and I have a table booked at an Indian restaurant this Saturday night for our wedding anniversary that specialises in dosai. It is certainly all about Indian food at the moment, I can’t wait to make this.
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Haven’t had any luck making dosa, love to eat them though so I’ll keep trying. These are really yum x Happy days to you both
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Delightful Sandra. I am really enjoying this series. It lightens my commute.
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Thanks Conor it’s been a delicious month for me..
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