This is a typical Gujarati dish and is more substantial than some vegetarian dishes. You can eat the yogurt sauce and the spinach kofta as separate dishes but they go very well together as in this recipe.
Ingredients: (Serves 6)
YOGHURT SAUCE
- 375 ml (12 fl oz/1½ cups) thick plain yoghurt
- 4 tablespoons besan (chickpea flour)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 6 curry leaves
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
SPINACH KOFTAS
- 1 bunch English spinach (about 450 g/1 lb), leaves picked off the stems, or 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 180 g (6 oz/1½ cups) besan (chickpea flour)
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 ripe tomato, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons coriander (cilantro) leaves
- Oil for deep-frying
- Coriander (cilantro) leaves (optional)
Method:
To make the yoghurt sauce, whisk the yoghurt, besan and 750 ml (25 fl oz/3 cups) water to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan or deep frying pan over low heat. Add mustard and fenugreek seeds and the curry leaves. Cover pan and allow seeds to pop for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft and starting to brown. Add garlic and stir 1 minute, or until soft. Add the turmeric and chili powder and stir for 30 seconds. Add the yoghurt mixture, bring to the boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt, to taste.
To make the spinach koftas, blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute and refresh in cold water. Drain, squeeze out any extra water by putting the spinach between two plates and pushing them together. Finely chop the spinach. Combine with the remaining kofta ingredients and up to 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) of water, a little at a time, adding enough to make the mixture soft but not sloppy. If it becomes too sloppy, add more besan. Season with salt, to taste. (To test the seasoning, fry a small amount of the mixture and taste it.) Shape mixture into balls by rolling it in dampened hands, using 1 tablespoon of mixture for each.
Fill a karhai or heavy-based saucepan one-third full with oil and heat to 180°C (350°F), or until a cube of bread browns in the oil in 15 seconds. Lower the koftas into the oil in batches and fry until golden and crisp. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Remove the koftas as they cook, shake off any excess oil and add them to the yoghurt sauce.
Gently reheat the yoghurt sauce and sprinkle with the coriander leaves if using.
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