Kofta curry or kofte ka salan is a curry made of meatballs simmered in a spicy, flavorful, and savory curry base. It’s a staple and one of the most delicious dishes of Pakistani and Indian cuisines. This recipe delivers very tasteful meatballs curry. Surely, it’s going to be a nice addition to your family favorites.

This beef kofta curry has all the authentic flavors of classic and traditional dishes. The spice blend used here relies on those you are likely to have on your spice rack. You must try it and in a matter of minutes, you’ll have a delicious homemade dinner ready to enjoy.

When you want to make kofta curry of frozen koftas, just make the curry base with onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and yogurt and season it with aromatic and savory spices. Then take out the frozen meatballs and drop them in the steaming hot curry and let them cook for a couple of minutes to have a wonderful hot kofta curry.

Follow my meatball recipe to prepare soft and juicy koftas that will stay intact and not break in the curry.

Click here to go to The Best Meatball Recipe

Table of Contents

How to Make Kofta Curry

Kofta curry involves two separate recipes; the first one is the meatball recipe for preparing the meatballs and the second recipe is preparing the curry base. My both recipes and essential tips will help you attain perfect koftas and kofta curry every time.

Whether the meatballs are made of beef, mutton, or chicken, the curry base for all of them is the same. You will find essential tips and tricks in this recipe to make this beef kofta curry flavorful and tasteful.

Like many other dishes, kofta curry has also some variations. It is believed that the authentic kofta curry base has no tomatoes in it. I like to use tomatoes in kofta curry. Both ways yield incredibly delicious kofta curry so go with what you prefer.

Preparation

Mince the onions and give them a good squeeze to wring out the excess water. With this step, you can save time while browning the onions.

Prepare ginger-garlic paste and tomato paste. You can use shop-bought ginger-garlic paste but it is good to prepare fresh things in your kitchen.

Frying the Aromatics

Take a wok and pour cooking oil into it. Keep the flame medium. Heat the oil. Pour minced onions into it.

Now add ginger-garlic paste. Fry the onions and ginger-garlic paste till a light golden color. You can fry the ginger-garlic paste separately or along with the onions before adding the tomatoes.

Add ginger-garlic paste before you add tomatoes. If you use tomatoes before frying the ginger-garlic paste, the strong scent of the garlic will not vanish.

Meanwhile, take the frozen meatballs out of the freezer. I used one packet containing 16 meatballs and weight of ½ kg.

Adding Savory Spices

When you see a light golden color on the onions and ginger-garlic paste, add tomato paste. Fry all the ingredients well and continue frying till the oil separates. It will take 4-5 minutes.

When the oil separates, add red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder, and red chili flakes. We’ll add only these spices at this stage. Fry them well for 2-3 minutes. During this whole process keep the flame medium.

Adding Koftas to the Curry Base

Add meatballs to the curry base. Fry them in the curry for 2-3 minutes. Stir the koftas gently to keep them from breaking.

Now add ½ cup yogurt to it. Whisk the yogurt well before adding it to the curry base. It gives a nice taste to the kofta curry. Sauté to dry the water.

Next, season the curry with cumin powder and coriander powder. These both add a nice aroma and taste to the curry. Fry it for 1 minute. Now add 1 ½ cup water to prepare the gravy. Stir to mix in the water.

After that, cover the wok for 6-7 minutes and keep the flame medium to low. After 6 to 7 minutes, when you remove the cover, you’ll feel a nice fragrance. You can keep the gravy thick or watery to your choice.

Garnishing the Kofta Curry

Garnish the beef kofta curry with sliced fresh green chilies and chopped fresh coriander leaves. Now sprinkle garam masal and mix in. Then turn off the flame.

Cover the wok and keep the curry on dum (steaming) for 2-3 minutes. The process of dum gently allows aromatics and spices to release their maximum flavor and retain natural aromas.

After this process when you’ll remove the cover, you’ll feel a tempting fragrance coming out of the kofta curry. Now dish it out. Easy kofta curry full of flavors with soft and juicy meatballs is ready to serve.

This spicy kofta Curry pairs well with non/roti, or chapati. You can also serve it with boiled rice along with salad and raita.

Tips for Best Kofta Curry

Handle the koftas gently in the curry base. Stir them carefully to keep them intact.
The meatball recipe uses a fair amount of savory spices in the meatballs. Now we will have a light hand on spices in the curry.
Everything fresh, especially aromatics and freshly ground spices give a nice aroma and taste to the food.
Add ginger-garlic paste before adding tomatoes. This step is necessary to remove the strong scent of the garlic.

Kofta Curry

To have an incredibly delicious kofta curry, just make the curry base with onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and yogurt and season it with aromatic and savory spices. Then take out the frozen meatballs and drop them in the steaming hot curry and let them cook for a couple of minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Pakistani

Servings 5

Ingredients

500 grams koftas (16 meatballs)
250 grams onion
125 grams tomato paste
1½ tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp salt or to taste
¾ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp red chili flakes
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala powder (hot spices powder)
½ cup yogurt
1½ cup water
fresh green chilies and coriander leaves for garnishing
½ cup cooking oil (100 grams)