It takes only around 30 minutes to prepare this vegetarian kofta curry, making it ideal for a weeknight. The veggie balls from Ikea make for a fantastic and stupidly simple vegetarian kofta dish, according to my in-laws, who are Indian. With basmati rice, please.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ onion, grated
- 1 (2 inch) piece ginger root, peeled and grated
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup whole milk yogurt
- 24 frozen meatless vegetable meatballs (such as IKEA®’s frozen vegetable balls)
- ¼ cup hot water, or as needed
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, cardamom pods, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Cook until spices start to sputter, about 1 minute. Stir in onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in diced tomatoes, coriander, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, cayenne, and salt. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer; add yogurt and stir well. Add frozen vegetable balls. Pour in hot water to thin sauce slightly to desired consistency. Bring mixture back to a simmer and cook, covered, until sauce is thickened and vegetable balls are heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
- The vegetable balls from Ikea are vegan, so you can easily make this a vegan curry by using just oil instead of butter and using coconut cream instead of yogurt.
- I make this family friendly and less spicy by omitting cayenne pepper. It is still totally delicious.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 150 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 6 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 542 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I’ve used vegetarian and non-vegetarian meatballs in this and also thrown in cauliflower and other vegetables. Very versatile and tastes great!
So easy and a very quick weeknight meal! I used Jack and Annies Vegetarian meatless meatballs.
This is truly simple, fast, and delicious. I used a homemade version of the Ikea veggie balls that I had frozen. I used unsweetened soy yogurt and olive oil. This kept the meal vegan. This recipe works perfectly. I even served it with reheated basmati rice I had frozen. Dinner doesn’t get any easier.
absolutely delicious!
I substituted in meatless meatballs. The recipe overall was a little disappointing to me, but my meat-eating friends enjoyed it!
I would give this 6 stars if I could! This was amazing and I’ll definitely make it again! I served it with Grapevine Spice and Tea Exchange Thai Green Curry Rice blend, salad, and Little Penguin Shiraz. Happy I made enough for two meals!
Delicious! No IKEA around here so I used Vegan Meatballs from Garden. Would also be nice with veggies, next time I’ll try Cauliflower, Peas or Mushrooms. Husband says it is a keeper.
The author could have used a better looking pot for the presentation.