Meet your foolproof and one pot Pakistani Kofty ka Salan recipe that simplifies the cooking without sacrificing authentic flavour! Tips and tricks for storing, keeping yoghurt from splitting, and other must know info is in the post.
🔍 Quick Look: Kofta Curry or Koftay ka Salan
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 50 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 70 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 6
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop
- ⭐ Difficulty: Medium
- Key to Success: browning the onion paste, simmering koftas hands off, correctly adding the yoghurt in
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Wow these came out so well! Thank you! Lately you have become my go to blog for everyday recipes! Love the detailed explanations. Thank you! - Maria Humayun
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- 🔍 Quick Look: Kofta Curry or Koftay ka Salan
- Summarize and Save this Content On
- A Little Recipe Backstory
- What makes this Koftay Recipe a success
- Kofte ka Salan Ingredients
- Making Kofta Curry
- Must Know Kofta Salan Tips:
- Kofta Curry Recipe FAQs!
- What do I serve with Koftay?
- Authentic Kofta Curry Simplified
- Comments
A Little Recipe Backstory
I grew up in a koftas in the freezer kind of family. It is like my mother was always prepared for a koftay ka salan emergency that would require her to whip up enough for 40 people at an hours notice. Some of my earliest cooking memories are of my nani (grandmother) teaching me how to shape them so they are all perfectly evenly round and tossing the meat back into the bowl when they didn't pass muster. This recipe was developed as an homage to both women, but I have made one significant change.
I made it easier.
Now I am a traditionalist at heart. However, sometimes I do tweak recipes, just like my busy day Pakistani Aloo Gosht Curry to keep the comfort of our beloved favorites accessible when we don't have hours to kill.
What makes this Koftay Recipe a success
After many, many tests here is what we have, a Kofta Curry that
1.) has easy to make koftas that stay tender
2.) has that classic koftay ka salan flavour which comes from how the onions are prepped, the spices balanced, and the yoghurt at the end. Oh and no tomatoes here ok folks?
3.) MOST importantly for this recipe you can add the koftay directly into the gravy - no need to fry them first - not only does this save time, but it makes them tender, extra juicy, and flavorful.
Kofte ka Salan Ingredients
- Yoghurt: For curries please try and use full fat yoghurt, the lower fat variants tend to split easier and provide less depth
- Ginger & Garlic Pastes: The BEST thing you can do for your Pakistani cooking is make your own pastes, they take 5 minutes to make, fresh garlic paste is easy enough thanks to peeled garlic and I learnt the best time saver for ginger paste.
- Besan: You can use the chickpea flour or chana dal flour variant here, but toasting helps take away that raw chalky flavour profile.
- Ground Beef: I go with lean here because it is the most predictable and likely to hold it's shape. Since the meatballs are cooked in the curry they stay juicy.
- Substitute for Beef: You can use any other ground meat that you like the taste of here
- No Tomatoes: while I have definitely had a chicken kofta curry with tomatoes, growing up we absolutely did not add tomatoes into our beef kofta curry, like a korma the flavour here comes from the pairing of caramelized onions and yoghurt.
Making Kofta Curry
Like many Pakistani dishes timing is key here, but fortunately much of the longer cooking (like the simmering of the koftay) happens hands off!
Step 1: Run your fresh kofta ingredients through the food processor
Step 2: Form into a ball shape with your hands
Step 3: Saute your whole spices in oil until they become aromatic
Step 4: Add your onion paste to the pan and sauté, stirring frequently, till it becomes evenly caramelized
Step 5: Add your pastes, cook for a minute, and then add your spices and saute
Step 6: Pour in 2 cups water, bring to a boil and then add your koftas and simmer for 30-35 minutes.
Step 7: Take the pot off the heat and add your yoghurt - more on avoiding yoghurt splitting below
Step 8: Adjust consistency, then seasoning, and then add your garam masala and serve hot with roti or rice!
Must Know Kofta Salan Tips:
- Save time and washing up by making the onion paste for the salan in the food processor before making your meat mix for the koftay!
- Don't over process the meat mix, it can get tough
- Wet or grease your hands before you make the koftas for easier cleaning
- ALWAYS fry a test meatball and adjust seasoning to taste!
Kofta Curry Recipe FAQs!
While the entire dish can be frozen (true story), most people opt to prep their meatballs, flash freeze them, and transfer into a freezer safe container/bag!
If your meat is watery your meatballs will be too. Anything that absorbs moisture - half a piece of bread, a little breadcrumbs, besan even, will offset that.
To be honest simmering them in the curry makes these incredibly juicy, but if you add in half a slice of bread soaked in milk it softens the kofta.
Yoghurt splits when added to a curry because of the temperature differential between the curry and the yoghurt. If your yoghurt doesn't feel warm to touch by the time you are ready to add it in then simply add a few spoons of the curry into the yoghurt to make it warmer and then stir all of it back into the curry.
Don't touch them. Once they are simmering away do not touch them. If your consistency is correct when you are shaping them then your kofte will keep their beautiful shape.
What do I serve with Koftay?
Menu planning is one of my most favorite things in the world. Here are some ideas for what to serve with your Kofta Curry!
Thank you for being here! Made this Kofta Curry? I'd love to hear your comments - share them below and do leave a recipe rating! You can also tag me on Instagram @flourandspiceblog
Authentic Kofta Curry Simplified
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 pot for cooking the curry
Ingredients
Koftay
- 1 lb extra lean beef keema
- 3 tbsp roasted besan (chickpea flour)
- 1 onion (tennis ball sized)
- 5-6 mint leaves
- ⅓ cup dhania or coriander/cilantro
- 3 green chilies (tops removed)
- ¾ tsp ginger paste
- ¾ tsp garlic paste
- 1 slice of bread, crusts removed, sprinkled with 2 tbsp milk
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp coriander powder (roasted preferred)
- ½ tbsp cumin powder (roasted preferred)
- ¾ tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala
Kofta Salan Ingredients
- 3 onions
- 1 inch long piece cassia bark or cinnamon
- ½ tsp whole black pepper
- 2-3 green cardamom pods
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp green chilli paste (optional) can use two finely diced green chilies instead - it'll change the colour, but add great flavour.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ¾ tsp cumin powder
- ½ cup yogurt
- ½ tsp garam masala
- additional cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
Making the Koftay
- Run your onion, chilies, mint and cilantro through the food processor.
- Now add your remaining ingredients and blitz just enough to make a paste. Stop after a few seconds to scrape the sides and make sure it's all mixing well. Tips on adjusting consistency in FAQs.
- Fry a small test piece, adjust seasoning.
- Shape the koftay - mine are roughly 40g each. Remember to press to bring it together before rolling. Greasing your hands or even wetting them will make it easier.
Making the Koftay ka Salan
- Whisk the yogurt and set it aside close to the stove.
- Puree the onions with v little water or grate them
- Heat a generous amount of oil in a pot and add your whole spices.
- Now add your pureed onions and saute for 8-10 minutes on medium heat until they look a little caramelly - this is what gives koftay ka salan it's distinctive flavour.
- Add your green chilli paste (if using), ginger and garlic pastes, saute for a minute and then add your spices and saute until it all comes together.
- Add 2 cups of hot water to the base, bring it to a boil, lower to a simmer and add the koftay.
- Simmer the koftay (covered) for 30-35 minutes.
- Now take the pot off the heat and add your yogurt. You can warm up the yogurt by adding a little salan to the yogurt - this prevents splitting.
- Adjust consistency, then seasoning. Sprinkle the garam masala over and garnish with cilantro and dig in!
Farah N. says
I never thought I could make Koftay! It always seemed so complicated and the way other people seem to make it is so different from my family. I asked my mother about you recipe and she said onions and yogurt is the right way to make it and I tried it and SHE was impressed! JazakAllah for another great recipe!
Sarah Mir says
Thank you SO SO much Farah for your review!!!
Sarah says
Hi! Point no. 6 for koftay ka salan is the same as point no. 8. Confused me quite a bit! Appreciate if you can correct the sequence!
Sarah Mir says
oh gosh - my bad there, recently made some changes and I think that threw things off. Did you make the koftay?
Crystal says
As I grow older, I keep looking to simplify meals, using ghar kay masalay and recreating flavours that my late mum, daadi and naani would feed us. I was a late bloomer in the kitchen and by the time I learned to appreciate home cooked meals everyone passed on. This recipe tasted like pure nostalgia to me. Sarah's instructions and troubleshooting tips are as always concise, thoughtful and easy to follow. Koftas came out soft despite omitting the bread which I ran out of....salaan split due to my own error of adding cold yoghurt to hot curry but it didn't take away from the flavour at all....this is a 100% foolproof recipe.
Sarah Mir says
Hello Crystal - there was something so very beautiful about how you phrased this. This site comes from a love of those meals and I am so grateful for people like you who they resonate with and who also take the time to leave a review! thank you
Maria says
I love how these kofta come together so perfectly every single time. I usually make an extra batch of the kofta to freeze and then when I am in a hurry, quickly make the salan and add the kofta.
Saeeda Sabah says
Thank you so much. This helped overcome my fears. I followed the recipe seasonings exactly and everything came out perfect. For onions, I added around half the weight of qeema. Each kofta I made using 1 and 1/2 Tbsp of material. 2 dozen from one pound of qeema.
Sarah Mir says
Thank you SO SO much Saeeda for trying it and for your comments! So helpful to know!!!
mony says
I was curious to know how many koftay would you get out of the mix! Thanks for this comment
Sarah Mir says
It obviously varies a little by size, but its around 12!
Maria Humayun says
Wow these came out so well! Thank you! Lately you have become my go to blog for everyday recipes! Love the detailed explanations. Thank you!
Sarah Mir says
That makes me incredibly happy, thank you for taking the time to share your review!
Wafaa says
Why do koftay break while cooking?
Sarah Mir says
Hello Wafaa! In general Koftay break when the temperature of the salan is too high or the mixture isn't rolled compactly enough/it's too wet, I always do a test fry just to make sure things are okay. If your ground beef has too much water in it or if the onion releases too much then you may need to add a little bit of breadcrumbs to take the excess moisture out. Hope this helps!
Wafaa says
Do you wash keema beforehand or just use as it is.
Sarah Mir says
I use as is! Washing it is not necessary and often if you wash it then the residual moisture throws a recipe off!
Wafaa says
Thank you dear, that helps a lot.
Shumaila Islam says
Awesome recipe. Loved the result
Sarah Mir says
Thank you so so very much Shumaila!!!
Shiza Batool says
Hi,
Do you have youtube channel?
Sarah Mir says
Hi Shiza! I don't sadly!
Afshan says
Perfect recipe
Sarah Mir says
Thank you! That means a lot!