Cabbage Kofta curry

The symmetric pakodas and the above pic is courtesy Smita, my s-i-l, an amazing cook!

I had recently made cabbage kofta curry for our friends' parents. Our friends are from Kerala, so initially I was quite skeptical about making North Indian food for the parents, but luckily both aunty and uncle like North Indian food. BTW, I find it very intriguing that the moment we meet any Indian elderly couple, we address them as Indians do, whereas any "firang", no matter how old he or she is, is always addressed by his / her first name :-) I would love to address some elderly Finnish person as uncle / aunty some time, just to see his reaction ;-)) Anyway, coming back to my cabbage kofta curry recipe, this is one of those dishes which look very rich and are perfect for a party, and also do not need too many special ingredients, unlike other kofta curries. So, enjoy this dish for the next party that you plan!

Ingredients:
For koftas:
* 1 cup shredded cabbage
* 4-5 tsps besan (chana flour)
* 2 tsps rice flour
* Fresh grated ginger - 1 inch piece
* 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
* 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
* 1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
* 2 green chillies finely chopped
* salt as per taste
* 2 tsps finely chopped coriander
* Oil for frying

For garam masala:
* 1 cardamom
* 2-3 cloves
* 1 small piece of cinnamon
* 1 tsp poppy seeds
* 1/4 tsp sesame seeds

For the gravy:
* 2 onions
* 2-3 tomatoes - pureed
* 2-3 tbsps cream
* 1/2 cup coriander
* 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
* salt as per taste
* few drops of honey

Effort: 45 mins

Serves: 6 persons

- Mix all the ingredients for koftas, make sure that the cabbage is predominant than the chana flour mix. Make small balls or pakodas, and deep fry in oil

- On a pan, roast all the spices for garam masala. Roast till you can smell the fragrance of the spices. Let it cool. Grind the spices to a fine powder in a grinder
- Heat a few spoons of oil, fry the finely chopped onions. Fry till the onions are golden brown, add coriander and fry for sometime. Let is cool. Grind the onion mix to a fine paste in a grinder
- Make tomato puree. Make a small cross cut on each of the tomatoes, immerse the tomatoes in boiling water
- Let the tomatoes cool, remove skin and grind to a fine paste
- Heat a small amount of butter in a pan, add the onions paste, fry for a minute, add garam masala, red chilli powder and salt. Add tomato puree, cook till oil separates from the gravy. The gravy should be slightly thick
- Add cream, and cook for 2-3 minutes on low heat


- For serving, place the koftas on a serving plate, pour the gravy on top of the kotas. Garnish with cream, mint leaves (optional) and coriander leaves