Food for Happy Souls
The residents of coastal regions are very fond of seafood. My family is no exception. Both my parents as well as my husband love their fish and prefer eating it over any meat. Being the sole vegetarian in the non-vegetarian family, I have learnt to …
Lauki Kofta has been my favorite dish to eat since childhood. Though the thought of eating Lauki or Bottle Gourd as a vegetable irks many and yet this dish will make you want more. My mommy made this dish on rare occasion as its meant …
Indian Cuisine is distinctively known for wide varieties of curries and gravies made for vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian ingredients. Nariyal ke Kofte ( known as Nadiya Bara Tarkari in Odia) is a typical dish in Odisha made on special occasions.
I have tried to make a healthier version of Nariyal Ke Kofte by making the koftas or Coconut balls in Paniyaram pan instead of deep-frying them. As a matter of fact, this pan has been a real boon in my cooking. I use minimal oil in my cooking through this method and have perfect round koftas every time.
My Mom-in-Law often made this dish and was much-loved by the family especially my husband. Frankly, he is fond of any dish that is round shape like Manchurian, koftas of different variety etc. I have been making all such dishes in Paniyaram pan. On a good note, after seeing me cooking koftas and Manchurian in similar way, both my Mommy and Mom-in-Law have started using this pan in their cooking as well.
Many of you be thinking, how good are these Nariyal ke Kofte. Well trust me, these will appease everyone in your family and are not too heavy on your stomach. The gravy is a simple tomato-onion based which is not too rich. My motto with trying out these recipes has always been to make them healthy yet tasty and flavorsome.
The reason I chose to share this easy and simple recipe of Nariyal Ke Kofte is because of the varied benefits of Coconut. Some of the key benefits are enlisted below:-
Now I am one of those people who find the aroma of coconut oil or coconut in our food a bit overpowering. Gladly, I have managed to tone down the generic taste of coconut.
Keeping in mind the nutritional benefits of coconut and this easy yet healthy dish in mind, let us dive into the recipe.
A delicious dish of Koftas made of Coconut cooked in a light yet flavorful tomato-onion based gravy.
Thoroughly wash the rice and soak them for 10-15 minutes in warm water.
In a Grinding jar, add the freshly grated Coconut, Cumin Seeds, soaked Rice and 2 tsp of water. Make a coarse and thick paste. In case the mixture is too dry, add the remaining 2 tsp water and grind for another 1 minute.
Take out the ground coconut paste and add salt to taste. In case the paste seems runny, add the rice flour to soak up the excess moisture.
Heat the Paniyaram pan, and brush all the cavities with oil. Add small portions of the coconut mixture into the cavities of the pan and fry till the koftas are golden in color. each side of the koftas would approximately take 3-4 minutes on medium flame.
In a pan heat oil. Add the Cumin Seeds and allow them to splutter. Once fragrant, add the chopped onions and saute them until they become translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry them until the raw smell goes off.
Add the freshly prepared tomato puree and cook well. Now add the ground spices like Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder and Coriander powder. Mix well and add Salt as per the taste.
Once the onion and tomatoes are cooked well with the ground spices such that you can see the masala leaving sides of the pan, add in 1 cup of water and bring it to boil.
As the gravy simmers, add the garam masala and mix well. now add the prepared koftas to the gravy and cook them for 2-3 minutes. The koftas tend to soak the water so adjust your gravy accordingly.
Once the koftas are ready, garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roti/paratha as per your liking.
In case you don't have a paniyaram pan, prepare the koftas by deep-frying them till golden brown. However, I would really urge you to buy one as it's a great cookware for your kitchen.
Hope you will try out this recipe and share your thoughts about it.
