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Spiced Kofta in Dal Gravy Recipe

Freshly Picked

Entertaining

Main meals
A plate of white rice with plant-based curry and naan is served, alongside dal gravy and vegan kofta naan on a colourful tablecloth.
A plate of white rice with spiced plant-based kofta or curried protein, next to a pan of similar pieces in dal gravy, topped with coriander.

Think of this as dal’s more interesting and glamorous cousin. Soft, veggie-packed koftas bake directly in a spiced lentil gravy that’s scented with cardamom, cumin and cinnamon, creating a deeply savoury dish that’s hearty, aromatic and perfect for mopping up with naan.

You will need

Serves 4

For the sauce:

  • 100ml neutral oil
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 3 green cardamom pods
  • 1 black cardamom pod (if you can find them!)
  • 1 x 5cm cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder, or sub paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 150g of coconut milk
  • 500ml of water
  • 1/4 cup red lentils

For the kofta:

  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 10 green beans
  • 1/4 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • 1 large potato, cut in half and boiled until soft
  • 100g of firm tofu
  • 30g of breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons bread flour
  • 1 large teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • Salt and pepper, pinches, to taste

To serve:

  • Handful of fresh coriander leaves
  • Rice or naan

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Directions

20 mins to prep

30 mins to cook

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 180°C.

  2. Step 2

    For the dal, sauté the onions in the oil in a wide, heavy-based, oven-safe pan over medium heat until they start to go translucent. Add the tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt, and turn up the heat a bit. Add the garlic, ginger, all your spices/seasonings, and the caster sugar. Mix and fry for a few minutes until fragrant and a good amount of the water has evaporated.

  3. Step 3

    Pour coconut milk and water into the frying pan and bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the lentils. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, until the lentils have started to soften (they’ll finish cooking in the oven!).

  4. Step 4

    For the koftas: Add the carrots and beans (the tougher items) to a food processor and blitz for 30 seconds or until roughly chopped, almost as if grated. Then add your cauliflower and potato, and blitz again. The vegetables should resemble a crumb consistency.

  5. Step 5

    Add the tofu, breadcrumbs, bread flour, cumin, garam masala, salt, and pepper, and blitz until the mixture comes together into a thick paste that holds in shape when rolled.

  6. Step 6

    Wet your hands and scoop out a ping-pong-ball-sized portion of the kofta mixture, then gently shape it into a somewhat oblong shape, resembling a dumpling or gyoza. Repeat with all your kofta mixture, and as you go, place each kofta into the sauce; they should not be completely submerged, but rather half submerged in the sauce.

  7. Step 7

    Transfer the whole pan to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes — the koftas will go nice and golden on top.

  8. Step 8

    Serve like this at the table (pro-tip: leave a tea towel or oven mitt around the handle if still hot!) with a bunch of coriander leaves sprinkled across the top. You can serve this with rice, or as Simon prefers, garlic naan. But both work great!

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