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Nargisi Kofta Indian Scotch Egg

Introduction & method

It is said that nargisi kofta was the inspiration for the invention of the scotch egg by Fortnum and Mason in 1738. The Indian version is a boiled egg wrapped in minced meat and frequently served in a curry sauce. The koftas aren't coated in breadcrumbs. The name comes from the nargis flower (narcissus) because its yellow trumpet and white petals look like a sliced open boiled egg.

 Nargisi Kofta Indian Scotch Egg Recipe

Boil the Eggs


Your egg yolks should be set but not too firm. Place the eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook with a lid on the pan for 7 minutes. Immediately remove them from the pan and place in a bowl of iced water. If you have a sous vide setup and a spare hour, heat a container of water to 75° Celsius (167° Fahrenheit), pop the eggs in and leave them for one hour. Place in iced water for 5 minutes, then peel them.

Make the Koftas


In a food processor or mincer, mix the minced meat, ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilli powder, cumin and gram flour. If using an onion, peel and coarsely chop that then throw it in with the mixture. When you have a fairly smooth paste, add the egg and mix again. Divide the mixture into five equal portions. Roll the peeled eggs in cornflour - this will help the meat mixture stick. Flatten a portion of kofta mixture into a disc, place an egg in the centre, and wrap the kofta around it. Smooth it down to make any joins stick together. Place the koftas in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Make the Sauce


Peel and finely chop the onion. Heat oil in a frying pan or wok, add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until sortened and a little brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for one minute then add the tomatoes. Stir well then add the salt, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and yoghurt. Gently simmer the sauce until the oil separates (about 10 minutes).

Cook the Koftas


The koftas need to be deep fried for about a minute, so heat enough oil to cover them in a wok or saucepan and gently lower the eggs in. They are quite delicate and prone to cracking, so be careful. Cook one or two at a time and turn them gently to get them evenly browned. After a minute or so, remove them and drain on kitchen paper. Now check the sauce for seasoning and add salt if needed. Add the koftas and let them cook gently for 20 minutes.

To Serve


Remove the koftas from the sauce andcut in half lengthways. Ladle some sauce into a bowl and arrange koftas cut side up. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice or flatbread.


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Nargisi Kofta Indian Scotch Egg on YouTube.

 
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Ingredients & Info


KOFTAS
 5 medium eggss
 500 grams minced meat (lamb, chicken etc)
 1 medium onion
 4 tbsp gram (chickpea) flour
 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
 1 tsp chilli powder
 1 tsp cumin powder
 1 tsp salt
SAUCE
 1 large onion
 400 grams can chopped tomatoes
 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
 1 tsp chilli powder
 1 tsp cumin powder
 1 tsp salt
 ¼ tsp turmeric
 4 tbsp yoghurt
 4 tbsp vegetable oil
 2 tsp fenugreek leaves

PLUS

1 extra egg for binding kofta. Oil for deep-frying.


UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Makes 5 koftas
Prep time: 20 minutes.
Cooking time: 40 minutes.
Total time: 1 hour.