Vegan malai kofta: chickpea meatballs with tomato sauce

Ingredients

Kofta (balls):

• 9 oz cooked chickpeas, drained
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika or chili powder
• 1 Tbsp turmeric
• 2.5 Tbsp flour
• 4.4 oz fresh spinach

Tomato sauce:

• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 1 tsp sugar (or 1/2 tsp baking soda)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• A few drops of lemon juice

For garnish:

• Cilantro
• Peanuts

Materials

• pan, chopper, oven, bowl, colander

Preparation

• In a pan with oil, sauté the spinach. When it has wilted, remove the pan from the heat. Drain the spinach in a colander and squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside.
• Drain the cooked chickpeas. In the chopper bowl, add the chickpeas, flour, salt, paprika, turmeric, and drained spinach. Blend, leaving some chunks.
  
• Form balls the size of a ping pong ball. If the mixture is too wet (depending on the moisture left in the spinach), feel free to add a bit more flour and mix to make it easier to handle.
• Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C) and bake for 20 minutes or until the balls are firm.
  
• For the tomato sauce:
  In a pan with a little oil, cook the spices (cumin and coriander) for 5 minutes over low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent them from burning. Chop the garlic and onion into small pieces and add them to the pan. Cook over medium heat.
  
  When the onion is translucent, add the tomato sauce and 1 teaspoon of sugar (this will help counteract the acidity of the tomato). Cook for 5 minutes.
  
  Add the coconut cream. Lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Add a few drops of lemon juice (the acidity will help balance the richness of the cream).
  
  Add the chickpea balls to the sauce and cook for a couple more minutes.
• Serve and sprinkle some chopped peanuts and a few washed, chopped cilantro leaves on top.
  
  And that's it! You can serve it with rice or noodles.
  

Cookware

Questions

Photos of members who cooked this recipe