
Cabbage Kofta is my husband Shankar's signature dish. The finely minced cabbage with a hint of carrot is mixed with besan flour and deep fried. The cabbage balls are nicely textured and hold together firmly under the layer of gravy while still remaining light and fluffy. My husband concocts his own complex blend of spices which are freshly ground together to aromatize and flavor the dish. Shankar is a perfectionist when it comes to his kofta, and I am still chastised when I haphazardly form the kofta balls without rolling them smoothly. I admit his attention to detail makes all the difference in the final product.The kofta recipe has been handed down from a close family friend, to my MIL, who passed it on to her sons.

If you are looking for a dish to make that will impress your friends, this kofta recipe is a surefire hit. When I think of all the times we have had cabbage kofta a number of special memories come to mind; the first time my husband cooked dinner for me, celebration dinners we have had for our friends getting married, to special dinner events we have hosted for our friends at the B-school. A typical dinner party for us invariably includes making a large batch of kofta's in order to satisy our dinner guests AND their requests to take home the leftovers. Foods seem to trigger fond memories for a lot of people, and a signature dish can create that memory between you and your friends. I highly recommend it!
Cabbage Kofta
(Makes about 30 koftas)
Koftas
1 small head cabbage, 1 carrot shredded or finely minced, 3/4 cup besan flour, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp red chilly powder, Salt, oil to deep fry
Gravy
1 pound tomatoes, 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 2 tbsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp saunf seeds, 1/2 tsp anardhana powder, 2 tbsp minced/grated ginger, 2 medium green chillies, 3 dried red chillies, a large handful of cilantro, 1 medium onion, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
1. Grind all the ingredients for the gravy together into a fine paste, adding about 2 cups of water. 2. Sauté the gravy with 2 tbsp. butter letting it thicken. Bring this to a boil, seasoning with salt.
3. Mince the cabbage (best done with a food processor). Add salt and leave it for a few minutes.
4. Squeeze as much of the water out of the cabbage as possible.
5. Add the besan to the cabbage, along with the rest of the kofta ingredients, and knead it together.
6. Form this mixture into small balls, and fry them in hot oil until brown.
7. Add the balls to the gravy, and let it soak for about half an hour.
This recipe is taken from my brother in law Gopi's website, and he has mentioned a few tips as follows. Squeeze as much water out of the cabbage as possible so the balls will absorb less water while frying. Add the carrot after you squeeze out the water in order to squeeze out the maximum amount of water.

23 comments:
hi
very nice recipe, it is really new one, i have never heard about this.
thank you sharing such a wonderful recipe.
just a question what is anardhana powder?
jyothi
another hit recipe from shankar:) they sure do look like made by some perfectionist and professional chef:) bow to the head chef and assitant chef:)
This dish is really fantastic!! I know because I have been lucky enough to taste it!
Jyothi,
Anardhana powder is pomegranite powder. It imparts a really good distinct flavor. You can get it in all Indian stores. I recommend getting whole dried anardhana seeds and grinding them, but the store bought powder is good too.
Kanchana
wow!!!i have made kofta ,but with kauki ..This is nice one .Thks for sharing ..Yummy One
Whoa!! He is a fab cook,isn't he? How lucky you are!:))
Looks delish.
Hi Kanchana,,
Cabbage kofta looks great, actually i have in my mind from long time to give a try for koftas....not yet till now...i need to try dear....
wow, wow!! This is new, and I bet, tastes as great as it looks.....I hope you will like the gifts,take care.
-trupti
Recommendation noted. Will be making these soon.
Hi kanchana,
ur malai kofta looks yummy...always wanted to try but didnt find a recipe.I will surely make a try.Ur sis gift is too good...
I am sure this will be as delicious as his green curry!
wow the khofta looks inviting! looks excellent
I make the koftas using carrot and cabbage with corn flour and maida for manchurian.. This pakodas in a delicious gravy looks good and thanks for sharing a good recipe .
nice one...looks very rich ...and quite rare...thanks for sharing
srivalli
www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com
hi thanks for sharing this lovely recipe, looks v v gud
hey these look just like my mum's cabbage koftas she makes for punjabi kadhi... yum thanks for the recipe...will try them
the recipe seems interesting, haven't heard a kofta with cabbage. going to give it a try. all your dishes look fanastic. awesome work!!!!
You know what, one day, I was desparately wanting to have koftas, when I saw the refrigerator had no bottlegourd stocked. There was however a lone cabbage sitting in & I thought I am a genius & whipped up a wonderful cabbage kofta. Till I read your recipe, I was under the impression that I was the one who invented this dish. You've shattered all my hopes of winning an award one day. Bohoo.
But nonetheless, the koftas look delectable. I am a big kofta fan, lauki kofta, cabbage kofta, palak kofta, meat kofta, any kofta.
Hi Kanchana,
I just tried out your cabbage koftas. Never knew cabbage could be this delicious - i usually just make cabbage curry with coconut or kosu malli.
I actually made just the 'vadai' part, and left out the gravy - served it with evening complan to my kids. it was a huge hit - i added green chillies and cilantro to the vadai dough. Will do this with complete works next time.
thanks
Lavanya
Cerritos, CA
HI I tries ur kofta recipe,it came out really good .thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really late in coming to this, but...
I tried making this recipe, and couldn't get the koftas to turn the deep brown that they are in your photo. They just got a few light brown spots. How do I get that pretty deep brown color?
Hi..I tried this today for a party. I added a little bit of cashews while grinding for the paste. The koftas came out really good and gravy was also good. All in all, the guests loved it. So thank you for your wonderful recipe!
Hi Kanchana,
I'm Anjali, Savithri's friend from university. I googled a recipe to make cabbage kofta and your blog was the first hit! I'm making this tonight and will be sure to let you know how it turns out.
Thanks for the recipe!
Anjali
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