The art of cooking Indian food is the art of improvise. At least, this is what my former boss once told me in a team meeting (he was raised in Nepal). That said, improvising a recipe for 60+ people is a daunting task. Luckily, I had Liz Butler to do that on the day of Feast of Verai 2 for the Kofta (meat sticks) and I did just that for the pakora (the fried veggies).
Below are the two “recipes” we used as guidelines. (I cannot share the Butter Chicken recipe; for that, I recommend you head down south to the Disney/Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. The chefs of Disney are the brains behind that one.)
Kofta Kabobs
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound ground beef (or Lamb!)
- 3 tablespoons grated onion
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 28 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Directions
1. Mash the garlic into a paste with the salt using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef's knife on your cutting board. Mix the garlic into the beef (or lamb) along with the onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, ginger, and pepper in a mixing bowl until well blended.
2. Form the mixture into 28 balls. Form each ball around the tip of a skewer, flattening into a 2 inch oval; repeat with the remaining skewers. Place the kebabs onto a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
**Chef Notes: We baked ours. You can do either!**
4. Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning occasionally, until the lamb has cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes for medium.
Pakora
4. Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning occasionally, until the lamb has cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes for medium.
Pakora
**Chef Notes - I eyeballed the ingredients. That is why there are no measurements**
- medium red onion (thinly sliced lengthwise)
- chopped cauliflower (or small florets)
- whole baby yellow potatoes (thinly sliced into rounds // the flatter they’re sliced, the better // ~½ inch slices)
- sea salt
- cayenne pepper
- garam masala
- Curry powder
- cloves garlic (minced)
- minced cilantro
- chickpea/Gram flour
- Water
- Oil for frying
Directions:
1. Add onion, cauliflower, and potato to a large mixing bowl and season with salt, cayenne, garam masala, curry powder, garlic, and minced cilantro. Toss and set aside.
2. To a separate mixing bowl, add chickpea flour and water and stir until a pourable, pancake-like batter is achieved. Then pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. There should be plenty of batter to generously coat the vegetables. If not, mix together bit more batter and pour over the vegetables.
3. If serving with chutney, prepare at this time by adding all ingredients to a food processor or small blender and blend until well combined, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more garlic for kick/zing, salt for saltiness, lime juice for acidity, pepper for heat, or maple syrup for sweetness. Transfer to a serving vessel and set aside.
**Chef Notes: Like most Indian restaurants, we ordered all of our Chutney. You can find some good stuff on Amazon!
4. Heat 2 large skillets over medium high heat. Once hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and let the oil warm. Add the coated vegetables one at a time, grouping the onions together in small bunches so they cook together (see photo). Reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. If cooking too quickly, reduce heat to medium / medium-low. Repeat.
**Chef Notes: We used a deep fryer at the event. You can too! Or even an Air Fryer!
5. As the pakoras are cooked, placed on a paper-towel-lined serving plate and set in a 200-degree F (93 C) oven to keep warm. Repeat until all pakoras are cooked.
6. Serve with chutney and rice (optional), and garnish with fresh cilantro (also optional). Best when fresh. Store leftovers in a well-covered container in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot skillet or in a 400 degree F (204 C) oven until warmed through.