Servings: —
Prep Time: 35 min
Koftas are little patties or balls made from ground or mashed vegetables. In traditional East Indian cooking, they are usually deep-fried, and served in a creamy, savory sauce. In this recipe, the koftas are shaped into patties, similar to felafel, then sauteed or baked, instead of deep-fried. These delicious little circles are also quite pretty: a deep shade ofgolden yellow, punctuated by nuggets of bright green peas. For a great lunch, serve them in pitas, with tninced tomatoes and cucumbers and some yogurt. They also taste wonderful topped with Mediterranean Yogurt (page 169).
Ingredients
1 medium-size sweet potato or garnet yam (3/4 pound)
1½ to 2 cup cooked chickpeas (1 15 oz can, rinsed and drained)
1 lg clove garlic
2 scallions, cut into 1″” pieces
2 tsp lightly toasted cumin seeds
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 Tbsp unbleached white flour
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
vegetable or oive oil for sauteing
Directions
Peel and dice the sweet potato or yam, and cook it in boiling water until soft-about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Drain well. (Or cook the whole sweet potato in the microwave until soft, then peel.) You should have about 1½ cups of cooked sweet potato. Transfer to a food processor.
Add all the other ingredients, except the flour, peas, and oil. Puree until fairly smooth. (The mixture might be very thick, depending on the sweet potato or yam, so be patient with this process.) Transfer to a bowl.
Stir in the flour until it is thoroughly incorporated, then gently stir in the peas. Form into large or small patties. To make them uniform and professional looking, use a ¼ -cup measure to scoop up the mixture, then pat each one down until it is about ½ -inch thick and 2 ½ inches in diameter.
Place a skillet over medium heat and add a little bit of oil. When the oil is very hot, add the patties, and saut6 for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and heated through. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Yield. About 16 2 ½ -inch patties (4 main-dish servings; 6 appetizer servings)
Preparation time: 35 to 40 minutes
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