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Beef Kofta in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Beef Kofta

Is there a dish that just brings you back to a time and place? Everyone has comfort foods, but not every dish is truly special. When I was in my twenties, I lived on my own for the first time. I was super poor, but extremely proud of my first place. I ran across a sale on cookbooks from the UK. They had all sorts of interesting recipes I never heard of before. That’s where I found Beef Kofta.

I was determined to take these recipes and make them kosher. Obviously, that wasn’t always possible, but considering a lot of them were English adaptations of Asian dishes, more often than not, I could make them work. From these cookbooks I created an entire menu for kosher for Passover Indian Dinner that I called Slumdog Pesach. I hosted Slumdog Pesach several times over, and Beef Kofta was always the star dish out of them all.

Beef Kofta

This beef kofta dish melts in your mouth and sticks to your ribs. It’s the kind of dish that you want seconds and thirds, but have to be careful – it can be a bit heavy! The flavors and smells of beef kofta brings be back to a time of utter independence. No significant other, no children, just a couple of dogs and a belief that I could do anything. Seriously, the level of my confidence is stunning when I think back on it. I can’t imagine my life without my husband and son, but often think about that 26-year-old young woman and wonder what happened to her?

Save this beef kofta recipe for a rainy day. Pin the pic below!

Beef Kofta

Beef Kofta

Beef Kofta


  1. 3 tablespoons olive oil
  2. 2 large onions, finely chopped
  3. 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  4. 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
  5. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
  6. 1 14oz can of chopped tomatoes
  7. 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  8. 2 cups vegetable stock
  9. 1 cup full fat coconut milk
  10. 1lb ground beef
  11. 1 large handful of mint, finely chopped
  12. 1 large handful of parsely, finely chopped
  13. 1 egg, lightly beaten
  14. Juice of 1 lime


  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan.
  2. Cook onions until lightly brown, then add garlic, garam masala and chilli powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove half of the onion mixture into a bowl and set aside.
  3. To the onion mixture in the frying pan, add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Cover and set aside.
  4. In a bowl with the cooled onion mixture, add beef, herbs and beaten egg. With your hands, roll the meat into walnut-sized balls (about 2 dozen). Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Heat the sauce to simmering. Add beef kofta balls and cook over low heat for and hour, or until cooked through.
  6. Gently stir the balls occasionally. Stir in lime juice.
  7. Garnish with herbs. Serve with rice.

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