Pakistani Scotch Eggs - Nargisi Koftay

Ingredients:Mince for the kofte:1 kg lean beef mince2 cups channa daal (soaked in water prior to cooking for 30 mins)2 medium onions, peeled and cut roughly into 4 pieces each3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and kept whole1 long cinnamon quill10-15 black peppercorns6-8 cardamom pods, bruised1 whole star anise1 tbsp each of whole coriander seeds and cumin seeds1 dry red chilli2 bay leavesSalt to taste2 medium tomatoes, cut into 4 pieces each1 1/2 inch of ginger, peeled1 egg, beatenWater1 small bunch of coriander leaves1/2 bunch of mint leaves and 2 green chillies, de-seeded if preferredvegetable oil to fry preferably Rapeseed oilEggs etc:5 hard boiled eggs, shelled1 tbsp cornflourIngredients for the curry:3-4 red onions, sliced and then deep-fried until brown (can be done a few days in advanced and kept in fridge)2 tsp cumin seeds1 cup of cashew nuts, ground1-2 cups of natural yoghurt, whipped1 ½ tbsp paste of ginger and garlic in equal quantities4 tbsp tomato puree¾ tsp red chilli powder½ cup passata and water at handsalt to tastevegetable oil for cooking preferably Rapeseed oilFeeds about 4-6 people and takes up to 1 hour or more to prepare

This recipe of “Nargisi Kofte”, is handed down to me by my mother and her additions to the recipe make it different to the usual ones for this dish.... “Nargisi Kofte” is something I like to describe as a Pakistani version of a ‘Scotch egg’ – in this case, its a cooked beef mince which is stuffed with a boiled egg and then served in a spicy curry. Traditionally this is a celebratory dish and you are sure to impress your guests with the explosion of flavours and colours – in my mom’s home this was always made for religious festival dinners or for special occasions. There are many recipes for the mince but this is my mom’s own and actually she always used the  “Shami Kebabs”  to cover the eggs and form the kofte.. this isn't the usual recipe but it  works beautifully – so in essence it’s a two in one recipe which has a ‘make ahead’ quality. I have repeated the ingredients/procedure for the Shami mixture here for ease of reference.Method for the mince and kofte: Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan with a lid, save for the egg, ginger, coriander and mint leaves and green chilli. Add enough water to cover the contents and cook on medium heat until all the water runs dry – this is very important, you need to be left with an extremely dry cooked mince, keep stirring if required. May take up to 30 – 40 minutes.Once the mixture is bone dry, take out the solid spices and blend mince into a smooth paste with the ginger until everything is blended. Now add in the beaten egg, and blend further. Finely add finely chopped coriander, chilli and mint. Now to make the Nargisi Kofte:Take a bit of the mince flatten it and cover each boiled egg until completely covered (resembles a Scotch egg). Heat oil in a shallow pan and fry he covered eggs until browned on each side. Once done keep aside and start to make the curry. (Tip: If the mince covering on the egg starts to break, lightly cover with cornflour before frying)Method for the curry:In a saucepan heat the oil over medium heat and fry cumin until they splutter. Now add the ginger and garlic paste and allow to brown slightly. Add the browned onions and fry for a few minutes.Next add the yoghurt and allow the curry to cook down until the oil separates from the yoghurt. Now add the tomato paste and passata. Keep stirring until the oil separates further. Add a bit of water if you think the curry is too thick. Add salt and chilli to taste.  Just before taking of the heat, add the ground cashews and mix. The curry should not be too thick or too thin.(Tip: If you find that the curry is a bit lumpy, I blend the curry in a small blender before adding the cashews.) To assemble the Nargisi kofte:Pour the curry out in a serving bowl, cut the Nargisi kofte into halves and carefully place into the curry. Serve with some boiled basmati rice.