Broccoli Kofta Curry with Avocado Parathas – succulent and soft, crispy on the outside but super tender on the inside air fried/deep fried broccoli koftas simmering in a smooth, satiny and delicious onion-tomato-cashew gravy served with soft and healthy avocado parathas.
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You are going to love making and enjoying this combo of kofta curry (using broccoli; yes, a sneaky yet delicious way to get your family to eat their broccoli) with soft avocado parathas again and again like my family and I have! Have leftover koftas (air fry them or if you do not have an air fryer, deep fry them!)? Then serve them as a snack with your evening chai/coffee; two in one deal isn’t it? I love such recipes!
WHAT IS BROCCOLI KOFTA CURRY?
Broccoli kofta is a fried (air fried or deep fried) dumpling or fritter made with finely minced raw broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes (or you can use raw bananas/plantains, potatoes or even grated paneer or tofu if vegan), chickpea flour, rice flour and some basic spice powders like chili powder, garam masala powder etc. Once ready they are simmered in a creamy and satiny onion-tomato gravy infused with aromatic and exotic spices. Swimming in that “to die for delicious gravy” (which can be used to dunk any kofta or with added vegetables of your choice), those crispy on the outside but tender and soft on the inside broccoli koftas turn into succulent and melt in mouth bites of deliciousness. Dip your parathas/rotis/naan or even soft bread slices in this yummiliicous kofta curry or if you are not a flat bread person, then feel free to enjoy with hot and steamed plain rice, jeera rice or any pulao or biryani! An absolutely delicious way to make your family eat their broccoli don’t you feel?
INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS DELICIOUS BROCCOLI KOFTA CURRY SERVED WITH AVOCADO PARATHAS:
For fried broccoli koftas: Broccoli – separate raw broccoli into florets and mince to fine crumbs in a food processor/blender or hand chopper. There is no need to blanch the broccoli; one step less to deal with! Sweet Potatoes – you will need only one small one. Just steam, peel and mash or grate it. If you do not like or have sweet potatoes, feel free to use regular potatoes or even raw banana/plantain like I did the second time I made it. You have a choice of using even grated tofu or paneer (if not vegan). Flour – to bind the dough, you will need some rice flour and chickpea flour. You could use cornstarch (called cornflour in the US) instead too. Try not to use too much of the flours as then the koftas will become too tough; you want them light and airy. Spice powders – red chili powder (I have used Kashmiri red chili powder which adds more color than heat) and garam masala powder (any favorite you like or have). A dash of oil (any odorless oil) if using an air fryer or more oil if deep frying For the gravy: Tomatoes – about 2 cups chopped Onions –you can use red or white onions; you will need about 1 cup Fresh ginger and garlic, black pepper corns, whole cinnamon stick, bay leaf and some cashew nuts to add richness and thickness to the gravy. If you want your gravy more spicy, feel free to use some dry whole red chilies if you have or even green chilies or jalapenos/serrano peppers. Oil, some more Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powders are the rest of the gravy ingredients. For the avocado parathas: 1 large ripe avocado Whole wheat flour or multigrain flour to make the dough Some oil to shallow fry the parathas. If making puris (deep fried Indian flat bread), you will need more oil.
HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI KOFTA CURRY (with sweet potatoes) and AVOCADO PARATHAS/PURIS (step-wise instructions given at end of post):
Just mix the kofta ingredients to a soft dough, make small balls and either air fry (I made mine in a Cosori Air Fryer) or deep fry. For the gravy, simmer the gravy ingredients in some water for a few minutes, drain, blitz or blend, strain to remove bits of whole spices and then simmer the paste with some oil, spice powders and salt and sugar to the consistency you like. Keep the gravy more on the thinner than thicker side as once you dunk the koftas in them, they tend to absorb the gravy and thicken it over time. To make avocado parathas/puris, make a soft dough with mashed avocado and flour, roll into discs and either shallow fry to make avocado parathas or deep fry to make puris.
That is it! Just serve this super delicious combo hot and enjoy as an everyday special meal or at gatherings and parties or special occasions. These koftas are so versatile, you can make broccoli koftas to enjoy in this satiny and scrumptious gravy or serve as a snack with your favorite dip; green chutney or ketchup. Either way, you and your family (and friends) will love this unique combo to be enjoyed as a weekend treat or at any special gathering or party! With festivals and special occasions like Christmas, Diwali, New Year and Halloween coming up, don’t you think it would be great combo to serve? You can make the koftas and gravy ahead of time (or make the koftas the day you serve; just make the dough ahead) to save some time the day of the party. I MADE THIS DELICIOUS BROCCOLI KOFTA CURRY AGAIN THIS TIME USING COOKED RAW BANANAS/PLANTAINS INSTEAD OF SWEET POTATOES AND WITH KALE PURIS! You can find the recipe for kale parathas/puris here. Instead of making parathas, I made a fine paste of the kale bits with ginger and then deep fried small discs of the dough ball to make kale puris.
Hope you get to make this in your home and if you do happen to, I would love to see it and hear about your impression of this healthy and delicious Indian curry served with parathas (avocado or kale). Please try and leave a comment in the box below (do not forget to rate it with a star rating) or share your version on Instagram (tagging me @curryandvanilla16) or on my Facebook page.
More Delicious Indian Curry Recipes:
Pressure Cooker Paneer Makhani Tofu Tikka Masala Curry 30-Minute Chana Masala Curry Aloo Tikka Masala Curry
Enjoy Foodies and Happy Cooking/Eating/Sharing!
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STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BROCCOLI KOFTA CURRY WITH AVOCADO PARATHAS/PURIS:
TO MAKE THE BROCCOLI KOFTAS: First step is to make the broccoli koftas. Separate broccoli into florets, wash and drain well and then mince to fine crumbs in a processor or blender jar.
Steam a medium sized sweet potato until soft. Peel and grate or mash well.
In a large mixing bowl, add the grated or finely minced broccoli, mashed or grated sweet potato (or cooked raw bananas or even potatoes), rice flour, besan/chickpea flour and spice powders with salt. Mix well and make a soft dough like mixture. Sprinkle water if needed or if too wet, add a teaspoon/tablespoon or more of besan and/or rice flour. Grease your hands with oil (optional but makes for a smooth ball of dough). Make small golf ball size balls and set aside on a plate
Now, you can either air fry or deep fry these koftas. To air fry, preheat air fryer at 400 F for 5 minutes. Place the broccoli kofta balls in the air fryer basket (line with parchment if necessary or grease the basket with some oil). Ari fry koftas for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping over halfway until slightly golden brown and crispy to the touch. The koftas will be soft and tender inside. You can deep fry too if you want. Again, add more besan and/or rice flour to form firm balls but do not add too much flour or the koftas will be dense and hard
Deep fry on medium heat, flipping often until golden brown.
FOR KOFTA GRAVY: Boil 3 to 5 tomatoes, (about 2 cups roughly chopped tomatoes), 1 cup roughly chopped onions, 15 to 20 cashews, 3 green cardamoms, 1 inch cinnamon, 3 large cloves garlic, and 1 inch ginger along with teaspoon of black pepper and 1 bay leaf for 20 minutes.
Drain/strain, remove the whole bay leaf, cool and blitz to fine paste. Strain through a sieve to remove any bits of whole spices used. Keep the broth aside for use to dilute gravy. Keep mashing the mixture with a spatula or spoon to rub the paste against the sieve. You will get a thick sauce like mixture.
To prepare the gravy, in a kadai/saucepan, heat 2 to 3 tbsp oil (you can substitute 1 tbsp of oil with regular butter or vegan butter). Once hot, add 1 teaspoon of kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp dhania/coriander powder and 1 tsp jeera/cumin powder; bloom for a few seconds. Add strained tomato onion puree and mix well; cook on medium low heat for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously.
Stir in the strained broth (as much as you want) along with some water if needed and adjust consistency of gravy. Add salt to taste and 1 to 2 tablespoons of jaggery/ sugar to balance the acidity of tomatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes, stirring in between. Garnish with crushed Kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves and/or freshly chopped cilantro/coriander leaves. A few minutes before serving, dunk the broccoli koftas (air fried or deep fried), as many as you need and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot with avocado paratha or puri (which ever you prefer) or your favorite flat bread.
TO MAKE AVOCADO PARATHA: Mash 1 ripe avocado and add 2 to 2 ½ cups of multigrain atta/flour or plain whole wheat flour. Add salt to taste and make a soft dough with a little water (do not add too much; add as needed) and knead for 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside covered for about 30 minutes.
Make parathas (make small balls, roll into large discs and shallow fry on a flat griddle) or puris (make small balls, roll into small 3 to 4 inch discs using a rolling pin and deep fry in hot oil until puffy and light golden brown on both sides).
TO SERVE: Serve hot and delicious Broccoli Kofta Curry with avocado parathas or puris for lunch, dinner, brunch or as a special dish at gatherings and special occasions.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
