Nargisi Kofta Recipe

: A Rich Mughlai Egg And Meat Curry

Nargisi kofta is a Mughlai dish that takes its name from the narcissus flower (called ‘nargis’ in Urdu and Hindi) because when you slice the kofta in half, the yellow yolk surrounded by white egg resembles the flower's yellow centre and white petals. When it comes to the Nargisi kofta recipe, it has contested origins with both Lucknow (home of Awadhi cuisine) and Hyderabad claiming to have created it. Although the concept of kofta is said to have come from Persia to India through the Mughals. What makes Nargisi kofta distinct from regular kofta curries is that, instead of serving boiled eggs alongside the meatballs as is common in many kofta dishes, here the hard-boiled eggs are completely encased inside a spiced minced meat mixture before they are deep-fried and then simmered in gravy. Its recipe requires some technique but isn't as complicated as it appears. The Nargisi kofta recipe usually uses mutton or lamb mince, though chicken works well, if you want a less rich version. The meat is mixed with finely chopped or ground onions, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, and spices, then bound with gram flour (besan) and a raw egg. The mixture needs to be smooth enough to spread evenly around the boiled eggs but firm enough to hold its shape during deep frying. The gravy is a classic onion-tomato base enriched with yoghurt and finished with kasuri methi.