Kancha Kofta

Continuing from my article of 20^th August 2015 titled “Unearthing of the lost” I have a little detail on another dish that was served during the festival called the Kancha Kofta.

What is it– This dish was part of erstwhile Mughal cuisine which has faded away now. When it was placed in front of us it looked like any other ordinary gravy with Kofte (meatballs) in it. Once you slice a Kofta in 2 half pieces you realise that it has an empty spot/void in between and that is the beauty of this dish. A solid meatball with an empty space in between.

Traditionally all meatballs are made by hand or by machines in a modern-day kitchen. But whatever the method adopted would be, if there is any mould used to leave that space it would even have an exit point on the meatball, which was not the case here.

How is it done– It’s a really smart trick that’s used to make something like this, A small dollop of clarified butter (ghee) is scooped out, given around small shape of marble and frozen.

Once this is frozen it is inserted inside the meatball, as the meatball starts to cook, the clarified butter tends to melt into the ball leaving the space behind.

Origin– Part of the erstwhile Mughal cuisine which have evolved time and again wiping out of some of the old-school dishes from the time.

If you happen to hear even remotely about any of these dishes or any other similar ones, It’s definitely worth a try considering not only the taste but the sheer amount of technicality involved in cooking just one single piece of it. Do let us know if you even lay your hands on it.