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    Home » Beef/Lamb

    Beef Kofta Curry (Pakistani Meatballs Curry)

    Published: Mar 2, 2020 · Modified: Dec 29, 2021 · By Qashang · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe
    Beef Kofta Curry is a Pakistani meatball curry made with tender, melt-in-the-mouth meatballs called koftas that are cooked in a savoury onion and yogurt sauce. My fool-proof recipe will ensure that the meatballs are tender and do not break in the curry.
     
    Beef kofta curry in a black bowl garnished with fresh coriander

    What Is A Kofta

    Kofta means a meatball. And koftay ka salan (meatball curry) is a classic Pakistani curry which is prepared by first making meatballs with mince meat and then putting them to cook in a flavourful curry made with onions and yogurt.
     
    Many people get intimidated at the thought of making these meatballs but today my recipe and tips will help you attain perfect koftas. These koftas are soft, juicy and tender yet stay intact and do not break. And the curry base is quite luscious.
     
    Many recipes use tomatoes to make their curry but I feel the onion and yogurt sauce is more closer to the authentic koftay ka salan. Also some like to deep fry their meatballs which in my opinion gives a harder exterior to the meatballs.
     
    Pakistani Kofta Curry in bowl garnished with coriander and lemon and green chilies on the side

    Tips To Make Perfect Koftas (Meatballs)

    1. I don't wash my mince. If you do, make sure that you drain any excess water so that the meatballs don't break while cooking.
    2. Ask your butcher to grind your mince twice for a finer texture. If you can't get double ground mince then add all the meatballs ingredients to a food processor and pulse till everything is homogeneous.
    3. If you feel there is still excess water in your mince mixture add some more roasted gram flour.
    4. Make sure your meatballs are smooth before adding them to the curry. Use oil to smoothen and get rid of any cracks.
    5. Don't touch the meatballs with a cooking utensil while they are simmering. Just slowly move your pan to mix them.

    Closeup shot of Pakistani Kofta (meatballs) curry with chopped coriander on top

    Can You Freeze Beef Kofta Curry

    You can freeze the entire curry and keep it in an airtight container for upto 2 months. You can also prep and freeze the koftas (meatballs) in a larger quantity and when required just make the curry base, take out the meatballs and drop them in your steaming hot curry. Let cook for a couple of minutes until the koftas are soft.

    Watch How To Make It

    You can check out a step-by-step tutorial of this Beef Koftay Curry in my Instagram highlights here.

    More Pakistani Ground Meat Dishes

    • Seekh Kabab Masala 
    • Aloo Keema (Ground Meat with Potatoes)
    • Chapli Kabab

    Let’s stay connected! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for the latest updates. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for video recipes.

    Pakistani kofta (meatballs) curry in a bowl with coriander garnish

    Pakistani Kofta Curry

    Kofta curry is Pakistani-style meatball curry made with tender, melt-in-the-mouth meatballs called koftas that are cooked in a savoury onion and yogurt sauce.
    4.62 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Servings: 4
    Author: Qashang

    Ingredients 

    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 3 yellow onion sliced
    • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
    • 1 cup yogurt
    • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
    • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
    • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon garam masala

    FOR MEATBALLS

    • 500 g beef mince
    • 2 tablespoon grinded onion paste
    • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
    • 3 tablespoon yogurt
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
    • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoon gram flour roasted
    • 2 green chilies chopped
    • 2 tablespoon coriander chopped
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat oil in a pot and add the onions. Fry them till they are golden brown and then take out in a plate.
    • Add a splash of water and grind the onions to a smooth paste in a grinder.
    • Mix all the meatball ingredients together. Make golf ball sized meatballs and keep aside.
    • In the same pot fry the ginger garlic paste. Add more oil if required. Then add the remaining onion paste, yogurt, salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric.
    • Cook (bhonify) this masala till the oil separates. Then add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil on medium high heat.
    • Lower the heat and add the meatballs very carefully into the curry. Cover the pot and cook for 15-20 mins on low heat. Don’t use the spoon for mixing the meatballs or they could break. Just shake your pot 2-3 times to flip them so that they cook evenly.
    • Turn off the heat when the oil comes on top, sprinkle garam masala and garnish with fresh coriander and sliced green chilies.

    Notes

    • You can replace beef with chicken, lamb or mutton.
    • I add 12 meatballs into this quantity of curry and make flat kababs if any mixture is left and use it as a side.
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @chilitochoc on Instagram and use the hashtag #chilitochoc

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    Beef Kofta Curry (Pakistani Meatballs Curry)
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    1. A says

      October 03, 2021 at 7:57 am

      You should write ingredients separately for Koftas and for curry?
      I saw total ingredients and for Koftas, obviously you don’t add yogurt in keema, I never did .
      I am sure lot of people enjoyed your recipes

      Reply
      • Qashang says

        October 03, 2021 at 12:08 pm

        The ingredients for the koftas (meatballs) are written separately in the recipe card. And yes I do add a little amount of yogurt to the koftas. It keeps them tender.

        Reply
    2. Sabaah says

      September 28, 2021 at 4:12 am

      How long do u cook the koftays once their in the salan?

      Reply
      • Qashang says

        September 28, 2021 at 11:29 am

        Around 15-20 mins on low heat.

        Reply
    3. Chizari says

      July 15, 2021 at 1:51 am

      5 stars
      I made this it was great!! I made extras so there was enough for lunches the next day. I also did tomato i the curey

      Reply
      • Qashang says

        July 16, 2021 at 5:56 am

        Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    4. Aniqa says

      May 20, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      4 stars
      Ended up on this site while searching for Pakistani kofta recipes. The koftas turned out to be good. I added one tomato but still think gravy was very oniony.... maybe I didn’t fry the onions well enough before grinding them. Will try again with further tweaks. ☺️

      Reply
    5. Khadijag says

      September 26, 2020 at 3:30 pm

      5 stars
      Omg tried it last night and it was sooo goood! The koftas were so moist and tender and the curry is delicious. The only modifications I made were to add 1 tomato to the curry before adding the yogurt. I also added a bit of seekh kabab masala to the kofta mix. Will definitely be making this again!!!

      Reply
    6. Chili to Choc says

      May 20, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      Yaay hope you like it! x

      Reply
    7. Rabia says

      May 10, 2020 at 3:26 pm

      Looks amazing: can’t wait to try this out tonight!

      Reply
    8. Chili to Choc says

      March 17, 2020 at 2:16 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
    9. Wajiha says

      March 07, 2020 at 10:01 pm

      That looks incredibly authentic! The color and koftas both! Such a good job!!

      Reply

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