Recipes

Cooking Time: 10 – 15 minutes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes resting
Makes: 8

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
2.5-cm/1-inch piece fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
550 g/1 lb 4 oz fresh lamb mince
40 g/1 1/2 oz gram flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 egg, lightly beaten salt and pepper
8 hard-boiled eggs, shelled ghee or vegetable oil, for deep-frying, plus extra for greasing

Method: 

1. Place the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and process to make a paste. Place the lamb in a bowl and add the onion paste. Add the flour, cumin, ground coriander, chilli and beaten egg and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until thoroughly blended.

2. Divide the mixture into 8 equal-sized portions and form each portion into a ball by rolling between the palms of your hands. Flatten into patties and place a hard-boiled egg in the centre of each. Shape the meat mixture to enclose the eggs completely. Place the balls in a single layer in a lightly greased dish, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. Heat the ghee in a deep-fat fryer or large, heavy-based saucepan to 180-190°C/350-375°F, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Cook the meatballs, in batches, for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. If serving hot, keep warm while you deep-fry the remaining batches.

Variation:

 Instead  of using hard boiled eggs, you could use 500g/1 lb 2 oz ricotta cheese, or the same amount of paneer cut into 8 cubes.