Whilst South Asia and the Middle East tend to make their koftas from lamb, beef, mutton or chicken, and the Greeks have a preference for pork and lamb, we’ve done things a little differently by using the humble chickpea in our vegetarian koftas. Because of their texture, chickpeas make a great substitute for ground beef and work brilliantly alongside the punchier flavours in our North Indian spice mix. Served with cumin roasted sweet potatoes, a chopped cucumber salad and a limey mayonnaise, this simple veggie recipe really is a weeknight winner.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
1
North Indian Style Spice Mix
15
Cider Vinegar
(Contains Sulphites)
24
Plain Flour
40
Mango Chutney
1
Cumin Seeds
2
Medium Tomato
1
Chickpeas
2
Spring Onion
250
Sweet Potato Fries
½
Lime
1
Carrot
½
Cucumber
(May contain Celery)
2
Mayonnaise
1
Coriander
1
Olive Oil for the Dressing
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Zest and halve the lime. Roughly chop the coriander (stalks and all). Trim and coarsely grate the carrot (no need to peel). Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Chop the sweet potatoes into 2cm wide wedges (no need to peel!). Pop the wedges on a large low sided wide baking tray. Drizzle with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then spread out in a single layer. Once your oven is hot, roast on the top shelf of your oven until golden, 25-30 mins. Turn halfway through cooking. Tip: Use two baking trays if necessary, you want the potatoes nicely spread out.
Pop the carrot, chickpeas and half the coriander in a large bowl. Mix in the flour, North Indian curry powder and mango chutney. Season with salt and pepper. Squish together with your hands (or the back of a fork) until the chickpeas are nicely broken up and mushy and the mixture sticks together. Keep to one side.
Meanwhile, trim the root from the spring onion then thinly slice. Chop the medium tomato into 1cm chunks. Quarter the cucumber lengthways then chop into 1cm chunks. Mix together in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and the remaining cumin seeds. Drizzle on the vinegar along with the olive oil (see ingredients for amount) and the remaining coriander. Mix again and set aside.
Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Shape the chickpea mix into two balls per person. Flatten each ball gently to 2cm thick and then fry in the hot oil until golden, 2-3 mins on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Meanwhile, squeeze a little of the lime juice into a bowl. Add a pinch of lime zest and the mayonnaise. Stir together to combine, keep to one side. Tip: Add more lime if you like things zesty! When the fries are ready, remove from the oven. Pop the koftas in the oven to warm through for a couple of minutes if necessary.
Share the wedges between your plates and spoon the salad alongside. Pop the koftas on the plate and finish with a dollop of limey mayo to dip your chips in. Enjoy!