Spinach, Artichoke and Mozzarella Koftas -Greens Bloghop

For our Greens Bloghop, I thought of taking something very traditional and giving it a little makeover by using some unique ingredients not that commonly used in Indian cooking.Koftas (meaning meatballs)came to mind, a dish that has so many variations in so many different countries.Originated in Persia, Koftas were originally made of minced lamb or beef, but gradually starting gaining popularity in other countries all across the Middle East,Africa, Asia and Europe.In India Koftas made way into both vegetarian and non-vegetarian households with many versions that have became equally popular.The vegetarian koftas are usually made of Paneer,Potato,Lauki(Bottle gourd-from the squash family),Cabbage,Jackfruit etc..but I've come up with a fusion dish that will transport you into the exotic culinary world of rich, saporous food from the East!

Smooth and luscious, these koftas are a pure delight and will have you craving for more and more!I made my Koftas using Spinach, Mozzarella and Artichoke.We all know that spinach,artichoke and cheese complement each other very well, so when I thought of spinach for the koftas the other two almost naturally followed.These are served in a mildly spiced, slightly sweet and creamy tomato gravy!Best part is, they're easy to make and great for entertaining since you can make them ahead of time and just heat them up when its time to serve.

You prepare the balls and gravy separately and plate them together at the last minute.Traditionally Indian koftas are made using ghee, butter and cream.I've made them skinny by using Greek Yoghurt and a tbsp of butter at the end to finish off the dish.Good and good for you~

Indian Spinach,Artichoke & Mozzarella Koftas
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Ingredients:

For the koftas:

1 standard size pack of frozen spinach or 2 packs of fresh spinach(I've used frozen spinach here)-makes about 10-11 koftas
1 medium sized ball of fresh mozzarella cheese-grated
Small jar of Artichokes(6oz)-crushed by hand
Ginger-1/2 inch crushed
Besan or chickpea flour-1 tbsp (you could also substitute cornstarch)
Ground Cumin-1 tsp
Ground Coriander-1 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp
Cornstarch for rolling
Oil- for frying

For the tomato gravy:

Fresh tomato puree or Canned crushed tomato -2 cups
Cardamom (whole)-2
Cloves-2
Ginger Garlic paste-1 tbsp
Ground Cumin-1 tsp
Ground Coriander-1 tsp
Garam Masala-1 tsp
Red Chilli powder-1 tsp or to your taste
Kasoori methi-1 tsp crushed by hand (easily available at Indian grocer's)
Honey or sugar-1 tbsp
Water-1 cup
Salt-to taste
Oil-2 tbsp
Butter-1 tbsp
Greek Yoghurt-1 tbsp

Process:
Koftas

• Boil the fresh spinach for about 2 mins and drain.Squeeze out all the liquid once its cool.If using frozen, microwave the spinach for about 2 mins and squeeze out any liquid.
• Grate the mozzarella. 
• Squeeze the liquid out from the artichoke and crush them roughly with your hands.

In a deep vessel mix all the kofta ingredients except oil and cornstarch.Take a small amount into your hands and roll them into balls.Roll these into the cornstarch and either deep fry or shallow fry on medium high till they are golden.

Tomato Gravy

In a separate skillet, heat oil and add the Cardamom and Cloves.Add the ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute.Add the tomato puree and the spices.Add some salt and cook on medium high until you see oil around the edges (About 5-6 minutes).Discard the cardamom and cloves now.Add the honey or sugar.Add some water and bring to a boil.Reduce and cook until it reaches a nice consistency and add the butter.Mix and turn off the heat.Add the kasoori methi.Move the pan away from the burner and add the greek yoghurt.Mix gently.Your gravy is ready.

Keep them separately until ready to serve.If you mix them the koftas might break apart.When ready to serve, arrange the koftas on top of the gravy or mix it gently into the gravy and serve hot with Naans,Pitas, Rotis or even rice!Enjoy!

Please join in the Greenslove fun by linking any leafy green recipe from the month of March.I'm co-hosting this bloghop with these amazing blogger friends.Please visit their gorgeous creations while you're here!

Al Dente Gourmet ~ Aldy ~ @AlDenteGourmet
ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan
Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins
BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker
Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess
Cheap Ethnic Eatz ~ Evelyne ~ @cethniceatz
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes
Kitchen Belleicious ~ Jessica ~ @kbelleicious
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
My Twisted Recipe ~ Dudot ~ @mytwistedrecipe  
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose
Queen's Notebook ~ Elizabeth ~ @Mango_Queen  
Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar
Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem
Soni's Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood 
Sprint 2 the Table ~ Laura ~ @Sprint2theTable
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil 
That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick
The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~@TAofCRF
The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd 
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma

Also linking this entry to #Indianfoodpalooza a wonderful celebration of Indian Food hosted by Indian Simmer,Creative Culinary and The Colors of Indian Cooking !!!Please join in the fun event if you have made and posted an Indian dish from 1st-31st of March.There are prizes to be won!!