Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Hari Matar ke Kofte
Hari Matar ke Kofte (Green Gram Balls in Yoghurt Sauce)

Hari Matar ke Kofte

Green Gram Balls in Yoghurt Sauce
Vegetarian●●●Origin NewPrep 10 minutesCook 25–30 minutes

Crisp fried green gram fritters submerged in a tangy, lightly spiced yoghurt curry, topped with a sizzling cumin and chilli temper.

Ground spices for the sauce

6 gWhisked into the yoghurt liquid in step 1
01
2.6 g1 teaspoon
spice
02
3 g1 teaspoon
spice
Keep together in a small bowl.

Aromatics for the base

13 gStir-fried in hot oil in step 2
01
2.1 g1 teaspoon
spice
02
~0.3 gpinch
spice
Combine together ready for the pan.

Tempering spices

6 gSizzled in ghee in step 6
01
2.1 g1 teaspoon
spice
Keep whole and ready to bloom in hot fat.

Everything else

01
203 g200 ml
dairy
03
18 g4 teaspoons
oil/fat
04
3.3 g1 teaspoon
vegetable
05
Vegetable oil · Telfor deep-frying
to taste
oil/fat
06
to taste
salt
07
14 g1 tablespoon
oil/fat

Method

  1. Whisk 203 g plain yogurt with 500 ml water in a large mixing bowl until completely combined. Incorporate 50 g of the 150 g moong dal flour, the ground spices for the sauce, and salt to taste, whisking into a smooth liquid.
  2. Warm 18 g vegetable oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add the aromatics for the base along with 3.3 g green chilli and stir-fry for 25 seconds.
  3. Pour the yoghurt mixture into the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes until thoroughly cooked and fluid.
  4. Heat vegetable oil for deep-frying in a deep, heavy pot to 180°C (350°F). In a separate bowl, stir the remaining 100 g moong dal flour with enough water to produce a medium-thick batter, whipping it thoroughly with your hands.
  5. Drop small ladlefuls of batter into the hot oil in batches, frying for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Transfer the dumplings with a slotted spoon directly into the simmering sauce, cook briefly together, and adjust the salt to taste.
  6. Heat 13.5 g ghee or vegetable oil in a small pan over medium heat. Fry the cumin seeds from the tempering spices for 1 minute until crackling, toss in the dried red chilli for 2 minutes, then pour the hot oil and spices over the curry.

Don't have something?

Plain yogurt
  • Yogurt

    Use equal weight, whisked thoroughly until smooth before adding to hot dishes to prevent curdling.

  • Coconut milk

    Use equal weight with 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed in. Provides rich creaminess in curries, but adds a noticeable coconut flavour.

  • Single cream

    Use 80% of the weight plus a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity. Enriches sauces nicely, though it is richer and less tangy.

Mung bean flour
  • Gram flour

    Use the same weight; it is more absorbent and tastes stronger, so add water gradually and taste.

  • Chickpea flour

    Same as gram flour; use the same weight, sift, and adjust liquid because it thickens quickly.

  • Rice flour

    Use 70% rice flour with 30% gram flour for a closer texture; pure rice flour gives a crisper, gluten-free result but less binding.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Asafoetida
  • Garlic powder

    Use double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.

  • Garlic paste

    Use 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

Garlic paste
  • Garlic

    Use equal weight; crush or finely grate to a smooth pulp to replicate the same fresh, pungent moisture in your base gravy.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 20 to 25% of the weight; mix with a teaspoon of water before adding to oil so it does not burn, noting it lacks the fresh bite.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Ghee or vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use equal weight; handles high tempering heat well and keeps flavours neutral.

  • Butter

    Use equal weight; cook over gentle heat to prevent browning the milk solids too quickly.

Dried red chilli
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Similar dishes

Sukhi Urad ki Dal
Dry Black Lentils
Sukhi Urad ki Dal has an earthy, ginger-accented flavor rather than the rich, tangy profile of this dish's spiced yogurt sauce.
  • Same: Sukhi Urad ki Dal shares the common tempering spices of cumin seed, dried red chilli, and asafoetida cooked in ghee, along with turmeric and green chillies.
  • Different: Rather than frying green gram dumplings to simmer in a yogurt-and-garlic gravy, it is a dry-cooked urad dal preparation flavored with fresh ginger and made without yogurt or garlic.
Aam Ada Diya Bhaaja Moong Dal
Roasted Split Moong Dal with Galangal
Aam Ada Diya Bhaaja Moong Dal tastes nutty, mildly sweet, and creamy from the milk, whereas this dish is distinctly tangy and pungent from yogurt and garlic.
  • Same: Both recipes are moong-based dishes tempered with cumin seeds, dried red chillies, green chillies, turmeric, and chilli powder.
  • Different: Instead of deep-fried fritters simmered in a garlicky yogurt sauce, Aam Ada Diya Bhaaja Moong Dal is a soupy, simmered lentil dish prepared with roasted dal, milk, sugar, and bay leaf.
Karhi Pakori
Dumpling & Yoghurt Curry
Karhi Pakori tastes richer, tangier, and more nutty from the chickpea flour and heavy ghee tempering, but lacks the sharp garlic bite of this dish.
  • Same: Like this dish, Karhi Pakori features fried pulse fritters simmered in a tangy yogurt gravy finished with a tempering of cumin, dried red chilies, and asafoetida.
  • Different: Karhi Pakori uses moong dal instead of green gram for the fritters, thickens its larger base of yogurt with chickpea flour, adds mustard seeds, and omits the garlic paste and fresh green chilies found in this dish.
Masoor ki Dal
Red or Black Dal
Masoor ki Dal tastes velvety and aromatic from ghee, clove, and dried mint, whereas this dish tastes tangy from yoghurt with crisp fritters and a chilli-cumin temper.
  • Same: Masoor ki Dal shares with this dish the spices asafoetida, turmeric, cumin seed, and chilli powder, plus salt and a fat of ghee or vegetable oil.
  • Different: Masoor ki Dal is a simmered masoor dal with rice cooking water, ginger, ground coriander, clove, and dried mint, while this dish is fried mung bean flour fritters in a yoghurt curry with garlic paste, green chilli, and a cumin and dried red chilli temper.