The kofta came to India from Persia with the Mughals — the word is Persian for a pounded meatball — and the nargisi kofta is its most theatrical form: a hard-boiled egg wrapped in a thin shell of spiced mince, fried, and set in a brown yoghurt gravy. Cut one in half and you see how it got its name — the yellow yolk ringed by white, like the nargis, the narcissus flower. Both Awadh and Hyderabad claim it; in the corridor it belongs to the Lucknawi-Mughlai table, a banquet and Ramadan dish. Its other claim to fame is colonial: a Scot who had eaten it in India is widely supposed to have carried the idea home, dropped the spices the British kitchen couldn’t get, wrapped the egg in sausage and breadcrumbs, and produced the Scotch egg — which makes the pub-counter snack a stripped-down descendant of this royal kofta. This version follows the Pakistani home cook behind Fatima Cooks, who keeps to the older habit of leaving the koftas ungarnished by coriander — an English-language record of an Awadhi original.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 eggs (hard-boiled and peeled)
- 1 egg (beaten, for binding)
- 500 g lean mutton or goat (minced twice (fine))
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (for the kofta)
- 1 small onion (very finely grated and squeezed dry)
- 1 tbsp roasted gram flour (besan)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander (for the kofta)
- ½ tsp red chilli powder (for the kofta)
- ½ tsp garam masala (for the kofta)
- 1 tsp salt (for the kofta)
- oil (for shallow-frying)
- 3 large onions (finely sliced (for the gravy))
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (for the gravy)
- 4 tbsp plain yogurt (whisked)
- 2 tbsp cashew paste
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (for the gravy)
- 1 tsp ground coriander (for the gravy)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp garam masala (for the gravy)
- 1 tsp salt (for the gravy, plus more to taste)
- a pinch of saffron (soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk)
METHOD
- Mash or pulse the minced meat with the ginger-garlic paste, grated onion, gram flour, cumin, coriander, chilli, garam masala and salt to a smooth, sticky paste, and chill 20 minutes.
- Divide into 6, and with oiled hands flatten each portion, set a boiled egg in the middle, and wrap the mince around it in a thin, even shell with no cracks; brush with the beaten egg.
- Shallow-fry the koftas over medium heat, turning, just until browned and holding their shape, then set aside.
- For the gravy, fry the sliced onions in the ghee until deep golden, then blend to a paste with a splash of water and return to the pan.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry off the rawness, then add the yogurt, cashew paste, chilli, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and salt, and cook until the oil separates.
- Add about 300ml water and the saffron milk, bring to a simmer, then slip in the koftas and spoon the gravy over them.
- Cover and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes, turning the koftas once, until cooked through.
- Lift out, halve each kofta to show the nargis, arrange cut-side up, and spoon the gravy around; serve with naan or a pulao.
