In this recipe I take the classic chicken kofta curry and elevate it by hiding a boiled egg inside each meatball. Instead of serving boiled eggs on the side, each kofta encases an egg, creating an impressive presentation with very little extra effort.
It may sound simple, but whenever I serve this dish guests assume I’ve gone all out. Making nargisi kofta doesn’t add much time to the process: kofta recipes commonly include boiled eggs served alongside the curry, so here you simply boil the eggs first and then shape the mince around them. The result looks special without being difficult.
This version is closely based on my Traditional and Authentic Chicken Kofta Curry, with a few small adjustments to accommodate the eggs. You can swap the chicken for lamb, mutton or beef — if you do, increase the cooking time to about an hour and add roughly two extra glasses of water so the meat cooks through properly.
Traditionally, koftas are not always garnished with coriander; I’ve followed several authentic sources and left it out here. Instead I like to garnish nargisi kofta with thin slices of green capsicum for color and crunch. Of course feel free to add coriander, a drizzle of cream, sliced green chilies, or any finishing touch you prefer.
Without further ado, here is the recipe for Nargisi Kofta.
This dish is perfect for a special dinner or a dawat — it’s delicious, impressive and reliably well received.
Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
Nargisi Kofta – Pakistani Chicken Scotch Egg Curry
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Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1.65 lb (750 g) minced chicken
- 1.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1.5 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 small stick cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste
- 0.5 cups (65 g) gram flour
- 8 eggs
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
For the gravy
- 1 large onion chopped roughly
- 12 cloves (12 cloves) garlic minced
- 0.25 cups (65 ml) oil or as needed
- 0.5 cups (130 g) full fat yogurt
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste
- 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
Instructions
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Start by boiling the eggs. Place 8 eggs in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a rapid boil. Boil for 6 minutes, then transfer to cold water and peel when cool enough to handle.
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Dry-roast the whole spices. In a dry non-stick pan, roast cumin seeds on high until fragrant and smoking slightly. Repeat with coriander seeds, black cardamom and the cinnamon stick. Set aside to cool.
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Grind the roasted whole spices into a fine powder.
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Combine the minced chicken with the ground spices, gram flour, poppy seeds, salt and red chilli powder. Mix thoroughly with your hands so the seasoning distributes evenly.
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Form the nargisi kofta. Divide the mixture into portions. Flatten a portion in your palm, place a peeled boiled egg in the center and mold the mince around the egg, sealing any cracks. Lightly oiling your hands helps. This recipe yields about 8 koftas.
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Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and lightly fry the koftas just until the exterior loses its raw pink color and they hold their shape. You are not cooking them through at this stage — just firming them up so they handle the sauce without falling apart.
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Prepare the masala. In a pot, sauté the roughly chopped onion and minced garlic in oil over medium heat until a deep brown color develops.
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Blend the browned onions and garlic until smooth in a food processor, then return the paste to the pan.
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Add the yogurt and the remaining powdered spices to the onion paste. Sauté until the mixture thickens and most of the moisture evaporates — you want a relatively dry, richly flavored masala base.
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Add water to form the sauce. Use at least about 3 cups, more if you prefer a thinner gravy. Bring the sauce to a boil; you can adjust the consistency later.
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Gently place the koftas into the simmering gravy. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, turning the koftas occasionally so they soak up the flavors and cook evenly.
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Serve warm with steamed rice or roti. Garnish as you like — sliced green capsicum, coriander, or a drizzle of cream all work well.
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