This chickpea zucchini kofta curry is like malai kofta, but vegan and all about highlighting the versatility of plants! The kofta (basically meatballs) are made with chickpeas and zucchini and soaked in a creamy gravy made with aromatics, tomatoes, and spices. It feels indulgent, yet it’s actually pretty healthy!
Jump to Recipe
One of my intentions this year is to use plants in my cooking in ways that I haven’t done before. And this chickpea zucchini kofta curry is all about that. On the surface it’s like meatballs in a tikka masala type gravy, kind of like malai kofta, but the kofta balls are made with chickpeas and zucchini. I find that chickpeas and zucchinis are some of the most versatile ingredients and they made kofta balls with a wonderful texture. The gravy is made with aromatics, tomatoes, and a handful of spices. This is the second kofta recipe on my site and I felt like it was much easier to develop since I’d done it before! The jackfruit kofta recipe is also fire if you want to try that next.
What is Kofta?
Kofta is a meatball that is either made of some kind of ground meat, but in India it is often made with paneer and potatoes in the popular dish, malai kofta (malai = cream). It is common in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines.
In this recipe, the “meatballs” are made with chickpeas and zucchini and the gravy is made creamy with some non-dairy milk and cashews.
How to Make Chickpea Zucchini Kofta Curry
Making the Kofta Balls
You’re just going to grate zucchini and aggressively mash some chickpeas to make the kofta balls. Add some chickpea flour (besan) and cornstarch to bind it together. You can use all-purpose flour if you don’t have chickpea flour, but make sure not to add too much of it or you risk your kofta balls tasting like flour.
To Fry or Air Fry?
I had pretty great results with both frying and air frying, so take your pick. After trying both, I would probably stick with air frying next time just because it is easier to not set up another pot and watch over it. And air frying makes it a bit healthier 🙂
Making the Creamy Gravy
For the gravy, start with onions, ginger and garlic, and some basic ground spices. Blend it up with cashews and an unsweetened nondairy milk of choice. I used oat milk! The milk is totally optional. Since you’re already using cashews, it should be creamy enough! Finish it off with kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), which is also optional but really helps Indian food taste Indian. Linked some kasoori methi here!
How to Serve This Chickpea Zucchini Kofta Curry
For thick, creamy, and indulgent gravies like this one, I prefer some fluffy naan. My go-to naan is this yeast-free instant garlic naan, which I usually make with bread flour or a mix of spelt flour and all-purpose flour. I also have a whole wheat naan recipe if you’re interested! You could also serve with roti, paratha, or sourdough (please don’t hate me for saying this; but for real, I just know toasty crunchy sourdough would be SO good with this, even though I haven’t tried it).
Chickpea Zucchini Kofta Curry
Ingredients
Kofta balls
- 14 oz. can of chickpeas
- 1 zucchini, grated (~ 1 cup)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour (besan) *sub all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp salt
Kofta gravy
- ¼ cup cashews, soaked in boiling water for 15-30 minutes
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ cup oat milk *sub unsweetened nondairy milk of choice or water
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp kashmiri lal *optional for color
- 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) *optional
Instructions
- Soak cashews in boiling water for at least 15 minutes. You'll need this for the gravy.
- Add chickpeas to a mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork so the chickpeas break down into a "mushy" texture. Add the rest of the ingredients for the kofta balls to the mixing bowl: cumin, red chili powder, chickpea flour or all purpose flour, cornstarch or arrowroot starch, and salt. If necessary, add another tablespoon of chickpea flour or all-purose flour. Mash together until it is easy to form balls.
- Form each kofta ball with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Place on a plate and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let it set. Meanwhile, start on the gravy.
- Air fry or fry the kofta balls: Once the kofta balls have been refrigerated, they should be slightly more firm than before. You can now either fry them in a couple inches of neutral oil for 5-6 minutes OR air fry them at 375 F for 12-14 minutes. Both produced good results!
- For the gravy: Add avocado oil or another neutral oil to a medium saucepan on medium heat. When hot, add the onion. Cook until translucent, so about 4-5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook on medium-high until the tomato juices mostly evaporate, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Add salt and all ground spices. Stir for 1 minute before adding milk. Simmer until well-combined. Now you can either add the cashews and ½ cup water to the saucepan and use an immersion blender to make the gravy smooth OR blend in a separate processor with the cashews and ½ cup water.
- Pour the smooth gravy back in the saucepan and heat it on medium-low heat. Clean out the blender with another ½ cup of water and pour into the saucepan. Add kashmiri lal, kasoori methi, and salt to taste. Cook for a couple minutes before adding the kofta balls.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with flatbread of choice, like this instant yeast-free garlic naan or whole wheat naan!
Notes
If you like this chickpea zucchini kofta curry, you should also check out my jackfruit kofta curry!
For pairing this kofta curry, check out…
Superb!
Yes!
Can I use regular milk and leave all other ingredients the same?
yay so glad you liked it! thank you for the kind words 🙂
Absolutely delicious, I’ll definitely be making this again! This is the first of your recipes that I’ve made and it’s safe to say I’ll be making more 🙂
Thank you so much for the kind review Michelle! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Kasoori methi and cashews are definitely game changers!
This was so good! Malai kofta is my Indian takeout go-to but I have to pop a few lactaid to handle it. This recipe delivered on the rich, complex flavors (the kasoori methi blew my mind!), demystified for me what vegans are doing with all those cashews, and reminded me (a former vegetarian now training as a butcher) how much of a fun weeknight project a vegetarian dish can be. Definitely making this again and trying your other recipes!
Either is fine! It doesn’t really matter as long as the cashews are soaked in pretty hot water for 15-30 minutes so that they soften.
So…do I boil the water then soak the cashews, or boil the cashews?
I’m so glad to hear that! Sounds like an amazing dinner party 🙂
I made this for 5 of my friends, of mixed ethnicities at the weekend, along with your amazing naan, and people took stuff home! So straight forward, and so versatile, thinking of making the kofta and using them as ‘meatballs’ in my pasta sauces going forward.
I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure you can! It might be less crisp, but ultimately it gets soaked in the gravy so it doesn’t matter too much. You may want to bake at a higher temperature (like 400 F) for longer than the time it takes to air fry.
Hello, I was wondering if I could also bake the kofta balls? I want to omit the extra oil, but I don’t have an airfryer.
I am so glad to hear that Megan! It sure is a comforting recipe 🙂
This is absolutely fantastic! I’ve just gone plant based and this really hits the spot on a cold night. Thank you so much for the recipe! This is my new comfort food recipe for sure.