It's all in the family

Coming from a family that loves nothing more in life than food, it's absolutely no surprise that I seem to be so interested in the culinary world.

Ever since I was a kid, I used to be so fascinated by the delicious aromas that would come from the kitchen at home, where both my mother and grandmother would spend hours making the most amazing food for us, be it authentic Bangalorean food or Mangalorean food. Although I have no professional training in culinary arts, I still wanted to pursue a career in this field. I would always be stuck in the kitchen for hours, experimenting with various cuisines.

This passion of mine led me to start a small food blog which then, in the future, helped me establish my own catering business in Bengaluru called 'Dawat Ki Biryani', which so far has been received quite well by the city.

Another person that can be blamed for my 'obsession' with food would be my
father -- a man who loved and cherished two things the most in life, travel and food.

He would visit all these amazing places like Taiwan, Japan, UAE, Iran and come back home and make us all these dishes, that we hadn't even heard of before. I remember as a kid seeing burgers on a television show and cribbing all day that I wanted to eat those burgers.

Back then, we didn't have McDonald's or Burger King, so my dad decided to experiment and make burgers for me at home and let me tell you those were the most amazing burgers I've ever eaten in my whole life.

In my opinion, no matter how successful or famous you become, no matter which part of the world you shift to, no one can ever forget the taste of their mother's cooking, it's just something that stays with you forever. My recipe today for authentic 'Bangalorean koftas', is a recipe that was passed down to me by the mother.

These 'koftas' used to be my favourite dish to eat as a child and now they are my son's favourite dish.

Ingredients

*1/2 kg minced meat

*  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

*  1 tsp ginger and garlic paste

*  1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

*  2 teaspoon red chilli powder

* 1/4 teaspoon garam masala

* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

* Juice of half a  lemon

* 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (chopped)

* 2 tablespoons 'chana  masala' powder

* Salt to taste

Method

* Mix all the ingredients with the minced meat and grind the mixture till it forms a smooth paste.

* Using the mixture make small balls and press the ends with your fingers.

* In a shallow pan add some oil and let it heat for a few minutes.

* Next add the 'koftas' to  the pan, close the pan  and cook on low heat.

* Keep the pan shut and let the 'koftas' steam completely for approximately 20 minutes.

* Once the 'koftas' are ready, you can serve them hot with 'dal' and 'chawal' and relish the preparation.

(As told to Asra Mavad)