Mutton keema balls comprise mutton keema marinated with chana dal, cooking oil and a variety of spices, shaped into a ball and deep fried in hot cooking oil to perfection. The steps to make mutton keema balls at home are only a few which is detailed in my recipe.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Mutton keema balls is a favorite snack for the young and old alike.
- Enjoy them with mint yogurt sauce, tangy tamarind chutney, cucumber raita, a simple salad, fresh lemon wedges, golden and crispy onion rings.
- Mutton keema balls taste spicy, juicy, aromatic, and savory.
- The taste of mutton keema balls is similar to that of chicken balls, cheese balls, paneer balls, prawn balls, vegetable balls, egg balls, and fish balls.
The Ingredients:
- 500 grams mutton (minced)
- 1.5 tbsp split chickpeas (chana dal) (roasted)
- 2 tsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 5 pieces cloves
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 8 pieces cashew nuts
- 20 pieces curry leaves
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)
- 2 pieces green chilies (chopped)
- 1 piece ginger (1-inch size, deskinned, finely chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 piece onion (large, finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp coconut (grated)
- 1 piece egg
- Salt – To taste
To deep fry the mutton keema balls:
- Cooking oil – An adequate amount
I discovered this one while volunteering at a function near Kolkata. The children’s lunch was cooked by two women using firewood and giant pots. The flavors were deep—like the soil had whispered secrets into the dish. I asked them to teach me.
They laughed and rattled the list of ingredients. I jotted down whatever I could. My first attempt back home tasted clean but not soulful. Over time, I added a few more ingredients and learned their rhythm. It is now a dish I make when I want to reconnect—with food, with memory, with purpose.
How to Make Mutton Keema Balls? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Take a wide saucepan and add 2 tsp of oil to it.
Step 2: Add some 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 tsp of poppy seeds, and 6 to 8 pieces of cashew nuts. Mix them well and cook for a minute or so.
(Pro tip: Break the cashew nuts into smaller pieces).
Step 3: Now, add 1.5 tbsp of roasted split chickpeas (chana dal) to it. Fry them for a minute.
Step 4: Then add a piece of 1-inch ginger and 4 to 6 cloves of deskinned garlic, both finely chopped, to it. Also, add finely chopped pieces of 2 fresh green chilies to it. Cook for a minute.
Step 5: Then, add 4 to 5 pieces of cloves to it. Mix them.
Step 6: Now, add finely chopped pieces of one large onion to it. Sauté for a minute until they are translucent.
Step 7: Now, add about 20 fresh curry leaves and 2 tbsp of freshly grated coconut to it and sauté them well.
Step 8: Then, add 500 gm of minced mutton to the mixture. Mix and cook it for about a couple of minutes. Do not add any water to it.
Step 9: Season it with some salt.
Step 10: Let it cook till the moisture in the mutton evaporates. Turn the stove off. Cool the mixture.
Step 11: When the mixture is cool, transfer it to a mixer grinder.
Step 12: Grind it. Do not add any water.
Step 13: Check the consistency.
Step 14: Transfer it to a bowl. Crack open an egg in a separate bowl, whisk it gently, and add it to the mixture.
Step 15: Add 2 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves.
Step 16: Mix the mixture well with your hands.
Step 17: Now, make small balls of this mixture using your hands. Keep them aside on a plate to sit for a while.
Step 18: Heat an adequate amount of cooking oil in a kadai. Once the oil is hot, gently place the balls one by one in the oil from one side.
Step 19: Deep fry the keema balls until they turn brown in color. Remove them.
Step 20: Put them on a piece of tissue paper laid on a plate to absorb the excess oil.
Step 21: Your tasty and crispy homemade mutton keema balls are now ready. Arrange them on a plate and serve them hot.
Recipe Card
Mutton Keema Balls
Ingredients
- 500 grams mutton minced
- 1.5 tbsp split chickpeas chana dal (roasted)
- 2 tsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 5 pieces cloves
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 8 pieces cashew nuts
- 20 pieces curry leaves
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
- 2 pieces green chilies chopped
- 1 piece ginger 1-inch size, deskinned, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 piece onion large, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut grated
- 1 piece egg
- Salt To taste
To deep fry the mutton keema balls:
- Cooking oil An adequate amount
Instructions
- Take a wide saucepan and add 2 tsp of oil to it.
- Add some 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 tsp of poppy seeds, and 6 to 8 pieces of cashew nuts. Mix them well and cook for a minute or so. (Pro tip: Break the cashew nuts into smaller pieces).
- Now, add 1.5 tbsp of roasted split chickpeas (chana dal) to it. Fry them for a minute.
- Then add a piece of 1-inch ginger and 4 to 6 cloves of deskinned garlic, both finely chopped, to it. Also, add finely chopped pieces of 2 fresh green chilies to it. Cook for a minute.
- Then, add 4 to 5 pieces of cloves to it. Mix them.
- Now, add finely chopped pieces of one large onion to it. Sauté for a minute until they are translucent.
- Now, add about 20 fresh curry leaves and 2 tbsp of freshly grated coconut to it and sauté them well.
- Then, add 500 gm of minced mutton to the mixture. Mix and cook it for about a couple of minutes. Do not add any water to it.
- Season it with some salt.
- Let it cook till the moisture in the mutton evaporates. Turn the stove off. Cool the mixture.
- When the mixture is cool, transfer it to a mixer grinder.
- Grind it. Do not add any water.
- Check the consistency.
- Transfer it to a bowl. Crack open an egg in a separate bowl, whisk it gently, and add it to the mixture.
- Add 2 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves.
- Mix the mixture well with your hands.
- Now, make small balls of this mixture using your hands. Keep them aside on a plate to sit for a while.
- Heat an adequate amount of cooking oil in a kadai. Once the oil is hot, gently place the balls one by one in the oil from one side.
- Deep fry the keema balls until they turn brown in color. Remove them.
- Put them on a piece of tissue paper laid on a plate to absorb the excess oil.
- Your tasty and crispy homemade mutton keema balls are now ready. Arrange them on a plate and serve them hot.
