Gos na Kavab (Parsi meat balls) are typically served with Dhansak (curry) as an accompaniment; but they’re also great on their own with tamota ni gravy, a tomato sauce balanced with jaggery, mint, and green chilli. Grape syrup, or thicker grape molasses, made from concentrated grape must and used as a sweetener and flavoring and is easily made with seedless black grapes.
If you’ve made grape syrup or grape molasses, a swipe on flatbread is a smart extra.
Note that the meat balls will need to be chilled for four hours or overnight, and the gravy will need two hours of simmering. To make-ahead, fry (or bake) the meatballs up to 48 hours ahead. Cool completely, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat in the oven, covered with foil.
Ingredients
For the grape syrup/molasses:
- •454 g (1 lb) black seedless grapes, washed
- •200 g (1 cup) brown sugar or granulated sugar
For the kavabs:
- •110 g (1 cup) plain dry breadcrumbs
- •120 ml (1/2 cup) milk
- •500 g (1.1 lb) lamb, goat, mutton, or beef, finely ground
- •1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- •1 1/2 teaspoons crushed ginger
- •1 1/2 teaspoons crushed garlic
- •1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- •2 teaspoons ground cumin
- •1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
- •6 green chillies, finely chopped
- •15 g (1/2 cup) coriander leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
- •10 g (1/4 cup) fresh mint, finely chopped
- •200 g (7 oz) potato, boiled, peeled, and mashed
- •60 g (1 cup) fried onions, crushed
- •2 eggs, beaten with a fork
- •Neutral oil, for frying
For the tamota ni gravy:
- •1.5 kg (3.3 lb) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- •1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- •1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- •85 g (3 oz) jaggery, finely chopped or grated if hard
- •3 whole green chillies
- •12 fresh mint leaves, stems on
Preparation
For the grape syrup/molasses: : Combine the grapes and sugar in a heavy pot. Add 60 ml (1/4 cup) water, cover, and cook over low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Mash the grapes with a potato masher and continue cooking uncovered until syrupy. For a smoother syrup, strain; to turn it into molasses, return the strained syrup to the pot and simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon.
For the tamota ni gravy: In a pot, combine the tomatoes, garlic, salt, jaggery, green chillies, and mint leaves. Add 960 ml (4 cups) water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a lively simmer. Cook uncovered for about 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the tomatoes are fully broken down and the sauce tastes balanced. Remove and discard the green chillies and mint stems. Blend until smooth, return to the pot, and simmer until it reaches a spoonable sauce consistency. (You should have about 360 ml (1 1/2 cups), depending on your tomatoes.)
For the kavabs: In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Mix, and set aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ground meat, salt, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cumin, red chilli powder, green chillies, coriander, and mint. Mix well. Add the mashed potato and crushed fried onions and mix again. Add the softened breadcrumbs and mix until evenly combined. Add the beaten eggs and mix just until the mixture holds together. Chill: Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
To shape, divide the mixture into 24 portions and roll into balls. To fry, pour enough neutral oil into a skillet to come about 1 cm (1/2 inch) up the sides. Heat over medium-high. Fry in batches* so the pan isn’t crowded, cooking about 3 minutes on the first side, then turning once and cooking about 3 minutes more, until browned and cooked through. Adjust the heat as needed so they brown without scorching. Serve hot, with tamota ni gravy.
*To bake instead of fry: Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes, turn, cover, reduce the heat, and bake for about 20 minutes more, until cooked through.