Kaima undé: twice cooked meatballs, Coorg style

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While browsing in the pickle aisle in one of the stores in Vancouver’s Punjabi market recently, I chanced upon a dusty cast iron hand cranked grinder slung over the topmost shelf. This one was meant for dry grinding spices. But my mind was off and running – it’s time for some meatballs!

My grandmother had a heavy meat grinder that she used to make minced mutton or kaima as we call it. It was the kind that needed to be clamped to the countertop like a vice. I think it was standard equipment in many kitchens back then, and my mother had one too, but a smaller version. The driver, operator of all things vaguely mechanical, would be summoned to mount the device onto the end on the long kitchen counter.

Perched on a stool, I would watch with morbid fascination as grandma cranked chunks of fresh mutton through the machine, stopping every now and then to clear a bit of gristle that had wound itself around the spiral blade, or to unclog the perforated die. The emerging kaima would be patted together then pushed through again, for a finer grind if needed.

I think she’d be horrified to know that I now buy store made mince!

Mince, or ground meat? Well, technically we had both. When the mutton wasn’t ground through the machine at home, it was hand chopped, or minced, by the local butcher, wielding a hefty cleaver against a wooden stump. In markets around the country, my mother would carry a bottle of boiled water along and insist that the butcher rinse off his chopping block before proceeding with her order. I’m not sure what purpose it served, but I guess it made her feel better!

Mince, to me, is comfort food, easy on the palate and stomach, nourishing, and guaranteed to soothe. I loved, and still do, anything made with minced mutton. There’s a long list of childhood  favourites that were centred around mincemeat. One of the first solid foods we were given as children was soft cooked rice, mashed with well cooked mince and a dollop of ghee. I believe this falls in the category of “weaning foods”. Well, I’m pretty long in the tooth but show no signs yet of weaning myself off this.

Of all the many delicious ways mince was prepared at home – from a curry with fresh green peas, cutlets (actually croquettes in the Indian usage) koftas, meatloaf, the list goes on – my favourite was the Coorg style dry fried meatballs.

These meatballs, seasoned with a fresh green herb paste and a few woody spices, are poached first in simmering water, then fried to a rich brown savouriness in a generous amount of ghee. They keep well, so were ideal for long train journeys, to be eaten with curd rice. A perfect hot snack with a drink, or a filling for a sandwich or wrap. Serve them with a light pulao, or ghee rice. Oh, and they’re the perfect late night snack, eaten cold from the fridge!

A note on the cooking – in this recipe, I’ve used extra lean ground lamb, which cooks very quickly, so the poaching process is much shorter than if you were to use conventional minced mutton. Keep the water at a very gentle simmer to prevent the meatballs from disintegrating, and fry them carefully. Their texture is more like that of a shami kebab, whereas the ones made with mutton are firmer.



Kaima Undé Barthad

Dry fried meatballs

  • 1/2 kg lean, finely minced meat
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • Optional: a few curry leaves or 1 – 2 cloves for the poaching liquid

Grind together:

  • 5 green chillis (or to taste)
  • 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger paste
  • 1/2 tbsp fresh garlic paste
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh coriander
  • 3 tbsp fresh,grated coconut, ground to a fine paste
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste

Very lightly roast and powder:

  • 1” stick of cassia or cinnamon
  • 5 cloves
  • 5 – 6 black peppercorns

Knead all the above ingredients together thoroughly.

To finish:

  • 2 – 3 tbsp ghee

Combine all the ingredients and knead together. Form into small balls – you should be able to make approx 20 – 22 pcs from this mixture.

In a wide, shallow pan, bring 2 – 3 cups of water to a gentle simmer and put the meatballs in. If using curry leaves or cloves, add them to the water now. Poach the meatballs in the simmering water, turning to cook evenly.

When they are cooked through, remove the meatballs to a plate and boil off any remaining liquid. Discard the cloves/curry leaves. Add the ghee to the pan and sauté the meatballs to a rich golden brown.

Serve hot with wedges of lime.

7 thoughts on “Kaima undé: twice cooked meatballs, Coorg style”

  1. I will not be lady like here and just put it plainly . I am drooling rather copiously and wishing I could lay my grubby little paws on these. The recipe is just wonderful but not as easy as pie ( mince or whichever ) for a novice cook like me. But try I will one day. Could it get any better, home made mince fresh ground masalas and then shallow fried in ghee !! Thanks for the tip about adding a few curry leaves or cloves at the poaching stage , I can almost smell the aromas from that simmering pan , followed closely by that singular flavour when these babies were being smothered in loving hot bubbles of ghee. What I really liked as well is the many wonderful serving suggestions , one dish and so versatile . How redolent and wonderful was that kitchen which turned out these little nuggets . Your grandmother would be very proud of you keeping her recipe alive and sharing it .
    PS I completely understand the bit about your mother taking boiled water for the butcher to wash the block .I would take chlorine bleach as well 🙂
    PPS Loved this post Shalini . I have found my way back here after a long time , only after having created a new gmail id and generated a new password … these things we do for love ………..of food . It is rainy and cloudy weather here in Blore perfect for kaima unde .

    • Thank you, Jyoti! You know, it’s as easy as kneading everything together and then portioning it out again. Or about as easy as resetting your password 😉 Really!
      The curry leaves or cloves make the cooking liquid really fragrant. When the meatballs have simmered in it a while, it’s very tempting to just throw in a few sprigs of coriander and mint and eat it as a soup. Boiling it down concentrates all the little bits of protein that have escaped into the liquid and they combine with the ghee to make the most delicious crust on the meatballs.
      Do try it soon – the only thing you’ll regret is not making enough.
      Thanks as always for reading and taking the time to comment.:-)

  2. Shalini, Happy New Year! I made the Kaima Unde last night. Great recipe. Just delicious , tender morsels that almost melted in ones mouth. The family loved it too. Though they felt some type of dipping sauce would be great with it . It was spiced just right and was moist. But for the ones who like to dip , please suggest some type of dipping sauce that has a Coorg flair to it . Sriracha confused my taste buds that were still lingering in Coorg. And I don’t want to used the regular Indian green chutney/ date chutney that would transport me to Gujrat.

    • Happy New Year to you too, Krupa!
      I’m glad you enjoyed these. I’ve never had the urge to pair kaima undé with a dipping sauce, but now that you’ve mentioned it, the ideas are beginning to roll in!
      Given that the classic combo is kaima undé with curd rice, a dip made from thick yogurt seems the place to start.

      Crush a little garlic and macerate it in lime juice, then add yogurt salt and coarsely ground pepper. Add a tiny hint of chopped mint.

      You could also start with a green chutney based on the one used in the meatballs (coriander, green chilli, lime juice, ginger, garlic, skip the coconut, possibly add a little finely minced shallot).
      Add thick, creamy yogurt in small increments until you have the right balance of echo and accent.
      Thick coconut milk should work well too, in lieu of yogurt.
      I’ll have to think about a clear, citrussy sauce- the sweet element needs working around!

      I have a lovely recipe for a dip made from almond milk which would be just perfect with these. I will ask permission to share it here and get back to you.

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