Lamb Koftas with Shachi Mehra

Shachi Mehra, the owner and executive chef at ADYA in the Anaheim Packing District, as well as the founder of Shachi’s Spice Girl Sauces, recently joined me in my home kitchen. She shared the secrets of her lamb koftas, delicious spheres adrift in Shachi’s Spice Girl Tomato Chutney.

Her Tomato Chutney plays a major role in making these meatballs irresistible. It showcases alluring bold flavors and spices, without the spicy heat of her branded hot sauce. It’s bright and tangy, a perfect dipping sauce and a welcome addition to a Bolognese sauce or a burger. I’ve used it to add pizzaz to soup and vinaigrette. Personally, I don’t garnish eggs with ketchup, but a splash of this flavor-balanced sauce atop scrambled eggs is magic.

Mehra says that her goal is to introduce more flavor into people’s lives. Her restaurant menu and sauces play a part in that objective. They are a celebration of her roots in India, where her story begins. Even though she immigrated to the U.S. at a young age, she grew up in traditional Indian household. After finding her passion in the kitchen, it wasn’t until she delved into Indian cuisine that she found her path.

Her first food memory was at a very young age, 3 or 4. She was lifted onto the kitchen counter by her mother. Her mother had her taste something, asking her if it needed more sugar, acknowledging and trusting her little daughter’s palate.

Insight that proved to be well placed.

ADYA, 440 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim

Luxury Appreciation: I really appreciate good wine, good food, and comfortable great shoes.

I Wish People Would: Care about each other.

Drink of Choice: Negroni or Gin & Tonic

Home Freezer Stuff: Homemade enchilada sauce, dumplings, a Trader Joe’s tart, broccoli, and peas.

Advice to wannabe chefs: Find someone whose food you enjoy and go there. Find out how they got to where they are.

Smile: I smile a lot. I got in trouble at my first job for smiling too much in the kitchen. I smile when I remember many things, including thinking about something that I ate that was particularly delicious.

Secret Talent: I like to think that I am fearless. Once I was deathly shy.

Greatest Kitchen Strength: Balancing flavors, identifying sweet, sour, and spicy—then making sure nothing overpowers unless it is supposed to.

Lamb Koftas with Shachi’s Tomato Chutney

Yield: about 12 to 13 small koftas

1/2 pound ground lamb

1/2 cup minced red onion

4 teaspoons minced garlic

4 teaspoons minced ginger

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons minced serrano chili

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

2 teaspoons ground coriander

3/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce: 1 (6-ounce) bottle of Shachi’s Spice Girl Tomato Chutney, see cook’s notes

Garnish: chopped cilantro

Cook’s notes: Shachi’s Spice Girl Sauces are made in Orange County and are available online at https://spicegirlsauces.com. They are available at these Orange County locations: ADYA, Orange Farmers and Artisans Market, Alta Baja Market, A Market, Mario’s Butcher Shop and Delicatessen, Tea & Turmeric, and Hi-Time Wine Cellars. And soon they will be available at supermarkets, along with several spice mixes.

The small koftas make great appetizers. If you wish, make them larger and serve them over rice for serving as an entrée.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

2. In a medium bowl, mix lamb, onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, chili, fennel, coriander, and salt (best way is to use a clean hand to mix it). Form into balls – with a diameter of about 3/4 inches (it’s faster to do this if you use a small ice-cream scoop) – gently squeeze and roll them (watch the video for a closeup look at this process). Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

3. Heat Shachi’s Spice Girl Tomato Chutney in small saucepan on medium heat. Add koftas and stir until coated. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro. To serve as appetizers, spear each with a toothpick.

Source: Shachi Mehra, executive chef-owner ADYA, Anaheim Packing District, Anaheim.

Cathy Thomas is an award-winning food writer and has authored three cookbooks: “50 Best Plants on the Planet,” “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce,” and “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce.” For more than 30 years, she has written about cooking, chefs, and food trends. She was the first newspaper food journalist to pioneer taping how-to culinary videos for the Web. CathyThomasCooks.com