Malai Kofta recipe

Nest time you want to have Gourmet Indian vegetarian curry, try this Malai Kofta recipe which is rich, creamy dish fit for special dinner. It includes silky smooth curry made out of tomatoes and delicious dumplings made with potatoes, dry fruit and paneer (Indian cottage cheese.) Best served with Naan, Parantha or Rice.

Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

400 gms paneer
4 boiled mashed potatoes
1 tbsp skim milk powder
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tbsp chickpea flour/besan
2 tbsp rice flour
Dry fruit like Cashews, almonds, raisins
Oil for deep frying

For Sauce/Curry/Gravy
2 chopped onions
4 pieces of garlic cloves
2 inch piece of ginger
3 fresh Tomatoes
2 green cardamom
1 tsp coriander and cumin seeds
2 tbsp Ghee
2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chill pwd
1 cup water
250 ml Half and Half cream
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
Garnish with cilantro leaves

Method:
Make small golf size balls with potatoes, paneer, chickpea and rice flour along with spices. Deep fry balls in hot oil. Cook until all sides are golden brown.
For Curry, in 2 tbsp ghee add green cardamom seeds (discard the peel), cumin and coriander seeds. Fry for 2 mins. Add onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for 45 secs. Add spices and fry for 2 more mins. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 mins so that Tomatoes are tender. Transfer everything in your blender. Add water and make smooth sauce. Transfer back into the pan. Add cream, garam masala, fenugreek leaves. Simmer for 2 mins and your gravy is ready.

Malai Kofta are a regular main course dish whenever one eats out, why not try it at home?

Ingredients:

For Koftas

• 1 cup of paneer, crumbled fine
• 1 potato, peeled and boiled
• 1 carrot, peeled and boiled (optional)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• A small piece of ginger, grated
• 1 tsp of red chilli powder
• 2 of green chillies, sliced into thin discs
• A generous pinch of hing
• 8-10 cashew nuts, broken into small pieces
• 1 tsp of coriander powder
• A generous bunch of coriander leaves / cilantro
• 1/4 cup of cornflour for dusting (optional)
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste

For the gravy

• 1 large onion, pureed
• 1 tomato, pureed
• 12 cashew nuts, soaked in warm water for 30 mins and ground to a paste
• 1 tsp of red chilli powder
• 1 tsp of coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
• A generous pinch of hing / asafoetida
• 1 tbsp of kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 tbsp of tomato sauce (optional)
• 2 tbsp of cream
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp of oil
• 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp of jeera / cumin, powdered
• 1/2 cup of milk

Procedure:

How to make Koftas Balls:

• Mash the boiled potato and carrot together until there are no lumps.
• Add the rest of the ingredients to this mixture (except corn flour and oil).
• Mix well with fingertips until it’s a homogenous, damp mixture. The moisture from the potato and carrot should be enough to bring it together. Don’t add any water.
• Roll into small lime-sized balls.
• Dust with corn flour. This is an optional step because I didn’t find much difference in texture between these and the ones I didn’t dust. Also, if you leave them plain, the oil stays clear and doesn’t leave a white layer on the koftas.
• Heat a pan and add enough oil to submerge the koftas half way.
• Turn gently when golden brown on one side. Keep the fire medium low to ensure the inside is cooked too.
• Drain on to paper towels

Gravy

• Heat oil and add the cumin powder. Fry for 5 seconds. Add the tomato and onion puree. Saute for 2-3 mins until the raw smell disappears.
Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, and hing.
• Fry for another 2 mins. Now add the kasuri methi and the tomato sauce (if using). Top it off with the ground cashew pate. Mix well and let it cook for 5 mins on low flame.
• Add the milk. Bring to boil and simmer for a minute.
• Gently drop in the koftas and cover with the sauce. Turn off fire and let it sit for some time for the gravy to soak through.
• Serve with warm jeera rice or rotis, with a garnish of grated paneer or fresh coriander leaves.

Notes
• If you prefer a white base for your malai kofta, skip the tomato and tomato sauce and add more cream and cashew paste.
• Some prefer to omit the onion, and that’s fine too but it gives the gravy a nice base.

Pictures and recipe taken from Cooking and Me

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Try Malai Kofta at home