Malai kofta
In all likelihood, this is going to be my last post for the work week (I plan to try out something over the weekend, let’s see about that later). A lot of dishes that I try out aren’t exactly D’s favourites. Oh yeah, I live to satisfy myself quite a bit :). However, I’ve been asking him to give me a list of dishes that he’d like me to try out and he’d marked Malai Kofta on top. Wanted to give it a try a few weeks back, but somehow the timing didn’t work out alright. Last weekend, I made it and it came out quite well. It’s definitely not hard to make but it’s quite a lot of steps to be followed. Also, I hate this idea of deep frying for not just the health reason but also – what the hell do you do with the leftover oil. My mil uses it while making dosas and stuff but honestly, I don’t enjoy the look of seeing a pan full of oil (the next time I am going to try and bake the koftas). Anywho, the dish was a hit in the entire house. Everyone right from Adya to my FIL liked it. When you have the time in hand and would like to experiment, then this is definitely a must try! I love onion tomato gravy which is elevated with cream/ cashew nut (No wonder, my weighing scale isn’t friendly to me..). I went through multiple recipes online but did not stick to any one recipe. The gravy base is similar to the Green Peas masala I made a while back + some heavy (pun intended) but gooooood stuff added in. The koftas are literally just a mix of paneer & aloo (you can variate with the ratio am sure but roughly equal quantities is good). So here you go!
- 1.5 cups fresh paneer/ cottage cheese
- 2 nos boiled potatoes
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt (adjust as required)
- 3 tbsp corn flour
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp corn flour (optional)
- 2 nos onions
- 2 nos tomatoes
- 2 nos green chillies
- 1 inch ginger
- 5 pods garlic
- 1/8 cup cashew nuts
- 1/8 cup almonds
- 1.5 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt (adjust as required)
- 1 no bayleaf
- 4 nos cloves
- 2 nos cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 3/4 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp salt (adjust as required)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup fresh cream
- 1/4 tsp kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves
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If you had refrigerated the paneer, then immerse it in hot water for 30-45 minutes and the squeeze the excess water of the paneer.
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In a large bowl, crumble the paneer.
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To this add the boiled & mashed potatoes, red chilli powder, garam masala, corn flour & salt and mix into a pliable dough.
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Roll the dough into small lemon size balls.
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You can roll each of the ball in a dust of corn flour (optional step - This step helps in ensuring the balls are crispy on the outside).
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Heat a pan/ kadai filled with oil. Once the oil is heated up, fry the kofta balls in batches till they brown and let them dry on a paper towel.
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Roughly chop the onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger & green chillies.
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Heat a pan/ kadai with some oil & throw in the green chillies, garlic & ginger. Saute for 30 seconds.
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To this, add the onions and saute till it starts to brown.
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At this stage, add the tomatoes & a bit of salt and cook well (say 5-7 minutes on high heat).
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At this stage, add the cashews & almonds and fry for another 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat.
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Once the mixture cools down, puree it in a mixer/ blender.
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Heat a pan/ kadai with some oil & throw in the bayleaf, cinnamon stick, clove & cardamom.
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To this add the onion-tomato puree & saute for 1 minute.
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Now add all the dry spices - red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder & garam masala and stir in continously for a minute or two.
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Now pour 2 cups of water & some salt and let the mixture boil for 5-7 minutes. Taste and adjust salt accordingly.
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Once the raw smell of the spices fade, add the cream and let it boil for just a minute.
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Crush the kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves in between your palms & add to the mixture at this stage.
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Turn off the heat & dunk in the kofta balls that have been made ready.
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Serve hot on the side of rotis/ pulao.
Stepwise pictures
For the kofta
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- In a large bowl, crumble paneer.
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- To this, add mashed boiled potatoes, corn flour, garam masala, red chilli powder & salt.
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- Knead well to form a pliable dough.
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- Make uniform lemon size balls.
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- Coat with corn flour for an added crispiness.
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- Heat a kadai with oil & fry the kofta balls in batches.
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- Remove from heat once the balls turn golden brown.
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- Let the excess oil drain out on a paper towel.
For the puree
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- In a pan, heat some oil and add green chillies, ginger & garlic. Saute for a minute.
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- Throw in the onions and saute till it starts to brown.
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- Throw in the tomatoes at this stage & a bit of salt. Let the mixture cook for 5-7 mins.
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- Add the cashews & almonds and saute for a few mins.
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- Turn off the heat once the whole mixture is cooked well.
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- Transfer the mixture to a jar.
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- Grind the mixture to a smooth puree.
For the gravy
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- In a pan, heat some oil & add bayleaf, cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves & saute for a few seconds.
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- Add the puree & add the dry spices – red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder.
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- Saute for a few minutes.
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- Now, add 2 cups of water and some salt. Let the mixture boil for 5-7 minutes.
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- Add the fresh cream at this stage and boil for 1 minute.
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- Now add crushed kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves and turn off the heat.
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- Dunk in the kofta balls carefully.
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- Enjoy the hot hot malai kofta on the side of some rotis/ pulao
