Malai Kofta

Indegridents:

For kofta ( 2 persons)

• 200 grams paneer (cottage cheese) - grated
• 4 medium size potatoes - boiled, peeled and grated
• 0.5 teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 to 4 tablespoons cornflour (corn starch)
• salt as required
• 2 tablespoon almond flour or 1 tablespoon milk powder or 1 tablespoon khoya (mawa or dried evaporated milk solids)
• 0.25 teaspoon garam masala powder
• oil for frying paneer koftas

For gravy:-

• 1 cup onion paste or about 2 medium to large onions, pureed
• oil for shallow or deep frying the koftas
• sugar as required (optional)
• salt as required
• 2 teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
• 4 cups water
• 0.5 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 inch ginger + 4 to 5 garlic cloves - made in to a fine paste in a mortar-pestle
• 1.5 teaspoon red chili powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 cup cashew paste or 12 to 15 cashews soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and then blended to a smooth paste
• 2 cup tomato puree or about 2 large tomatoes pureed

Whole Species :-

• 2 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 4 to 6 cloves
  
• 2 to 3 single strands of mace or a light pinch of mace powder
• 4 to 6 green cardamom
• 2 or 4 black cardamom

For granishing :-

• 2 tablespoon grated paneer (cottage cheese)
• 2 or 4 tablespoon cream
• a few chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)

Step by step :-

1.take all the ingredients mentioned under “For making paneer kofta” except oil in a  bowl.

2.mix really well. The paneer and potatoes would both get mashed up in the process of mixing. Shape them into medium sized balls. You can stuff them with dry fruits as shown in this Aloo paneer ka kofta recipe. Do note that before shaping and frying the entire batch, check a small tiny piece of the paneer kofta in hot oil (step 4 below). If it does not break, then you can easily fry the remaining koftas. If it breaks, then add some more binding agent like corn flour (corn starch). You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of corn flour. Mix and shape into koftas.

3. also prepare the cashew paste, onion paste and tomato puree. For preparing so many pastes and purees I always use magic bullet. It is quick unlike a chutney grinder and very easy to clean.

4.  heat oil for shallow or deep frying. I always shallow fry. Add the paneer kofta in medium hot oil. Fry them till golden on both side. 

5. fry all the paneer kofta this way and drain them on a paper napkin so that the extra oil is absorbed.

6. remove extra oil from the same pan and keep about 1 or 1.5 tbsp oil. Add the whole spices and fry them till they release their aroma in the oil.

7. add the onion paste.

8. Fry the onion paste till it gets browned. then add ginger-garlic paste or crushed ginger-garlic.

9. Add the tomato puree and saute for 2-3 minutes. 

10. Now add the cashew paste. Also add red chili powder and ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder.

11. Stir and saute till the oil starts to leave the side of the masala paste. This will take approx 9 to 10 minutes on a low flame.

12. Add water and stir. Simmer till the gravy becomes thick and creamy. Malai kofta gravy is usually smooth, creamy and slightly thick. You can keep it medium consistency also, the way I have done.

13. Add crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and salt as required. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes more.

Serving Malai Kofta

14. Lastly add the fried kofta. If serving malai kofta later, you can just prepare the gravy and add kofta while serving. These paneer kofta are really soft. So if you add them before and serve them later, they will break. Since I was serving immediately, I added them to the gravy.



15: garnish malai kofta with coriander leaves and Serve the Malai kofta with rotis, naan or jeera rice or saffron rice or chapatis.