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11 MINS delivery
Malai Kofta
Serves 4
60 mins
450 Kcal
Malai Kofta is an awesomely rich and indulgent North Indian fare of soft melt-in-mouth koftas in a thick, creamy gravy with minimal spice. The koftas are prepared from a mixture of mashed paneer and boiled potatoes, with or without fillings of raisins or nuts, flavoured with spices such as cardamom and cumin. Deep-frying these koftas turns them golden and crisp on the outside and soft and fragile on the inside. The word "malai" means cream; therefore, the Malai Kofta recipe is a rich, smooth gravy where the base is made from tomatoes, onions, cashews, and plenty of cream. This gravy is now prepared with aromatic spices like garam masala, cumin, and turmeric, making it a mildly spiced and flavoured sauce. Besides rendering smoothness, cream and cashews give a tinge of sweetness to balance the dish's spiciness. The koftas are fried and then added to the creamy gravy very gently right at serving time so that they remain soft and soak in all the sauce's richness. Malai Kofta is often finished with a drizzle of cream and fresh coriander for bursts of colour and freshness. The general way of having this dish is with naan, roti, or steamed rice. It is prepared on special occasions since it has decadent flavours in abundance. This Malai Kofta recipe is indulgence at its purest when it comes to Indian food.
Ingredients required for Malai Kofta
- 200 gms paneer
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 2 large potatoes
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 medium onion
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp lal mirch powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp cream
- 2 cups tomato puree
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Salt
Cooking steps for Malai Kofta
- 1Let's start with the recipe of Malai Kofta.
- 2To begin, let's get the Koftas ready first. Take a large bowl, and add grated paneer and boiled and mashed potatoes. Add some corn flour. This will help you with the binding process.
- 3Now add some garam masala, lal mirch powder, and salt, as per your taste. Mix it all well and knead it into a smooth dough.
- 4This dough should reach the shape of a ball without much ado.
- 5Divide into equal portions and then make round balls from each portion. You may add flavour and texture to each kofta by stuffing it with a mixture of finely chopped cashew nuts and raisins. Stuff each kofta with this mixture, a delightful surprise inside each kofta when served.
- 6Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Slide the koftas into the hot oil, careful not to succeed more in the pan than it can handle. Fry until golden brown with a crispiness on the outside. Using a slotted spoon, take them out from the oil onto paper towels to drain excess oil so that they remain light and crispy.
- 7Heat 2 tbsp of oil in another pan. Once the oil is hot, add one tsp of cumin seeds to crackle. Once the cumin seeds start crackling, add 1 small onion chopped into fine pieces and saut until golden brown, about 5 minutes. The caramelised onions give an intense, deep and rich flavour to the gravy.
- 8Add to the saut ed onions 1 tsp. of ginger-garlic paste and continue to cook for 2 min, stirring frequently to enhance the aroma. Next, add 2 cups of tomato puree with 1/2 tsp. of turmeric powder, 1 tsp. of red chilli powder, 1 tsp of coriander powder and salt to taste. Allow the mixture to cook for 5-7 minutes till the oil starts leaving the masala, making sure the flavours are well combined.
- 9Add 1 cup of water to the pan, boil the mixture, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes on low flame until the gravy thickens. Let it simmer so that all the flavours can develop and form a rich base for the dish.
- 10Add 1/2 cup of fresh cream and 1/2 tsp of garam masala, too. Mix well. Let it saut for another 2-3 minutes until the cream is well combined and the gravy gets a creamy texture. Now, add the garam masala to enhance the taste even further.
- 11Add the fried and prepared koftas to the gravy. Allow the koftas to soak in the flavours. Don't cook it for too long or the koftas will become stiff.
- 12You can now garnish the Malai Koftas with some freshly chopped coriander leaves.
- 13Serve with rice, garlic naan or Lachha parantha. If you like this recipe of Malai Kofta, don't forget to share it with your friends and family.