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Malai Kofta Recipe

Malai Kofta Recipe

The Best Malai Kofta Recipe to show off your cooking at family dinners. This recipe is perfect for Cooks trying something a little out of their comfort zone. It is also a brilliant idea for those who just want to plan a good party and make something unique to impress their guests. 
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Koftas

  • 1 cup (100 grams) grated Indian cottage cheese
  • 2 Boiled potatoes, peeled and grated (200 grams)
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour or cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
  • 3 tablespoons almond flour
  • salt as required
  • oil for deep frying, as required

Stuffing

  • 10 or 15 cashews
  • 1 tablespoon raisins

For Gravy

  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 Indian bay leaf
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 black cardamom (optional)
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 2 single strands of mace
  • 2 cloves
  • ½ cup onion paste 120 g
  • 2 teaspoons Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 1 cup Tomato Puree 240 g
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fennel powder (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
  • 6-7 tablespoons Cashew paste
  • ½ 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
  • salt as required
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves
  • 2 tablespoons light cream (optional)

For Garnish

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons grated cottage cheese (optional)
  • 1 or 2 tablespoons light cream or whipping cream (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves or a few mint leaves

Instructions
 

The Koftas:

  • Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl: grated cheese, grated potatoes, red chili powder, cornflour, Garam Masala, almond flour, and salt.
  • Take a little of this mixture and gently roll it between your palms to make it into a ball. If the mixture is sticky, rub some oil on your palms.
    Rinse the Cashews and Raisins, then chop and set them aside.
    Note: These Cashews and Raisins will be the stuffing for the Koftas in this recipe. They are completely optional, you can skip them if you like.
  • Gently flatten one of the Kofta Balls with your hands and place some of the stuffing on it.
    Enclose the stuffing within the flattened ball and roll it again to a nice ball. Make the rest of the Koftas in the same way.
    Note: Make sure that the stuffing does not leak out of the dough. Don’t make the balls too thin when flattening them to ensure the stuffing remains safely inside the Kofta Dough.
    When ready, cover the Koftas and set them aside at room temperature.

The Gravy:

  • Take a heavy-bottomed pan and heat 3 tablespoons of oil for the gravy.
  • Add the following and saute until the spices crackle and give out their scents: Indian Bay Leaf, cinnamon, black and green cardamom, strands of mace, and cloves.
  • Then add the onion paste and a pinch of salt to this pan. Stir frequently and fry until the paste turns golden.
  • Next, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until its raw smells go away. Then add tomato puree and continue frying for around 7 minutes on medium heat.
  • Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, fennel powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder. Mix and continue to saute while stirring often.
  • After around 5 minutes of frying, add the cashew paste. Stir well until the mixture starts to release oil.
  • All the while keeping the flame medium to low, continue to saute. When you see the oil releasing, add the sugar and salt according to your taste.
  • Add 2 cups of water and mix well. Simmer on medium to low heat until the gravy thickens. This typically takes around 10 minutes. The gravy is supposed to have a medium-thick consistency.
  • When the gravy is done, some oil will start to appear on the surface. Then you can turn off the heat and sprinkle the crushed fenugreek leaves and cream on the gravy.
  • Mix the gravy well and then set it aside.

Frying the Koftas:

  • Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.
  • Check if the oil is hot enough by adding a small piece of the Kofta to the oil. If it comes to the surface quickly and does not go brown at once, then the oil is ready.
  • When the oil is hot enough, add the Koftas to the pan carefully. When one side of the Kofta turns nicely golden, gently turn it over and fry the second side until it is just as golden as the other side.
  • When the koftas are equally golden on both sides, remove them from the pan and place them on a paper towel-covered plate. The paper towel will absorb any excess oil from the koftas.

Serve:

  • Serve immediately by simply adding the fried koftas to the gravy and garnishing with grated cheese, cream, and mint leaves.
  • You can also serve it at a later time, but then you can’t place the koftas in the gravy. Keep the gravy and koftas separate until you are ready to serve.
  • Heat the koftas in the microwave, and heat the gravy on low heat. If the gravy seems too thick, add a little more water.
    Then place the koftas in the gravy just before serving, garnish, and serve.
  • Serve with the Traditional Indian roti, naan, steamed basmati rice, or jeera rice.
Keyword Malai Kofta Recipe