Malai Kofta is one of the most popular vegetarian dishes on Indian restaurant menus. The name says it all – Malai means creamy and Kofta means spiced meatballs or dumplings. Malai Kofta is melt-in-your-mouth-deep-fried dumplings that are served in a creamy and decadent curry.
Kofta is a dumpling or meatball dish that is very popular in South Asian and Middle Eastern Cuisine, they are made of minced or ground meat or vegetables mixed with spices. In Indian Cuisine Koftas are usually made in curry and served with rice or flatbreads like Naan, Roti, Paratha or Chapati.
In this recipe Koftas are made of Paneer (Indian cottage cheese), boiled potatoes, and spices. These Koftas are then served with curry that is made of tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, and other spices, the curry gets its creaminess from cashew cream, butter, and heavy cream. Complex yet very balanced flavors, you just have to try it to believe it. That’s what Indian Cuisine is all about, amalgamation of various spices and flavors.
Malai Kofta is a vegetarian dish; however, you could customize it if you are vegan. There are some useful tips at the end of this recipe to turn this dish into a vegan-friendly one.
Malai Kofta
Ingredients
For the Curry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 black cardamom whole
- 3 green cardamoms whole
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ⅓ tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp red chilly powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ cup cashew nut
- 1 serrano chili
- 1 tbsp ginger chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic chopped
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 2 cups tomatoes chopped
- 2½ cups water
- ½ tsp powdered fenugreek leaves
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
For the Koftas
- 1 cup paneer (Indian cottage cheese) grated
- 1 cup potatoes boiled and mashed
- 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
- ½ serrano chili finely chopped
- 1½ tbsp cornflour
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- 2 tbsp cashew nuts chopped
- oil to fry the Koftas
Instructions
- Heat your saucepan on medium heat, add oil and butter together. Once hot, add the cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, black cardamom, green cardamom, and cumin seeds.
- Let the whole spices sizzle in the oil & butter mixture then add the chopped onions. While the onion is cooking, add the chopped ginger, garlic, and serrano chili. We are using the whole serrano chili if you want to cut back on the heat, then deseed your serrano or use just half of the serrano.
- Saute for about a minute or two until the onion turns translucent, we are not going to let onions turn brown.
- Now add turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, and red chili powder. Let all your spices saute for few seconds.
- Add your chopped tomatoes along with cashews and season it with salt. Lightly saute everything and add water. Cover the saucepan and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes until tomatoes are softened. Once it's done, turn off the heat and allow it cool down.
- While the curry mixture is cooling down let's start working on Koftas. In a mixing bowl add boiled and mashed potatoes along with grated Paneer, finely chopped cilantro, ginger, serrano, cornflour, cashews, and salt to taste.
- Now mix everything with your hands to form a dough and start forming Koftas. To form a Kofta take a spoon full of dough and roll between your palm to give it a shape. We decided to go with an oblong shape for our Koftas.
- Now in another pan heat enough oil to deep fry your Koftas. Fry the Koftas until golden brown on medium-high heat. Remove your fried Koftas on a paper towel.
- Now it's time to work on the curry. Discard the bay leaf from the mixture and transfer it to a blender to make a smooth paste.
- Pass the blended mixture through a strainer to get the smooth and velvety texture.
- Transfer the curry into the saucepan on medium heat and cook it for about a minute or two. Add powdered fenugreek leaves, sugar, and salt to taste.
- Check the consistency of your curry, add water if necessary. Allow the curry to cook for 3 to 4 minutes and turn off the heat. Just before serving, add and mix the heavy cream to the curry, and it's ready to serve.
Assemble and Serve the Malai Kofta
- Place the Koftas in a serving plate and top it with prepared curry. Garnish your Malai Kofta with a drizzle of heavy cream and cilantro. Devour your Malai Kofta with Naan or rice.
Notes
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