Easy Malai Kofta

Mostly eaten with naan and roti, Malai Paneer is a dish of its own significance, the rich creamy base along with the tartness of the tomatoes makes it a wonderful dish for a weekend dinner. Its origin is from the Mughlai cuisine and is quite new to this era. Needless to say that the gravy is silky smooth and the kofta balls are placed right on top of the gravy as soon as they are deep fried. Crunchy from outside and soft from inside.

Preparation time : 15 minutes

Cooking time : 20 Minutes

Serves : 3 person

Ingredients 

• 2 medium Potato, boiled and grated
• 150 g cottage cheese
• salt to taste
• A pinch of baking soda
• 2 tbsp Cornflour
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• Oil for deep frying

For Gravy

• 1 tsp clarified butter
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 bay leaf
• 2 medium onions
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 5 green cardamom
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 inch ginger
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 8-10 cashew
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 1.5 cup water
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 3 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• salt as needed

Method

For the Koftas

1. Mash the boiled potatoes and grate the cottage cheese beforehand.
2. chop up a bunch of coriander leaves roughly.
3. In a mixing bowl add the mashed potatoes, grated cottage cheese, grated ginger, chopped coriander leaves, a pinch of salt, baking soda, cornflour, black pepper powder.
4. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly so that the cornflour coats the mixture properly.
5. After mixing divide the mixture in 6 equal parts.
6. Portion them into balls of 4 cm in diameter.
7. Heat oil for deep frying, and put the balls 3 at a time, do not overcrowd the pan.
8. Fry until a golden crust forms on top, and strain it on a kitchen napkin for draining the excess oil. 

For the gravy

1. Heat oil in a pan and add all the raw spices ( bay leaf, green cardamom, black peppercorn and cumin)
2. Just as the cumin starts to crackle, put the roughly chopped onions, and season with salt.
3. Put the garlic and ginger and fry until the raw aroma goes.
4. Put the tomatoes and then add the green chilli. Stir for 2 minutes.
5. Put the cashew in and stir all the ingredients together.
6. Now add the powdered spices, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add water and let the flame be on medium heat, we do not want to over cook the tomatoes as the tartness is important in the gravy along with the sweetness of the caramelized onions.
8. cook for 5 minutes and turn off the flame. Let the mixture cool down.
9. Blend into a fine paste, and pass through the mixture through a sieve.
10. We want a creamy gravy, set it in a bowl.
11. Again heat some oil in a pan and add the kashmiri red chilli powder on a low flame.
12. Add the paste and mix it well
13. Check the salt and add sugar to it.
14. Stir until the colour of the gravy changes to a deeper yellowish orange.
15. Add cream at the end and turn the gas off. stir gently.
16. On a plate, pour the gravy on the base and then add the koftas on top, garnish with cream and coriander leaves.
17. Serve while its hot with naan for the perfect combination.