Rich creamy North Indian dish with dumplings dunked and simmered in a fragrant tomato gravy. Pair it with Naan or a bowl of rice for a complete meal. This recipe doesn't call for onion or garlic.
#Restaurant style
Malai kofta is a very popular vegetarian dish in restaurants. It's seldom made at home, but when you want to serve up something eclectic, why not whip up the delicacy at home with some authentic freshly ground gravy. Malai means cream and Koftas are deep fried balls made of mashed potatoes, paneer, nuts and spices.
Avoid deep frying as much as possible. To keep it healthy I have used a Paniyaram pan to roast the dumplings. There is no compromise in taste what so ever.
I got my pan from India, but its available in the US on Amazon as a stuffed pancake pan. It's quite versatile and handy.
RECIPE
Ready in 40 minutes Serves 4 people
Ingredients
Dumplings
● 3 large boiled potatoes
● 1 cup grated Paneer
● 1 tsp Cardamom powder
● 3 tbsp Corn flour
● 1 tbsp Chilli powder
● 2 tbsp Cashews Chopped
● 1 tbsp Golden raisins
● 1 tsp Garam masala
● Salt to taste
Gravy
● 4 large tomatoes, chopped
● 2 tbsp Coriander seeds
● 2 Kashmiri red chillis
● 1 tbsp oil
● 1 tsp Turmeric powder
● 2 tbsp cashews
● 1 tbsp Sugar
● 2 tbsp Cream
● 1 tsp Garam masala
● 1 tsp Kasuri methi ( dried Fenugreek leaves)
● Salt to taste
● Cilantro and grated paneer for garnish
Preparation
Dumplings
1.Boil potatoes or steam them until very soft. Peel the skin and mash with a fork. I use an #InstantPot to steam them. Steam mode set to 12 min, Vent closed and Natural pressure release.
2. Grate paneer and chop the cuts.
3. Toss them into the masked potatoes.
4. Add in all the spice powders, including 2 tbsp corn flour.
5. The mixture come together. No need to add water here. Make small balls
6. Add a tbsp of corn flour in a plate and roll the balls to lightly coat them as indicated in the picture below.
7. Grease the pan, and fry them till they are slightly brown. Set aside.
Gravy
1. Chop the tomatoes.
2. Roast the Coriander seeds and red chilies until fragrant.
3. Blend the tomatoes, roasted coriander seeds, red chilies and cashews real smooth.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add the gravy.
5. Sprinkle turmeric powder, garam masala and sugar. Give it a quick stir and let it simmer for a good 10 min until oil starts releasing from the sides.
6. Add in the cream and the Kasuri methi leaves. Stir and let simer for another couple of minutes.
7. Add the dumplings gently into the gravy and turn off the flame.
Tips
Serve hot with Naan or a bowl of #basmati rice.
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