How to make creamy Malai kofta
Malai kofta recipe is a very popular Indian curry made with fried paneer/cottage cheese ball in a creamy curry. The koftas are made with paneer and boiled potato added with few spices. The koftas being soft and crumby it is topped with hot piping curry just before few minutes of serving. The Malai Kofta has a nice rich creamy taste.
Kofta curry recipes are very common in Indian cuisine in which koftas are made of different kinds like lauki/bottle gourd or us potatoes. The curry is often tomato and onion base with added spices.
Malai kofta is a special and lavish recipe as curry is cooked with cream. Along with the cream another ingredients which gives a creamy and silky texture to the gravy is kaju/cashew nut. Kaju/cashew nut not only gives taste and texture to the curry but also adds thickness and color.
Just as cream, paneer/cottage cheese is very soft & creamy.
The best cottage cheese or paneer is the one which is made at home, so fresh & soft. It is very easy to make cottage cheese/ paneer at home. Homemade paneer is full fat cottage cheese.
To make flavoured cottage cheese, simply add chilli flakes or dry oregano while making it.
Cooking with cottage cheese or paneer is like making tempting recipes. There are so many popular cottage cheese recipes made all around the world. It is one of the most favorite ingredient in Indian kitchen. Paneer/cottage cheese is very healthy as it one of the rich source of protein & calcium.
You can also try my other Sabzi/Side dish recipes
Matar Paneer/Cottage cheese and green peas Curry
Quick Paneer ki sabzi/ Cottage cheese
Bhindi/Lady’s Finger/ Okra sabzi
Suva/Shepu ki sabzi/Dill Side dish
Gaur sabzi/ Clutter beans side dish
Methi Matar Malai/Fenugreek & Green peas curry
Ingredients:
For the koftas
Makes 6 koftas
- Boiled potato – half
- Paneer/cottage cheese – 150 gm
- Finely chopped Green chilli – ½
- Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp
- Garam masala – ¼ tsp
- Chat masala – ¼ tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Elaichi/cardamom powder – ¼ tsp
- Kishmis/raisin – 1 to 2 tsp
- Maida/refined flour – 1 to 2 tsp
- Oil – to fry
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For the curry/gravy
- Onion – 1 medium
- Tomato – 1 large
- Whole elaichi/cardamom – 2
- Dalchini/cinnamon stick – 1 inch
- Green chilli – 1 no
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Cream – ¼ cup
- Kasuri methi – 1 tsp
- White pepper powder – ¼ tsp
Directions:
For making the koftas
- In a bowl grate the paneer/cottage cheese. I have used homemade fresh paneer.
- Add boiled and smashed potato.
- Now add the other dry ingredients except maida/ refined flour.
- Mix in all the ingredients.
- For making the balls the paneer and potato needs binding so we add maida/refined flour. Add 1 tsp of maida/refined flour at a time. Add required quantity of maida to roll the ingredients into balls. The quantity of the maida required depends on the moisture present in the paneer and boiled potato. Still avoid adding more maida otherwise the taste of paneer will be masked and the koftas will be too hard. Apart from binding maida also prevents the koftas from melted or crumble into the oil while frying. Also the koftas remain intact in the gravy for a long time.
- Mix all the ingredients properly.
- Divide the mixture into six equal parts.
- Stuff each ball with 1 or 2 kishmis and roll into round or oval balls.
- Heat oil in a kadai/pan. The oil should be sufficiently hot enough so that the balls doesn’t melts and also it doesn’t burned out instantly. In short the oil should be hot but not forming fumes.
- Fry the koftas till golden brown. Stir gently for even color.
- Keep aside the koftas till we make the gravy.
Making the curry/gravy
- Soak kaju/cashews in hot water and cover it.
- Chop the onion into thin slices.
- Sauté the chopped onion in a frying pan with little oil till golden color.
- Add chopped tomato and green chilli to the fried onion and fry till tomatoes are soft.
- Remove the mixture and let it cool.
- Grind the fried onion and tomato along with soaked kaju/cashews to a smooth paste.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai.
- Add whole garam masala i.e. elaichi/cardamom and dalchini/cinnamon stick. Fry for few seconds.
- Add the paste and cook for a while.
- Add ginger garlic paste and cook till the paste releases oil. Stir occasionally.
- Then add a cup of water and cook till thick gravy is formed.
- Season with salt .
- To add more taste add ¼ tsp of white pepper powder and mix.
- Switch off the gas stove and add the cream. Mix gently.
- Before 10 to 15 minutes of serving, place the koftas in a serving dish. Heat the gravy on medium flame with stirring. Crush kasuri methi between palms and sprinkle over the gravy.
- Pour the hot gravy over the koftas so that they are properly submerged. Leave the koftas to soak in the gravy for 15 minutes. Garnish with cream or grated paneer and kasuri methi.
- Enjoy the Malai kofta with tandoori roti or naan.
