Malai Kofta is a very popular North Indian dish & undoubtedly tops the list of foods ordered at Indian restaurants. Malai stands for cream and Kofta is a fried dumpling of mashed potatoes, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or other vegetables.
Malai Kofta is made in a thick creamy gravy made from ground cashew nuts, onion, tomato etc. The gravy can be made white or brown depending on the selection of spices and ingredients. This dish goes very with all Indian breads like Naan, Roti, Missi Roti as well as with various varieties of rice.
Malai Kofta traces it origin to the Mughlai cuisine. At home, Malai Kofta is generally a dish for special occasions. It is slightly crunchy from outside & very soft from inside. There are many varieties of Kofta Recipes and other popular ones include Vegetable Kofta, Shahi Kofta, Lauki Kofta etc.
Ingredients For Malai Kofta Recipe
For Kofta Balls
200g Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheeses)
2 Large Potatoes, boiled
1 Carrot, boiled (optional)
1/2 Cup Peas, boiled (optional)
1 Tablespoon Corn Flour or Maida(Plain Flour/All Purpose Flour)
1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 Teaspoon Jeera Powder (Cumin Powder)
1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt or as per taste
1 Teaspoon Kasuri Methi (Dry Fenugreek Leaves)
For Gravy
2 Medium Sized Onions
2 Large Tomatoes
2 Green Chillies
4-5 CLoves of Garlic
~1 Inch Piece of Ginger
10-12 Cashews
1/2 Cup Whipping Cream
1 Teaspoon Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
1/2 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1 Teaspoon Salt, or as per taste
Step By Step Instructions With Photos For Malai Kofta Recipe
Grate paneer in a bowl. If you are using home made paneer, take care that it is drained of water. Boil potatoes and add them in the bowl.
Boil the carrots and green peas and drain all the water out of them. Add the boiled vegetables to the bowl. Mash all the vegetables. You can add any other vegetable of your choice, or skip adding them altogether. Adding some vegetables help the koftas to bind well and also increase the nutritional content
Add Salt, Garam masala, Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, Coriander powder and Cumin Powder to the mixture. Add corn flour or all purpose flour (Maida) and mix everything well. Optionally, you can also add some crushed nuts to the mixture.
Divide this mixture into 8-10 equal portions. Shape these portions into round, oval or bullet shapes. Coat the koftas with plain flour or cornflour to absorb any excess moisture.
Heat oil in a kadai or a deep frying pan over medium flame. When the oil is hot, gently slide 2-3 balls in oil from side of pan. Take care not to splash the hot oil and deep fry until the koftas turn golden brown. Take care when turning the koftas as they are very fragile.
Take out the koftas and drain the excess oil on an absorbent paper and repeat the process for remaining koftas. Keep the prepared koftas aside.
Now we start the preparation of Gravy for the Kofta. Chop onions, tomatoes, green chillies, ginger and garlic.
Heat oil in a pan and put Jeera (Cumin Seeds) in it. When they start to splutter add Green Chilies, Garlic & Ginger pieces to the oil.
Add chopped onions and saute them till they become soft and golden brown.
Then add chopped tomatoes and cook till the raw smell of tomatoes goes away. Set the gravy aside and let it become slightly cool.
Roast some cashew nuts, making sure that they do not get burnt. Add the roasted cashews to a food processor and grind them.
Add the prepared onion tomato gravy to the food processor/blender and grind it to a smooth paste. You can add a little water if required.
Heat oil in a pan. Add Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder and Garam Masala to the oil. Cook for a few seconds.
Add the pureed gravy to the pan and mix it well with all the spices. Cook for a few minutes and add Salt.
Now add Whipping Cream to the mixture. If you want to make the dish a little lighter, you can use Milk instead of the cream.
Add some Kasuri Methi to the gravy and cook it for a few minutes.
Now add the kofta balls to the gravy. If you are serving the dish in a party, you can also keep the balls separately and add them to the gravy just before serving. Garnish the Malai Kofta with grated Paneer and Coriander Leaves.
