Main Ingredients-
- Potatoes
- Paneer
- Vegetables like peas, beans, sweet corn, carrots, etc.
- Chopped nuts (cashew nuts, almonds, walnut, and so on)
- Chopped raisins
- Tomatoes
- Onions
Malai kofta, an Indian recipe is a vegetarian alternative for meat balls in gravy. This main course preparation goes well with rice varieties, chapattis, and parathas. Vegetarians across the globe have a penchant for this delicately sweet vegetarian delicacy.
Ingredients
- Malai kofta is made of vegetable balls (kofta) in thick gravy (malai). The ingredients for kofta are:
- 2 cups of boiled, peeled and diced potatoes;
- 1 cup of paneer (casein) cubes;
- 1 cup of boiled mixed vegetables like peas, beans, sweet corn, carrots, etc.;
- ½ cup chopped nuts (cashew nuts, almonds, walnut, and so on);
- ¼ cup chopped raisins;
- 2 tbsp of thickened cream;
- 1 tsp of coriander powder;
- 1 tsp of cumin powder;
- ½ tsp of red chili powder;
- Salt to taste
- Cooking oil
The constituents of malai include:
- 2 tomatoes cut in quarters;
- 2 onions cut in quarters;
- 3 tbsp of nuts;
- 3 tbsp of cooking oil;
- 2 tbsp of garlic paste;
- 1 tbsp of ginger paste;
- 1 tbsp of cumin powder;
- 2 tsp of coriander powder;
- 2 tsp of garam masala;
- 1 tsp of poppy seeds;
- ½ tsp of red chili powder;
- Salt to taste
Preparing malai kofta
- Begin preparation of malai kofta by mashing the boiled potatoes, vegetables, paneer and cream together in a large bowl. Add the kofta spices to this mixture and knead all the ingredients well to make firm dough. Season this dough with salt.
- Make small balls of this dough and put ½ tsp of nut and raisins inside each of these balls. Thereafter roll them into perfect rounds.
- Deep fry these balls into pale golden color over medium heat.
- Drain excess oil from these balls by placing them on paper towels, and keep them aside.
- For preparing the malai (gravy), start with frying the onions in a deep pan to a light brown color.
- Prepare a paste using the tomato pieces, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and red chili powder.
- Place this paste into the pan and continue frying till oil and masala separates.
- Then add the nut paste and poppy powder and fry for further 2 to 3 minutes.
- Subsequently add warm water to make the gravy thick and mix it well. Add salt to taste.
- Boil the gravy slowly and thereafter allow it to simmer.
- To this simmering gravy add the kofta balls carefully and cook uncovered for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Extinguish the fire, sprinkle garam masala, and cover it for around five minutes.
Malai kofta, being subtly sweet, is specially liked by people with a sweet tooth and children.
