Malai Kofta ( Indian veg-balls in a thick sauce)

By Marsha Gardner
@mrdick1950

A dish for special occassions, Malai Kofta is the vegetarian alternative to meatballs. It goes very well with naans (tandoor-baked flatbread) or Jeera Rice.

After reading the recipe you will see why this dish is saved for special occasions. Well worth the extra work in my estimation.

I only make this dish about twice a year.

My friend Pratima sent me the picture of her Malai Kofta.

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote

Comments:

17 Comments

Ingredients

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2 c: potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled
1 c: mixed vegetables, frozen, thawed
1 c: paneer cubes
2 Tbsp: thickened heavy cream
1 tsp: cumin, ground
1 tsp: coriander, ground
1/2 tsp: red chili powder
1/2 c: nuts, chopped (almonds, cashews, walnuts)
1/4 c: raisins, chopped fine
: kosher salt to taste
: canola oil for frying
3 Tbsp: canola oil
2 large: onions, quartered
2 large: tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp: garlic paste
1 Tbsp: ginger paste
2 tsp: coriander, ground
1 Tbsp: cumin, ground
1/2 tsp: red chili powder
1 tsp: poppy seeds, toasted and ground
3 Tbsp: almonds and cashews ground into a thick paste
: kosher salt to taste
2 tsp: garam masala

How to Make Malai Kofta ( Indian veg-balls in a thick sauce)

Step-by-Step

1KOFTA:
Mash the potatoes, mixed vegetables, paneer and cream together. Add the kofta spices to this mash and mix well. Add the kofta spices to this mash and mix well. The resulting dough should be firm. If not add some more boiled potato. Season with salt.
2Make this dough into balls and put 1/2 a tsp of the nut and raisin mix in the center of each ball. Roll into perfect rounds.
3Heat the oil kept aside to fry the koftas, on a medium flame. Deep fry these rounds till pale golden in colour.
Drain on paper towels and keep aside.
4For the gravy, first heat the 3 tbsps of oil in a deep pan and fry the onions till light brown.
Grind into a paste along with the tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin and red chilli powders.
Put this paste back into the pan and fry till the oil begins to separate from the masala.
5Add the poppy seeds powder and nut paste and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Add 1 cup of warm water (the sauce for this dish is meant to be thick so do not add too much water) to this masala to form a sauce/gravy. Mix well. Season with salt.
Bring the sauce/gravy to a boil and then reduce the fire to a simmer.
Gently add the kofas to this sauce/gravy and cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes.
6Turn off the fire and sprinkle the garam masala all over the top of the dish. Cover immediately and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
7Serve with hot Naans (tandoor-baked leavened Indian flatbread) or Jeera Rice.