Malai Kofta

This is one dish that I always ordered when we went out dining back in India. We knew which restaurants served good Malai Kofta and we would always go to those only because if this dish is good there, then other dishes ought to be good.

I never thought I could make restaurant style Malai Koftas at home. Then I came across this recipe and my mom gave me some suggestions for modifying it. I made a lot of changes based on my experience, and it turned out amazing. I agree it takes time to make this one, but once in a while its worth it.

Preparation Time: 25-30 min
Cooking Time: 40-45 min
Serves: 4-5 (makes 12 Koftas)

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Ingredients: For Koftas: Makes about 8-10 koftas 2 large Potatoes, boiled and mashed 1 slice bread crumbs - for binding (you can take a bread slice and churn it for 1-2sec in a mixer) 2-3 tblsp grated Khoya 1 tblsp Cashews, chopped into small pieces - optional 1 tblsp Raisins - optional Oil for deep frying 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Salt to taste For Gravy Khas-khas Paste 1 tsp Khas-khas, soaked for 4-5 hrs 1 tblsp Cashews Onion Paste 1 large Onion, chopped into 4 1 inch ginger 3-4 Garlic Cloves Tomato Paste 2-3 Tomatoes, chopped into 4 1 tbsp Oil/Ghee 1 tsp garam masala Salt to taste milk as per consistency Grated paneer for garnish 1 tsp Cream for decoration

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Method:

Make Koftas

1. Mix potatoes, bread crumbs, garam masala and salt to make a uniform mixture. Make a small ball and deep fry it to check if it stays together. If not, add some more bread crumbs. Remember not to add too much bread as the koftas will get hard.
2. Take some cashew, 1 raisin along with a little khoya and make small round balls with this.
3. Make small balls with the potato mixture. Flatten it a little and place the khoya ball within it, and roll the potato mixture all over it. Basically you are making a khoya ball wrapped with potato mixture. Shape it into an oval. Press it tight.
4. Deep fry these balls on medium-high heat till golden brown. They get brown very quickly...so keep a watch so as not to burn. Put only 4-5 koftas in one time. Do not put too many as if they stick to one another, then they tend to break.
5. Transfer fried koftas onto a paper towel to drain excess oil.

Make Gravy

1. Make onion, tomato and Khas-khas pastes.
2. Heat oil/ghee in a pan and fry the onion paste for 5-7 min.
3. Add Khas-khas paste and fry for another 2-3 min.
4. Add tomato paste and fry for 5-7 min till the ghee separates.
5. Add turmeric, salt and garam masala and let it cook for another 5 min. If the gravy is thick add whole milk slowly till desired consistency is achieved.

Serve

When serving, place koftas in the serving tray in a single layer, pour hot gravy over the koftas. Garnish with grated paneer and a little cream. Serve with paranthas / naan / kulcha.

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