Malai Kofta

Malai kofta is very rich, heavy and creamy Punjabi Sabji, where kofta or dumplings are made out of paneer and potatoes and later they are mixed in creamy and buttered gravy. Its very delicious and easy to make. See its Recipe below

Ingredients:

For Gravy: 2 tbsp oil
1 tsp ginger paste
2 green chillies finely paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 cinnamon stick finely powdered (2 tsp)
1/2 tsp black cloves powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 large tomato, finely pureed
2-3 medium onion paste
7 cashews and 2 tsp khas khas (mix both and soak in little qty of water for 15-20 minutes, later grind and make a fine paste of it)
1 cup water
1/4 cup cold milk
3 tbsp fresh cream or makhan
Salt to taste

For Kofta
250 gms Potatoes
1 tsp green chilly paste and pinch of red chilly powder
2 tsp white corn flour
3-4 tbsp bread crumbs (or if you do not have bread crumbs handy, simply sprinkle water on bread and squeeze the water out of it by pressing it in between your palms and crumble it)
100 gms paneer (cottage cheese)
7 pcs of almond (grind it in to a powder)
7-8 pcs of pistachios (grind in to powder)
Oil for frying koftas
1 1/2 cup of gravy prepared
2 tsp fresh cream or makhan
Salt to taste


Recipe:

For Gravy:

• In a pan, heat oil, and saute ginger-garlic-green chilly paste, cloves powder, cinnamon powder, cumin powder and coriander powder for 2-3 minutes.
• Now add in and saute onion puree, salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and garam masala powder. Later, Add tomato puree, Cashew-Khas khas finely grinded paste, and water. 
• Cook all for 5 minutes on medium-low flame.
• Once done, turn the flame to low and add cold milk to the gravy. (keep stirring gravy while adding milk to it, this will avoid curdling).
• After adding milk, stir the gravy for a minute continuously and add fresh cream or makhan to it and after 2-3 minutes of it, turn the flame off. The consistency of the gravy should be little thick by now and its ready.
• Keep it aside and let make koftas now.

For Koftas:

• Grate Paneer and knead it until it becomes soft and forms like a dough. Add grinded almond, pistachios powder and Salt to taste. Mix in well.

• In a bowl, mash boiled potatoes, add bread crumbs, white corn flour, green chilly paste and salt to taste. Mix all well and spread it with your fingers in a plate. See below the picture..

• Now Spread kneaded dough like paneer mixture over potato mixture.

• Roll the Potato Mixture with paneer inside till the end and make small kofta balls out of it. 

• Heat Sufficient oil on medium flame in a pan for frying koftas. (Make sure oil is real hot before frying koftas in it, else it will break down).
• Fry all the kofta balls in it on medium flame only, until golden.

• And yesss you are done. Add this ready koftas in a gravy, before few minutes when you are ready to serve. and garnish it with fresh cream or makhan.
• Serve it with plain paratha.

Palak Kofta Curry In Green Gravy

Time for some change from regular Palak paneer to Palak kofta Curry in Green Gravy, prepared traditionally the same way my mother does.

Palak Kofta Curry In Green Gravy

Ingredients:

1)  For Koftas (Dumplings):

2 cups chopped Palak (Spinach)
3/4 cup Besan (Chick pea flour)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
salt to taste

2)  For Gravy:

(Here for gravy i have used my own home made Bhuna masala. As it is really helpful especially when you are running busy whole week. I store my Bhuna Masala for almost  4-5 days in refrigerator and use it for gravy based dishes like Paneer Makhni, Chicken Makhni,  Kofta curry, Rasewale Masala aloo, Matar Paneer and so on..But every time for surely you wont get the same repetitive taste..)

Here is its Recipe : Bhuna Masala (Do have a look at once, Thank you :) )

If you do not have bhuna masala handy than below is the Recipe for Palak Kofta Gravy:

1 tsp Oil
11/2 tsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
2 Medium onion Puree
1 Large Tomato Puree
1/3 cup Bolied Palak Puree
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste each
1 1/2 tsp Fennel Powder (Saunf)
1 tsp Kasuri methi slightly crushed
1/4 cup beaten Dahi/Yogurt
1 tsp Red Chilly Powder (adjust the spice suitable to your taste buds)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
Salt to taste



Recipe:

For Koftas (Dumplings)

• In a bowl mix all the ingredients listed above in For Koftas.
• Add Little water, to make a sticky dough and not the batter. Make sure here the Binding agent is only flour and not boiled or smashed potatoes (which many other recipes use, but traditionally my mother do not use the same and so i have'nt too) So be careful with water part. Or else see the picture below. 

• Now with your oil greased palm make a round lemon size ball out of this sticky dough and deep fry on medium flame  in hot oil until light golden brown from outside.

• This quantity yields about 14-15 Koftas/dumplings.

• Keep this fried Koftas aside and lets start with a gravy.

For Gravy

• As i said earlier, I used my own homemade Bhuna Masala for this gravy so within 20 minutes i was ready with whole Palak Kofta Curry sabji. If its not handy, below i have posted the gravy recipe as well.

Bhuna Masala Mix-Curry Masala

• In a Non stick wok or Kadai, heat oil and add cumin and mustard seeds, as soon as it splutters add pinch of asafoetida powder. Saute Onion Puree with pinch of salt in it until light pink. 
• Now add Tomato Puree, Boiled Palak puree, ginger-garlic paste and other spice powder. Let it cook for about 2 minutes with little water in it.

• Add Beaten cold curd and mix (Use cold curd to avoid curdling) and cook for few minutes more.

• Time for Koftas...:) 
• Add those koftas now in a gravy and mix all well. Cook for a 2 minute on low flame. 
• Add water if required. Gravy should be little thick. And here it is ready to serve with Rotis.

Palak Kofta Curry In Green Gravy