Anjali's Food Kaleidoscope

Malai kofta / cottage cheese dumplings in cashew curry

Malai Koftas are cotton soft and delicious cottage cheese dumplings in a creamy cashew gravy. There are as many different methods of preparing malai koftas but over the years I have realized that this method is by far the easiest way of preparing "Malai Koftas" if not the best one.

Ingredients for Malai Kofta:

1.   300 grams paneer / cottage cheese

2.   300 grams boiled potatoes

3.   Two level tablespoons cornflour

4.    50 grams cashews

5.    500 ml milk

6.    150 ml water

7.     Oil for deep frying

8.     Bread crumbs to coat

9.     1 level teaspoon red chilli powder

10.    Salt to taste
11. two generous pinches of green cardamon powder

Method for Malai Kofta:

1.   Crumble the cottage cheese / paneer and mash it well using the pressure of the hands so that it turns into a soft and sticky dough.

2.  Mash the potatoes with a fork when slightly warm and eventually with the hands into a soft sticky dough.

3.   Combine the two and add cornflour to bind them well.

4.   Makea litlle bigger than walnut sized balls and fill in a few raisins in the center ( this is optional , you could keep the balls just plain as well).

5.   Roll them on fine bread crumbs and deep fry on high flame  till golden brown, in batches for about a minute.

6.   For the gravy of the Malai Kofta , finely chop a medium onion and shallow fry on medium flame in 2-3 tablespoons of oil till they turn pink. Add ¾ th or one teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder , give a stir for a few seconds and then turn the gas off.

7.  Grind the cashews with about half the milk till there are no grains left.

8.   Mix with the rest of the milk and add another 150 ml of water in case you are using full fat milk.

9.   Pour the cashew milk  mixture into the pan , keep the flame on medium , give a stir and as soon as the milk begins to boil on the sides of the pan , turn the gas off and then season with salt.

10.    Place the koftas in a flat dish and just before serving warm up the gravy on medium flame and pour over the koftas. sprinkle the green cardamon powder over the "malai koftas".

It will seem at first that the gravy is too much but in a few minutes , the koftas absorb the gravy. It is best to serve the Malai Koftas immediately , but incase you have to serve later, it is best to just reheat in the microwave as the Malai koftas might start crumbling in case you turn them into another vessel to reheat.

Best if accompanied by a spicy gravy dish ( either mutton curry or any vegetarian dish) and a crispy stir fried vegetable and eaten with hot pooris or plain paranthas.