Malai Kofta

The MasterChef India season is on and how can you stay away from the kitchen if Chefs like Ranveer Brar are on your screen challenging the participants to bring out the best flavors from the ingredients. Well, I have no aspirations to become a chef but I do love Indian food.

On a Friday evening, I rolled up my sleeves and tried my hands on making one of the dishes called ‘Malai Kofta’, omnipresent in every Indian restaurant menu across the globe. Needless to say it’s very famous and incredibly finger licking.

‘Malai’ is used in multiple desserts in India, it’s a thick cream made after boiling milk. ‘Kofta’ are vegetable balls made using different vegetables or Paneer (cottage cheese).

Prep Time: 10 mins; Cook Time: 50 mins

I found this recipe shared by Ranveer Brar on one of his Youtube channels and tried making it. As the pictures suggest, it turned out to be pretty amazing.

Things you need

Gravy

2 Onions (Medium Size)
2 Tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter, typically available on Indian grocery stores)
2 Bay leaf
3-4 Cardamom
6-8 Black Peppercorns
1/2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 Tbsp Red Chilli Powder
1 Pinch of Turmeric
2 Medium Size Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Cashew Nuts
1 inch Ginger
3-4 Garlic Cloves

Kofta Balls

1 Medium Size Potato (Boiled)
150 gms Paneer (Cottage Cheese)
50 gms Mawa/Khoya (Reduced dry milk)
1/2 Tbsp Black pepper, freshly grinded
1/2 Inch Ginger
1 Tbsp Corn Flour
2-3 pinch of baking soda

Kofta Filling

1/2 cup dry fruits (Cashew nuts, almonds, raisins, pistachio)
1/2 Coriander powder
1/2 Tbsp Cardamom powder

Let’s make it

Malai Kofta Gravy :: Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan on a medium flame
Add whole spices (bay leaf, cardamom, peppercorns, cumin seeds) and stir them till you smell the aroma. Don’t overcook the cumin seeds
Add finely chopped onions and let it cook till you see slight red color on the onion. Don’t let it become brown
Add Coriander powder, red chilli powder and a pinch of turmeric (to enhance the color of spices) and let it cook for a minute
Grind the ginger and garlic (preferably on a mortar and pestle) separately and add to the pan
Add chopped tomatoes to the mixture and let it cook for few minutes(Don’t overcook the tomatoes)
Add 1 cup water to the pan and 1/2 cup cashew nuts to the pan and let it cook for 3-4 few minutes
Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool down in the pan
Grind the gravy in a grinder till it becomes a thick paste
Put the above paste back in the pan, add 1-2 cup water and let it cook for 10 mins on a low to medium flame
Switch off the flame and let the gravy cool down
Seive the gravy in a strainer to separate any solids(particles of spices etc.) to get a smooth creamy gravy
The gravy is now finally ready. Yayyy!
Kofta: Take the boiled potato and grate it in a large bowl (make sure not to over boil the potato)
Grate the Paneer in the same bowl
Take a mawa and grate it as well
Add 1/2 tbsp salt and mix all the ingredients in the bowl and mash them together
Add 1/2 inch ginger (finely grated), 1 Tbsp Corn Flour and 2-3 pinch of baking soda to the bowl
Mix everything together and make a smooth dough (Make sure the dow is not wet)
Make the dough rest for sometime and meanwhile prepare the Kofta Filing( steps below)
Take the dough and make small balls of equal size (approx. 2 inch diameter)
Kofta Filing: Mix finely chopped dry fruits, coriander, cardamom and little bit of Kofta dough in a small bowl
Fill a small amount of this filing in the Kofta balls and make a smooth spherical shape ball ( I was able to make around 7-8 balls with the above ingredients)
Deep fry the koftas and cook on low flame till golden brown in color
Drain the koftas on absorbent paper and keep them aside
To serve: Serve the fried koftas on a plate and then pour prepared gravy on top. Garnish with fresh cream.