Malai Kofta / Restaurant Style Malai Kofta / Malai Kofta Curry

Malai Kofta is a rich creamy north indian side dish which is generally made on special occasions. Whenever we go to restaurants, I never fail to order Malai Kofta for my rotis / Naans but our family always like to enjoy the Malai Kofta with little punch in it. Somehow, we could not enjoy the sweetish version of the Malai Kofta. So, my version would not be too sweetish, its medium and could be made with extra punch too. To enjoy this dish without guilt, I made it without any cream and butter. Trust me, the taste of this Malai Kofta is outstanding and you would earn more appreciations from your family and friends. Don't get overwhelmed during the process of  preparation. Make your process simpler by making things in parallel. The result would be amazing and would leave you with no leftovers for sure.

Ingredients 

For Making the Kofta :

Paneer Cubes / Paneer shredded - 1 Cup
Boiled Mashed Potatoes - 5 Medium
Shredded Onion - 1/2 cup
Shredded Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp
Green Chillies - 1 Medium or 1/2 tbsp green chili paste.
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Tbsp.
Broken Cashew Nut Pieces - 2 tbsp ( Optional )
Cooked Carrot - 1 Medium ( Optional )
Cooked Peas - 1/2 cup ( Optional )
Bread Slices - 4
All Purpose Flour - 1 tbsp

For Making the Gravy :

Tomato - 3 Medium or Tomato Puree - 1 Cup
Shredded Onion - 2 Cups
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Kasoor Methi - 1 tsp
Cashew Nuts - 1/2 cup ( Grind them in mixer grinder and make a fine powder )
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 3 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 3 tsp
Green Chili Paste - 1 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Salt - To Taste
Coriander Leaves - To Garnish
Adjust the red chili powder and green chili according to your taste buds.This level is meant for medium spicyness. No need to add any cream or butter.

Method of Preparation

• In the big mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for making the Kofta except the bread slices. Knead them well without any water first. 

• Soak the break slices in water and squeeze them thoroughly and add the moist bread slices into the kofta mix. Once again knead them well and make balls out of the Kofta mix as shown in the picture. 

• Fry them in heated oil till golden brown and keep all the fried Kofta balls ready. You can either fry them in heated oil or bake them in the oven under 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes on both sides.

• Meantime, we need to make the gravy for the Malai Kofta. In the cooking pan, add oil first. When its heated, add cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, green chili paste and shredded onion. 
• Saute them well so that the raw smell goes off. Add the spice powders into the pan and saute them for another 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato puree, cashew powder into the cooking pan. Mix them well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Finally add the milk and required amount of water into the cooking pan and cook them on medium heat for another 2-3 minutes. Add required amount of salt at the end.
• Switch off the flame when the gravy consistency is achieved. Now the gravy is ready to be served. 
• Just before serving, add the kofta balls into the gravy. Enjoy this yummy malai kofta with hot rotis, Naan or any mild pulao. 

 Sunday Lunch - Roti, Peas Pulao, Malai Kofta &
 Jalapeno Pickle

Tips / Variations 

• As Malai Koftas are bit rich and creamy, its ideal to have this side dish with milder pulaos like Jeera Pulao, Peas Pulao. 
• If you are making Malai Kofta for a big crowd or party, its better to use little bit of cream while making the gravy. Decorate the top of the Koftas in the serving plate with thin layers of fresh cream to make it more attractive. 
• If you want to make it sweetish, you can add little bit of sugar into the gravy and add the koftas. But the sweetness from the milk, cream, cashews would be more than sufficient I guess.
• Presenting the Malai Kofta on the table is much more important than making it. So, serve this side dish on a fancy restaurant style serving vessel. Add the gravy first and arrange the koftas in a fashion into the gravy. Garnish with coriander leaves and pour a thin layer of fresh cream on top of the kofta balls.