Malai Kofta comes from North Indian cuisine, with roots in the Mughal era. This dish has been a favourite at celebrations for centuries. I love how it brings a touch of elegance to any meal with its creamy, rich flavours.
I enjoy making Malai Kofta because it’s both decadent and satisfying. The soft koftas, made from paneer and potatoes, melt in your mouth. They’re cooked in a creamy tomato gravy with aromatic spices. The cream adds a luxurious taste that I find irresistible.
For the best experience, I suggest serving Malai Kofta with naan, roti, or jeera rice. A fresh cucumber salad and mint chutney on the side make it even better. This combination creates a delightful meal, perfect for both seasoned and new cooks.
Ingredients
For preparing gravy
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon fennel powder – optional
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar or as required
- salt as required
- 2 cups water or add as required
- 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 3 tablespoons oil – any neutral oil
- ½ cup onion paste or about 2 medium to large onions or 1 heaped cup chopped onions
- 2 teaspoons Ginger Garlic Paste or 1 inch ginger, 4 to 5 garlic cloves crushed in a mortar
- 1 cup Tomato Puree or about 2 medium to large tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons light cream or cooking cream or 1 tablespoon heavy or whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder or ½ tsp cayenne or red chilli powder
- 6 to 7 tablespoons cashew paste – 12 to 15 cashews soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and blended to a smooth paste with 2 to 3 tbsp water
For Kofta
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- 100 grams Paneer or 1 cup grated paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
- 2 potatoes – medium to large – 200 grams, boiled, peeled and grated
- 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch) or tapioca starch
- 3 tablespoons almond flour or 2 tablespoons milk powder or 3 tablespoons khoya (mawa or dried evaporated milk solids)
- salt as required
- oil for deep frying, as required, any high smoke point neutral oil
whole spices
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 black cardamom – optional
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 single strands of mace or a light pinch of ground mace powder
- 2 cloves
Cooking Instructions
Paneer Kofta
- Mix all the ingredients mentioned under “For making paneer kofta” ingredient list except oil in a bowl.
- Rinse with water if you prefer and finely chop 10 to 12 cashews and 1 tablespoon raisins. Set aside. This will be the sweet-tangy and crunchy stuffing for the kofta.
- Make medium sized balls from the kofta mixture. If it feels sticky, rub some oil on your palms before shaping the kofta.
- Flatten one kofta ball lightly with your palms on a chopping board or a rolling board. Place a small portion of the cashews and raisins stuffing on it.
- Gently bringing the edges together, shape into a neat ball. Rub some oil in your palms while shaping. Make sure that the stuffing remains in the center of the kofta.
- Fill and shape all the kofta in this manner.
- Cover with a lid and set aside at room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Kofta Gravy
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed or heavy pan or skillet.
- Add all the whole spices and fry for a few seconds or until the spices crackle and the oil becomes fragrant.
- First add the onion paste. Stirring often sauté the onion paste until it becomes golden. To quicken the cooking of onions, add a few pinches of salt when you begin to sauté the paste.
- When the onion paste has become golden, add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for about ten seconds or until the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic goes away.
- Add the tomato puree and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes on a low to medium-low heat.
- Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, fennel powder, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala powder.
- Mix well and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes stirring often.
- Add cashew paste. Mix well and sauté until the oil starts to leave the side of the masala paste.
- This sautéing takes about 9 to 10 minutes on low to medium-low heat. You will see that the paste becomes lumpy and gathers around itself. It will also become slightly glossy with some oil releasing at the sides.
- Then add sugar and salt as per taste.
- Add water. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or wired whisk.
- Simmer until the gravy begins to thicken. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium-low heat. The consistency of the gravy can be medium-thick to thick. When the gravy is cooked through, you will some oil specks on the top of the gravy.
- Lastly add the crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and cream.
- Mix well and set the gravy aside. Check the taste and add more salt or sugar if needed.
Malai Kofta Recipe
Malai Kofta Recipe
Servings 4 People
Calories 539kcal
Ingredients
For preparing gravy
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp Fennel powder – It is optional
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- ¼ tsp Cumin powder
- ¼ tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Sugar – It is optional
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tsp Fenugreek leaves
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 Onions – Medium Size
- 2 Tomatoes – Medium Size
- 2 tbsp Cooking Cream
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 7 tbsp Cashew Paste – 12 to 15 cashews soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and blended to a smooth paste with 2 to 3 tbsp water
For preparing Kofta
- ¼ tsp Garam Masala
- ¼ tsp Red Chili Powder
- 100 gm Paneer
- 2 Potatoes – medium to large – 200 grams, boiled, peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 2 tbsp Almond flour
Whole spices
- 1 Tej patta
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 Green cardamoms
- 2 Cloves
Instructions
Paneer Kofta
- Mix all the ingredients mentioned under “For making paneer kofta” ingredient list except oil in a bowl.
- Rinse with water if you prefer and finely chop 10 to 12 cashews and 1 tablespoon raisins. Set aside. This will be the sweet-tangy and crunchy stuffing for the kofta.
- Make medium sized balls from the kofta mixture. If it feels sticky, rub some oil on your palms before shaping the kofta.
- Flatten one kofta ball lightly with your palms on a chopping board or a rolling board. Place a small portion of the cashews and raisins stuffing on it.
- Gently bringing the edges together, shape into a neat ball. Rub some oil in your palms while shaping. Make sure that the stuffing remains in the center of the kofta.
- Fill and shape all the kofta in this manner.
- Cover with a lid and set aside at room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Kofta Gravy
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed or heavy pan or skillet.
- Add all the whole spices and fry for a few seconds or until the spices crackle and the oil becomes fragrant.
- First add the onion paste. Stirring often sauté the onion paste until it becomes golden. To quicken the cooking of onions, add a few pinches of salt when you begin to sauté the paste.
- When the onion paste has become golden, add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for about ten seconds or until the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic goes away.
- Add the tomato puree and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes on a low to medium-low heat.
- Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, fennel powder, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala powder.
- Mix well and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes stirring often.
- Add cashew paste. Mix well and sauté until the oil starts to leave the side of the masala paste.
- This sautéing takes about 9 to 10 minutes on low to medium-low heat. You will see that the paste becomes lumpy and gathers around itself. It will also become slightly glossy with some oil releasing at the sides.
- Then add sugar and salt as per taste.
- Add water. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or wired whisk.
- Simmer until the gravy begins to thicken. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium-low heat. The consistency of the gravy can be medium-thick to thick. When the gravy is cooked through, you will some oil specks on the top of the gravy.
- Lastly add the crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and cream.
- Mix well and set the gravy aside. Check the taste and add more salt or sugar if needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 700g | Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 12g