Malai Kofta Curry Recipe

Malai kofta fried paneer and potato ball curry in a spicy gravy.

Malai Kofta Curry Recipe

Malai kofta is a north Indian curry that features fried golden balls of paneer and potato stuffed with cashew nuts and raisins in a gloriously spicy sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Anglo Indian

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword malai kofta, malai kofta curry, paneer kofta

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 50

Total Time 55

Servings Servings

Calories 956kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

For the Kofta:

2 Medium Potatoes 300g
150 g Paneer Cheese 5oz
3 tablespoon Cornflour
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves
½ teaspoon Salt
20 g Cashew Nuts 2 Tbsp
20 g Raisins 2 tablespoon
Oil for frying

For the Masala Sauce:

1 Medium Onion 150g
4 Garlic Cloves
35 g Ginger 1 Thumb Sized Piece
10 g Cashew Nuts 1 Tbsp
3 tablespoon Water
2 Medium Tomatoes 175g
2 tablespoon Groundnut Oil
2 Green Chilli Peppers
10 cm Cassia Bark 4" Piece
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
½ teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds
½ teaspoon Ajwain Seeds
4 Cracked Green Cardamom Pods
2 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
250 ml Water 1 Cup
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
½ Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Ground Fenugreek Leaves

Instructions

For the Kofta:

Place the potatoes (do not peel them) in a 20cm or 8" pan with boiling water and cook until just tender, this will take around 25-30 minutes. Then allow the potatoes to cool for 3-4 minutes.
Crumble or finely grate the paneer cheese, place it in a bowl and add the salt, garam masala, fenugreek and chilli powder for the kofta.
Roughly chop the cashew nuts for the kofta.
Stick a fork into the potatoes and peel them with a paring knife, then pass them through a potato ricer or mash them by hand and allow them to cool completely.
Mix the cooled potatoes and cornflour with the spiced paneer.
Divide the kofta mix into 6 portions, then form each portion into a disc, add some chopped cashews and raisins to the centre of the disc, then wrap them up to form a smooth round ball.
Oiling your hands helps form smooth, uniform kofta. This will make 6 koftas, around 75g or 2½oz in weight.
At this point, you should make the sauce!
Heat the oil for the kofta to 180-190°C or 350-375°F and fry the kofta for 3-4 minutes or until nice and golden.
I use a deep fat fryer, but if you are using a pan, you will need to fry them in 1-2cm (½-¾") of oil and roll them in the oil to get an even colour; this may take a little longer.

For the Masala Sauce:

Peel and roughly chop the onion, place it in a mini blender and blend it to a smooth paste, then transfer it to a bowl.
Add the garlic and ginger to the mini blender with a tablespoon or two of water, blitz it to a fine paste (don't bother cleaning the blender between the following steps) and transfer it to a bowl.
Add the cashew nuts to the mini blender with 3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth, and again, transfer them to a bowl.
Roughly chop the tomatoes, add them to the blender and blend until smooth, then transfer to a bowl.
Cut the green chilli peppers in half lengthways.
Heat a 30cm or 12" frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil, slit green chilli peppers, cassia bark, fennel seeds, mustard and ajwain seeds and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the onion puree and cook until it becomes golden and the moisture has been driven off, which will take around 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for 30 seconds.
Throw in the Kashmiri chilli powder, ground turmeric, coriander and cumin and stir everything to combine.
Pour in the tomato puree and cashew water, then give everything a stir and bring the sauce to a boil.
Add the salt, sugar and water, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
Remove the cassia bark and chilli peppers, blend the sauce, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve, return it to the pan and crush in the dried fenugreek leaves, add the garam masala, stir them in and keep the sauce warm whilst you fry the kofta.
Garnish with cream and fresh coriander

Nutrition