Malai Kofta Recipe | Restaurant Style Malai Kofta Curry

Malai Kofta is a very popular North Indian dish & undoubtedly tops the list of foods ordered at Indian restaurants. Malai stands for cream and Kofta is a fried dumpling of mashed potatoes, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or other vegetables.

Malai Kofta traces it origin to the Mughlai cuisine, where the dumplings were generally made of some kind of meat. The recipe has evolved over time to this vegetarian version.

There are many varieties of Kofta Recipes and other popular ones include Vegetable Kofta, Shahi Kofta, Lauki Kofta etc. The main difference comes from the ingredients used in making the kofta, as well as slightly variations in the curry preparation.

Malai kofta dumplings

The dumplings for malai kofta are made primarily from potatoes and paneer. Frying the mixture gives the koftas a very unique taste and texture, which is slightly crunchy from outside & very soft from inside.

You can also add other vegetables like peas and carrots. Also dry fruits like almonds and cashews can also be added to add richness and a slight crunch to the kofta.

Gravy for malai kofta

Malai Kofta is made in a thick creamy gravy made from ground cashew nuts, onion, tomato and various spices. The gravy for malai kofta has a slight hint of sweetness.

Sometimes in restaurants malai kofta is also served with a white gravy. The gravy can be made white or brown depending on the selection of spices and ingredients. The red color in the gravy comes from the addition of tomatoes and red chilli powder.

Serving suggestions

Malai Kofta dish goes very with all Indian breads like naan, roti, missi moti as well as with various varieties of rice.

At home, Malai Kofta is a great dish for making on special occasions or festivals, as due to the addition of cream, cashews and almonds, this dish tends to be quite rich.

To make Malai Kofta at home follow the detailed step by step recipe with photos posted below.

See more related recipes like:

• Veg Kofta – mix vegetable kofta
• Palak Kofta – spinach kofta curry
• Lauki Kofta – bottle gourd kofta
• Kadhai Paneer – paneer cooked in spicy gravy
• Paneer Butter Masala – paneer cooked in buttery tomato gravy
• Bharwan Tamatar – stuffed tomatoes
• Dum Aloo – slow roasted potatoes in gravy

Suggested recipe collections :

• Paneer Recipes | 25 Easy Indian Paneer Recipes
• Potato Recipes | 37 Veg Indian Potato Dishes | Aloo Recipes
• Indian Curry Recipes | List of 36 Indian Vegetarian Gravies
• Indian Sabzi Recipes | 20 Dry Vegetables | Sookhi Sabji

Malai Kofta Recipe | Restaurant Style Malai Kofta Curry

Malai Kofta is a delicious North Indian specialty dish consisting of soft Paneer & Potato balls floated in rich gravy.

Recipe Info

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 5

Category Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Ingredients For Malai Kofta Recipe | Restaurant Style Malai Kofta Curry

  

For Kofta Balls

• 200 gm Paneer
• 2 Large Potatoes
• 1 Carrot (Gajar)
• 1/2 Cup Green Peas (Matar)
• 1 Tablespoon Corn Flour or Maida (Plain Flour/All Purpose Flour)
• 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhaniya Powder)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder)
• 1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
• 1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste
• 1 Teaspoon Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
• 1 Cup Cooking Oil for frying

For Gravy

• 2 Medium Sized Onions
• 2 Large Tomatoes
• 2 Green Chillies
• 4-5 CLoves Garlic
• 1 Inch Piece of Ginger
• 10-12 Cashew Nuts (Kaju)
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or Milk
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhaniya Powder)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste
• 1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil

Step By Step Instructions for Malai Kofta Recipe | Restaurant Style Malai Kofta Curry

 

Preparing the koftas

• Grate paneer in a bowl. If you are using home made paneer, take care that it is drained of water.
  200 gm Paneer
  
• Boil potatoes and add them in the bowl.
  2 Large Potatoes
  
• Boil the carrot and green peas and drain all the water out of them. Add the boiled vegetables to the bowl. You can add any other vegetable of your choice, or skip adding them altogether. Adding some vegetables help the koftas to bind well and also increase the nutritional content.
  1 Carrot (Gajar), 1/2 Cup Green Peas (Matar)
  
• Mash all the vegetables.
  
• Add salt, garam masala, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder to the mixture.
  1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhaniya Powder), 1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala, 1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi), 1 Teaspoon Salt, 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder)
  
• Add corn flour or all purpose flour (maida). Optionally, you can also add some crushed nuts to the mixture.
  1 Tablespoon Corn Flour or Maida (Plain Flour/All Purpose Flour)
  
• Mix the spices and maida nicely with the mashed vegetables.
  
• Divide this mixture into 8-10 equal portions. Shape these portions into round, oval or bullet shapes. Coat the koftas with plain flour or cornflour to absorb any excess moisture.
  
• Heat oil in a kadai or a deep frying pan over medium flame. When the oil is hot, gently slide 2-3 balls in oil from side of pan.
  
• Take care not to splash the hot oil and deep fry until the koftas turn golden brown. Take care when turning the koftas as they are very fragile.
  
• Take out the koftas and drain the excess oil on an absorbent paper and repeat the process for remaining koftas. Keep the prepared koftas aside.
  

Preparing the gravy

• Now we start the preparation of gravy for the kofta. Chop onions, tomatoes, green chillies, ginger and garlic.
  2 Medium Sized Onions, 2 Large Tomatoes, 2 Green Chillies, 1 Inch Piece of Ginger, 4-5 CLoves Garlic
  
• Heat oil in a pan and put jeera (cumin seeds) in it.
  1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
  
• When they start to splutter add green chilies, garlic & ginger pieces to the oil.
  
• Add chopped onions to the pan.
  
• Saute them till they become soft and golden brown.
  
• Then add chopped tomatoes and cook till the raw smell of tomatoes goes away.
  
• Set the gravy aside and let it cool down slightly.
  
• Roast some cashew nuts, making sure that they do not get burnt.
  10-12 Cashew Nuts (Kaju)
  
• Add the roasted cashews to a food processor and grind them.
  
• Add the prepared onion tomato gravy to a food processor or blender.
  
• Grind it to a smooth paste. You can add a little water if required.
  
• Heat oil in a pan. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala to the oil. Cook for a few seconds.
  1/2 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhaniya Powder), 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi), 1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala
  
• Add the pureed gravy to the pan and mix it well with all the spices.
  
• Cook for a few minutes and then add salt according to taste.
  1 Teaspoon Salt
  
• Now add heavy cream to the mixture. If you want to make the dish a little lighter, you can use milk instead of the cream.
  1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or Milk
  
• Add some kasuri methi to the gravy and cook it for a few minutes.
  1 Teaspoon Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
  
• Now add the kofta balls to the gravy. If you are serving the dish in a party, you can also keep the balls separately and add them to the gravy just before serving. Garnish the malai kofta with grated paneer and coriander leaves.
  

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