Malai Kofta needs no introduction. Deep fried balls (koftas) made with potato and paneer are dunked in a creamy spiced velvety smooth curry.

It’s the ultimate indulgence and pairs beautifully with garlic naan.

Growing up in India in the 80s and 90s, we hardly ate out.

And a few times that we did, we always went to Indian restaurants. That time the other cuisines weren’t as popular back home like they are now.

I remember whenever we would go out, we would always order either of these 2 dishes- one was dal makhani and other was malai kofta.

Probably because these rich and creamy dishes were not made at home often, maybe once or twice a year for special occasions.

So they always had a special place in my heart. I have already shared the dal makhani recipe (which you guys love)!

And today, I am sharing my version of Malai Kofta with you guys.

What is Malai Kofta

Malai Kofta is a very popular Indian vegetarian dish where balls (kofta) made of potato and paneer are deep fried and served with a creamy and spiced tomato based curry.

The literal translation of this dish is malai=creamy/buttery and kofta=spiced balls (in this case made of potatoes and paneer).

There are two parts to this dish-

The Kofta: any round ball made of meats and veggies is referred to as kofta in several Asian countries.

You can say they are like meatballs. In India, a lot of koftas are made with vegetables and spices and deep fried.

The kofta in this malai kofta is made with paneer, potato, ginger, cilantro, some nuts and raisins. I also add some cardamom and white pepper powder to enhance the flavor of the kofta.

One other thing which is added to the kofta here is cornstarch. It binds the koftas so that they don’t disintegrate in the hot oil.

The Gravy/Curry: the koftas are served with a creamy gravy which forms the base of this dish.

It is made with onion, tomatoes, cashews, ginger, garlic and a lot of whole spices.

The gravy is silky smooth, lightly sweetened and spiced mainly with whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves etc.

Cream and butter are added to make it rich and creamy.

Tips to make Restaurant Style Malai Kofta

So, if you have always wondered how to make restaurant style malai kofta at home, then I have got you covered with these tips.

Strain the puree using a strainer so that the gravy is silky smooth: once the onion, tomatoes and whole spices are cooked, you have to grind them to a paste.

However, even after grinding the gravy will not be super smooth, so it’s important to pass the puree through a strainer.

That will make it silky smooth and that’s what you need for this recipe.

Use homemade paneer in the kofta if possible: the fresh homemade paneer makes them taste much better.

Do not add too much cornstarch to the kofta: For this malai kofta recipe, I added have added 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch and that was enough to just bind the koftas together.

If you add too much of the cornstarch, it does interfere with the taste and flavor of the kofta.

Fry koftas on medium high heat: these kofta need to carefully handled. Make sure the oil in the kadai/wok is hot enough. If not, the koftas can break when dropped into oil.

They can also stick to the bottom of the pan while frying. So, make sure the oil is hot before you drop the koftas in oil.

Sprinkle cardamom powder on top of the gravy once it’s cooked: just a sprinkle of cardamom powder on top really adds to the flavor.

Also drizzle some cream before serving the dish.

Don’t cut down on the fat: if you want to make restaurant style malai kofta, then you need to use fat in form of butter and cream. They add to the flavor and richness of the dish. I like using amul butter for extra flavor.

Serving Suggestions

This malai kofta tastes best with some homemade naan.

It also pairs well with jeera rice.

Can you make the Malai Kofta Vegan?

I haven’t tried myself but I can see that it should work.

Replace the paneer in the kofta with tofu. Grate the tofu and then use in the recipe.

Use vegan butter in place of dairy butter and you can either skip the cream or use coconut milk or add some cashew cream.

Let’s see how we make it!

Method

Make the gravy/curry 

1- Heat a pot/pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and then add the bay leaf, cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves and shahi jeera.

2- Let the spices sizzle for few seconds and then add the chopped garlic, ginger, green chili and onion.

Saute for around 2 minutes, do not brown the onion.

3- Then add the tomatoes along with cashews.

4- Add 2 cups water and stir.

5- Cover the pot with a lid and cook for around 10 to 12 minutes until tomatoes soften.

6- Let it cool down down a bit (around 15 minutes, if you blend it while it’s hot it might blow off from the blender), then discard the bay leaf and transfer mixture to a blender.

Blend to a smooth paste.

7- Use a strainer and strain the puree into another bowl. This makes sure the gravy is really smooth.

8- Put the same pan on medium heat again. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon oil. Let the butter melt.

9- Add in the pureed gravy and cook for 2 minutes.

10- Then add the coriander powder, kashmiri red chili powder, salt, sugar and garam masala.

Let the curry cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

11- Add crushed kasuri methi and then cream.

12- Cook for additional 2 to 3 minutes on medium-low heat. Sprinkle some cardamom powder on top. The gravy is now done. Set aside and make kofta.

Make the kofta

13- Boil the potatoes using a pressure cooker, 8-9 whistles on a stove-top pressure cooker. You can do this on the side while making the gravy.

Once the potatoes are boiled, let them cool a bit then peel and mash them.

14- To a large bowl, now add all ingredients for kofta- boiled and mashed potatoes, grated paneer, finely chopped ginger, cilantro, green chili, cashews, raisins, cornstarch, salt, white pepper powder and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder.

15- Mix everything together with your hands to form a dough.

16- Start making koftas from the dough. Take some part of the dough and roll between your palms to make it round.

17- Similarly makes all the koftas. I made 9 koftas, each around 40 to 42 grams.

18- Heat enough oil to fry in a kadai on medium-high heat. Make sure oil is hot, else koftas can stick to the pan and also disintegrate in the oil.

Drop koftas in hot oil.

19- Fry until golden brown from both sides. You can also shallow fry them, just press the koftas and flatten them like a burger tikki and shallow fry.

20- Remove the fried koftas on a paper towel.

To serve place koftas on plate and top with the gravy. Garnish with cream and cilantro. Or you can also place the gravy first on the serving plate, drizzle with cream and place koftas on top.

If you like melt in mouth soft koftas, it’s also a good idea to let the koftas simmer in the gravy for 2 minutes before serving.

If you prefer the koftas to be on the crispier side, then add gravy on top only before serving.

Enjoy malai kofta with naan or rice!

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