Malai Kofta

(Recipes: Malai, Kofta)



Malai (Gravy)--


Ingredients:
Onion - 2 medium
Tomato puree - made from 2,3 tomatoes
Gingergarlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Garam masala - 2 teaspoon
Cream - 1 cup



Method:
1.Cook sliced onions in 2 cups water. Once it is cooked, drain the water completely and grind the onions into a smooth paste. ( I cheated and used a blender. It was easier and saved a lot of time, but in the end, you really don't get the right texture)
2.Heat oil in a pan and saute onion paste. After 5 minutes add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2,3 minutes. Add all masala powders and stir for 5 minutes or until the oil starts forming a layer on top.
3.Add tomato puree and once the puree is mixed well in the gravy add the cream. After 5 minutes, remove from gas.
4.Spread prepared koftas in a plate and pour the gravy over it.




Kofta (Potato Cheese Balls)-


Ingredients:

Paneer (cottage cheese) - 200 gms
Potato - 1 medium - big (boiled & mashed)
Crushed pepper - 1 tablespoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Cornflour - 1-2 tablespoon
Salt
Oil - for frying



Method:

1.Mix all the ingredients (except oil) together.

2.Take small amounts from it and make small balls.

3.Deep fry in oil & serve hot with sauce of your choice.




This a favorite of both Seven's and mine at our local Indian restaurant. Feeling brave, I decided to try it on my own. It is very labor intensive, especially the first time because you don't know how to line up everything. I was also pressed for time due to working late, so I chose the simplest recipe I could find in five minutes. Many other recipes call for more complex spices and vegetables that I did not have on hand, but I would like to try those one day to see.



Okay--first, the sauce. I think I just about had the right flavor. The texture was wrong and the color too yellow. The sauce was a little mellow, but I held back on the chili flakes/powder just to be safe. Next time, I'll add more. It was really good over rice and I'd make it again.



The koftas--well, for some reason, mine just wouldn't fry. I went through three pans and four or five methods before giving up. I ended up just making pancakes...that were mushy. It tasted good but it wasn't the same. We'll see how it goes next time...

Seven says:

So it didn't look pretty, that's for sure. (Reminded me quite a lot of the time I tried to make lovely little bubble and squeak patties and ended up with fried mush, actually. If anyone has tips for neatly frying mashed potato-based food, I'd love to hear it.) However the dish tasted just about right, which was pretty impressive. I do love malai kofta.