Paneer Malai Kofta. (Amar D. Gupta/Siliconeer)

#Lifestyle #PaneerMalaiKofta #IndianRecipe #vegetarian #ChefSanjayPatel #IndianCurry – A perennial favorite on desi restaurant menus, this curry is mild, sweet and inviting, especially with naan or lachcha parathas, writes Chef Sanjay Patel.

Paneer Kofta Gravy

  • ¾ cup onion paste
  • 1 in. piece of ginger
  • 1 green chili
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • salt to taste
  • 6-7 pieces of cashew nuts

Spice Powder

  • 2 tsp. coriander powder
  • ¾ tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. Kitchen King masala or garam masala
  • ¼ tsp. turmeric powder

Seasoning

  • 2 tbsp. oil
  • 1 tsp. cumin seeds or jeera
  • 1 in. piece of cinnamon
  • 1 cardamom
  • 2 cloves

Paneer Kofta Balls – Yields 6 Paneer Balls

  • 1 cup grated paneer
  • ¼ cup corn flour
  • 1 green chili, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp. grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp. coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp. chili powder
  • ½ tsp. Kitchen King masala
  • salt to taste
  • oil for deep frying koftas

Garnishing

  • 2 tbsp. coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp. crumbled paneer

Preparation

Grind ginger, garlic and green chili together coarsely. Soak cashew nuts in hot water for 15 minutes and grind it to a smooth paste with little water. Puree tomatoes and keep it aside. We need 1 cup of tomato puree. Boil water, when water starts boiling, add peeled onions, switch off and keep it covered for 3-4 minutes. Drain the water completely and grind it to a smooth paste without adding water.

Method

Heat oil, add cumin seeds, when it splutters, add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

Then add the onion paste and sauté nicely until it starts to brown. Add salt to speed up the process. Continuous stirring is necessary for the onions to brown evenly. Add ginger-green chili-garlic paste and saute for a few more minutes.

Add the tomato puree and all the spice powder (ingredients – spice powder) and salt needed. Cook the tomato puree well until it oozes out oil. Add cashew nut paste and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add a cup of water, when it boils, simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Preparing the Paneer Balls. Grate paneer, add corn flour and the rest of the ingredients mentioned under “for the paneer kofta balls” except oil. Mix well to form a dough. You can adjust the spices and salt by tasting the paneer mixture.

Divide the paneer mixture equally and make smooth balls. If there are cracks, the balls will break while frying.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Once hot, reduce the heat to low. Add the 1 or 2 paneer balls and fry on low heat until it browns evenly on all the sides. Be gentle otherwise the balls might break.

Remove the fried ball and place it in a colander or on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Repeat the same process for the rest of the paneer balls.

Serving. Add paneer balls only at the time of serving. Before serving, place paneer balls in a shallow dish, reheat gravy and pour it over the paneer balls. Garnish with crumbled paneer and finely chopped coriander leaves.