Paneer Malai Kofta

I have cooked Paneer Malai Kofta so many times by now that it has become pretty staple in my home. The last time I cooked this dish is very recently for an office potluck party of my husband. The dish turned out to be a smash hit with everyone licking their fingers. One colleague went to the extent of asking the name of restaurant where this paneer dish would be available and my husband delightfully replied "at my home".

I collected the recipe from an online cooking forum I am a member of. I tweaked the recipe slightly to suit my flavor and the outcome was genius. Here I am sharing the same with you. Hopefully you all will like it.



Ingredients:

For Kofta:

300 gm paneer

2 tbsp. cornflour

Black pepper powder, according to taste

Salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 cup spinach (finely chopped)

2 tbsp. of water

White oil for frying

For Kofta Curry

2 medium size onions (boil the onions for 5-7 minutes in microwave and then grind into paste)

1 inch ginger (chopped)

3-4 cloves of garlic (chopped)

2 tbsp. cashewnuts paste

1 cup yogurt

3-4 tbsp. heavy cream

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

4-5 green chillies (chopped)

1 tsp cumin seeds

Oil for cooking

1 tsp ghee

Method:

1) For preparing koftas, grate paneer and then add salt, black pepper, garam masala powder, spinach, 2 tbsp. cornflour and 1 tbsp. oil. Knead the paneer tightly until supple like a dough. Take 1 tbsp. of paneer mixture in hand and shape into kofta ball.

2) Heat oil on medium high and lightly fry the kofta balls until they begin to change color. (Note the balls should not be over fried. The exterior of the balls should have a soft golden glimmer while the inside must be mushy and soft.)

3) Keep the fried koftas aside and start preparing the gravy.

4) For the gravy, heat oil in a wok and add cumin seeds into the oil when it becomes smoking hot.

4) Add ginger and garlic until golden brown. Add onion paste and green chillies and sauté them for 4-5 minutes (Onions will not be fried until golden brown as we want the curry to be off-white in color.)

5) Add yogurt into the mixture and stir well cooking for 4 minutes. Add cumin and coriander powder. Sauté the mixture for 3-4 minutes. Add water in small quantity (about 2 tbsp.) if needed.

6) Add cashew nuts paste, salt and 1 cup of water. Cook covered for 3 minutes.

7) Add heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes.

8) Toss the koftas into the gravy and add a pinch of garam masala power. Cook covered for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and add 1/2 tbsp. of ghee. Keep covered.

9) Serve the dish with rice or roti.