Malai Kofta

Yum yum Yum. Only Indians can think of such rich gravies. A decadent vision of creamy spicy gravy with little islands (or rather meteors?) of paneer-based vegetable fritters floating and cruising through thick currents of tomato and cream - sounds as irresistible as it actually tastes!

The gravy part is actually pretty simple. Not to trivialize North-Indian gravies, but once you figure out the basic formula that makes the gravy, it's straightforward every single time. You can't go wrong! But, it's the fat little Kofta that intimidates us a smidge. What makes good Koftas? The answer is relatively easy. Mashed, grated vegetables and paneer formed into balls and deep fried into lovely fritters! The Koftas can't taste anything less than good, but what keeps the Koftas stable, allowing them to retain their glorious shape and swim through the gravy? That, used to be a tough question. Something needs to bind the Koftas and keep them together without letting them disintegrate in the gravy, right? Nothing is quite so tragic as watching your perfectly fried golden-brown Koftas crumble in the gravy as you hear your husband clearing his throat and pointing the obvious - "Ahem, I don't think this is Malai Kofta anymore." 

With my mother-in-law's help, I thought the secret binding ingredient was corn-starch or all-purpose flour or maida or even rice flour. But, no, no, and no. Through a friend of mine, I got to know that the elusive secret ingredient was sitting under our noses all this while- besan. Ah! So, I had to try it out!  

Ingredients for the Koftas (makes 30-33 Koftas)

1. A small head of cabbage - grated/shredded
2. 200 grams of paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese - grated
3. 1 teaspoon of salt
4. 1 teaspoon of coriander powder
5. 1.5 teaspoons of Phav Bhaji masala / Indian curry powder (optional)
6. Besan / Bengal Gram dhal flour - as needed (no more than a cup)
7. 4-5 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

I used a rough proportion of 1:4 (paneer : cabbage) to make the Koftas. I was feeling guilty about the cream and milk, so I decided to compromise on the paneer. But really, the proportion doesn't matter. The more you add paneer, the more awesome the koftas would be! 

Preparing the Koftas

1. Mix the grated cabbage and paneer with the spices. Add the besan in small increments until you are able to form a firm ball of kofta that doesn't crumble (your hand is the best tool for this). The amount of besan depends on the texture of the cabbage and the paneer. So, I am unable to give an exact amount of besan.
2. Heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add no more than 4 koftas at a time and fry them on medium-heat until golden brown. Drain on paper-towels. 

 Ingredients for the Gravy (8-10 servings. I usually cook in big batches):

1. 2 medium-sized onions, finely diced
2. 2 tomatoes, diced
3. 9 ounces / 255 grams of tomato paste (1.5 cans of the small 6 ounce Hunts' paste)
4. ginger garlic paste - 5 cloves of garlic crushed and mashed with a 2" block of ginger
5. 3 cups 2% milk (low fat milk)
6. 2 cups fat-free half & half
7. 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander / cilantro leaves
8. 1.5 teaspoons salt or as needed
9. Juice of half a lemon
10. 2 teaspoons cumin seeds / jeera
11. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
12. 1 teaspoon cumin powder / jeera powder
13. 2 teaspoons coriander powder
14. 2 teaspoons garam masala
15. 1 teaspoon chilli powder (optional. I don't add)
16. 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup 
17. 2-3 tablespoons olive oil / vegetable oil
18. 1/3 cup golden raisins (optional)

Preparing the Gravy:

1. In a big sauce-pan, heat the oil along with the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds sizzle, add the onions and saute until translucent. 
2. Next, add the ginger garlic paste and fry with the onions for a minute. Dump all the spices - the turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala, and salt. Fry the spices in the ginger-garlic-onions for another minute. 
3. Add the tomatoes and saute for a couple of minutes until they soften and release their juices. Then, add the tomato paste and stir well to coat all the spices. On medium heat, let the tomato paste stew/cook in the spices until some oil begins to separate from the paste. It takes about 7-10 minutes. At this point, drizzle in some tomato ketchup to bring some vinegar-y zing to the gravy. Mix and stir for a minute.
4. Next, add 3 cups of milk and stir well. Close the sauce-pan, reduce the heat and let the gravy simmer for 20-30 minutes until the spices meld together and the raw taste of the tomatoes is softened by the milk and spices. The gravy should have also thickened a bit.
5. Slowly add the fried Koftas to the gravy. Do not vigorously stir or mix. Gently mix the koftas in the gravy. 
6. Pour 2 cups of half & half (or heavy cream!) and raisins, close the sauce-pan and let the koftas cook in the gravy for 10 minutes. 
7. Remove the gravy from heat. Garnish with lemon juice and coriander leaves. 

Serve with warm rotis or rice! The Malai Kofta tends to thicken a bit when stored in the fridge. So, dilute it with a bit of milk and bring it to a slow boil before serving the left overs.

Malai Kofta is definitely a labor of love, but it's surely worth it!