“Malai” Kofta
Ingredients
For the gravy
- 2 medium sized onions
- 10 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup cashews
- ¼ cup watermelon or pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- salt as per taste
- 2-3 tsp garam masala (more if you prefer it spicy)
- date paste (for sweet version) to taste
For Koftas
- 2 small potatoes
- 100 gm tofu
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder or breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp brown rice flour
- 10 almonds (ground in fine powder)
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp green chili (finely chopped)
Method
For Gravy
Soak cashews, watermelon (or pumpkin) seeds and poppy seeds in water for at least an hour or two. Make a fine paste in a blender.
Blend onions and garlic together in a blender. For gravy, heat the pan and pour the onion/garlic paste into it. Add a pinch of salt and cook it in low flame. Add a few drops of water if you feel it sticking to the pan. Once cooked, add garam masala to it and let it cook for 3-5 minutes. Add cashew paste into the pan, with salt and date paste to taste. Add enough water if the gravy is too thick, and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.
(This gravy tends to thicken over time, so you may need to add more water later)
For the Koftas
Steam the potatoes and mash them into a smooth paste. Add brown rice flour, arrowroot, chillies and salt to it and mix well.
Sqeeze all the water from tofu and mash it well. Add almond paste and a pinch of salt to it.
Make a small ball of potato and press it in the middle to make small hole. Fill it with tofu and close the hole and make a smooth ball with your palms. Prepare as many such balls as possible. Bake these koftas at 170 degrees for approx. 8-10 min or until they turn brown. Let the koftas cool a bit in a bowl. Then pour the hot gravy over them and serve.
Serves 2