A Royal Treat for the Taste Buds

A friend of mine had to attend a potluck party and she wanted to make something rich and elegant. As she is a south Indian and don't know much about North Indian cuisine, I suggested her to make "Malai Koftas". I have a collection of recipes from Tarla Dalal and we decided to make Malai Koftas in Makhni gravy with some variations here and there. It sure was a royal treat to the taste buds and she was very proud to have tried it for the first time with such a rich flavour.







For the malai koftas :


1/2 cup paneer, grated ( we made paneer out of scratch out of 1 litre milk )
2 potatoes, boiled and grated
1 tablespoon milk powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
a pinch turmeric (haldi) powder
1 carrot, grated
1/2 capsicum, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon chopped coriander


For the tomato paste :


1 onion, sliced
a small piece ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 large tomatoes, chopped
4 to 5 cashewnuts
¼ teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder



Other ingredients :

oil for deep frying
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 to 5 tablespoons cream
½ teaspoon kasuri methi
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter
salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish


Method :


For the malai koftas :

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2. Roll them into rounds and deep fry them over a medium flame till they are golden brown and keep aside.



For the gravy :

1. Combine the onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, cashewnuts, turmeric powder and chilli powder with ½ cup of water in a pan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes till the vegetables are soft. Cool completely.
2. Blend this mixture to get a smooth purée.
3. Heat butter and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the tomato paste, garam masala, kasuri methi, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.
4. Add the cream and mix well.
5. Just before serving, add the koftas to the gravy and serve hot, garnished with the coriander and butter.