11 March, 2009

Malai Kofta: Temptress, Seductress and Highly Addictive!

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Malai Kofta

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”.

Do you know the origin of this theory? It is said that the American statesman John Adams wrote in a letter some where in early 19th century, “The shortest road to men's hearts is down their throats” and that's how this theory or statement was originated. So my question is how many of you believe in this theory? Does this statement hold true in your life?

When I think of 19th century I get these black and white images of that era flashing in front of my eyes where many men looked for good wife who would be a good mother to his children and take care of his family affairs. The fact that she could cook well was a good indication to her role of being a nurturer. Unlike our time where we have an option of marrying a person whom we know and eventually fall in love with them, it may have been the best way to please his stomach and work your way up in winning his heart in that period of time! Steaming pot of delicious food may make someone feel cared for by triggering their childhood memories of food served by their loving mother. I wonder if this feeling of satisfaction after been served a good food is mistaken for love!

Cooking is not just chopping, grinding or mashing and throwing everything into a pot and stirring. Any good cook will be able to tell you how much work is involved when it comes to cooking food for someone you care. The person who cooks for you at home knows what food you like, how you like it and when you like to have it. When I cook for someone I make sure that they will remember the food I cooked for long time, a very long time indeed! I choose the best of ingredients with care and use them in such a way that they leave lasting impression. Even everyday simple food served to my man is cooked with utmost care and love. There are no food games in my kitchen as the food should not only taste good it should also be good for you. Well, don’t we all agree that the food cooked with care and love not only will taste good, it will also make them feel cared for and make them feel at home?

We can also argue that food alone is not enough in making the relationship work between two individuals who think differently and have different opinions. There are few restaurants that serve the best food I have ever tasted. Does that mean I will fall in love with chefs just because he/she cooked one of the best meals I have had? I know for sure that the food is prepared with utmost care and to a very high standard. After all I am paying very high price for that plate of meal. In an end it is my man who cooks simple everyday Rasam and Dal whom I love. He may not be the best cook around but he has many qualities that made me fall in ultimate love trap :) It’s definitely not our cooking skills that made us love each other. Any relationship to go strong needs many other qualities in each other and not just our cooking skill. But yeah, we can’t rule out the fact that ability to cook good food will definitely help in nurturing the relationship. Remember, it’s just one of the things that can take you close to man’s heart! Not the ultimate one…

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Malai Kofta

This is a good topic for discussion/debate and I have participated in many such discussions. Sometimes I agree with this theory and there are times when I have gone against it. We will continue to argue on this topic as long as there are people who love to cook and eat good food. So I can’t just come to a conclusion as whether I agree with it or not. But it would be great to hear from you as what do you think of it? So let’s hear from you guys…

While we are on this topic, let me share one of the ultimate food seductions. We have Malai Kofta in our menu today. Spicy dumpling of Indian Cottage cheese that is deep fried and served in delicious, creamy and spicy gravy of fresh cream and onion-tomato paste is nothing short of sinful indulgence. Try cooking it once and see your taste buds falling head over heels in love with this tempting Malai Kofta. Yes, Malai Kofta is a temptress, a seductress and highly addictive! ;) I am sending this to Lavi who is guest hosting this month's RCI-Lucknow, a wonderful event started by dear Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine.

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Koftas, Before & After Deep Frying

Photobucket Print This Recipe
Malai Kofta (Deep fried spiced Indian Cottage Cheese dumplings in creamy Onion & Tomato gravy)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 45-60 mins
Serves: 6-8
Recipe Level: Intermediate to Difficult
Spice Level: Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat bread or flavoured/steam cooked rice

Ingredients:
For Kofta:
1½ cups Grated Paneer
2 large Potatoes, cooked, peeled and well mashed
1 medium Onion, very finely chopped
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, very finely chopped
2-3 Green Chillies, very finely chopped (Optional, adjust acc to taste)
1½-2 tbsp Gulab Jamun Mix/Milk Powder (Optional but recommend)
¼ cup Bread Crumbs
2-3 tbsp Corn Flour (Acts as a binding agent while deep frying)
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder (Optional, for little tangy flavour)
6-8 Cashew Nuts, cut into small pieces (Optional but recommend)
1-2 tbsp Raisins (Optional but recommend)
Salt to taste
Oil for Deep Frying

For Gravy:
For Onion Paste:
2 large Onions, peeled and quartered
1 inch Ginger, peeled
3-4 cloves Garlic
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
3 cloves
3 Green Cardamoms

Other Ingredients for Gravy:
4-5 large Tomatoes, pureed
1 tbsp Cashew/Almond Paste
¼-1/2 cup Fresh Cream (I used low fat single cream)
1-2 tsp Garam Masala (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
½ tsp Turmeric
½-1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder (Optional)
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Sun dried Fenugreek Leaves
½ tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
A pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
Salt to taste
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Malai Kofta

Method:
For Gravy:
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and hing. Add onion paste that you had prepared just when cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red. Stir it continuously for 5-7 minutes till the paste turn golden brown and the raw smell of onion disappears. This is the very important step as you don’t want to rush and end up having bitter tasting gravy. So be patient!
Once the onion paste is cooked thoroughly add kasuri methi and sugar. Saute for a minute or two. Next add tomato puree and stir well. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
Next add garam masala, kitchen king masala, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilli powder and salt to taste and mix well. Bring this whole gravy to gentle boil, about 5 minutes.
Mix in cashew/almond paste, fresh cream and ½-1 cup of water (depending how thick you prefer the gravy) and cook for another 5-7 minutes on low flame.
Adjust the seasoning and add little more water if the gravy is too thick and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame and mix in finely chopped coriander leaves.

For Koftas:
First, mix paneer with mashed potatoes, onions, coriander leaves and chillies. Make sure that the paneer and potatoes as lump free as possible. Then add gulab jamun mix/milk powder, salt to taste, garam masala, amchur powder, broken cashews, raisins, bread crumbs and corn flour to the vegetable-paneer mix and mix them well. Use hands when mixing all these ingredients and make sure that all the ingredients are mixed properly. The consistency whole mixture should be as that of chapatti dough and you should be able to make lemon sized balls without breaking them.
Next heat oil for deep frying and reduce the heat to medium to low flame. Make small lemon/golf sized balls and deep fry them in batches of 3-4 balls at time. If the koftas start to break, add 1-2 tbsp of corn flour to the mixture, mix them well and make small lemon sized balls. Fry them till they turn golden brown and crisp and place them in a bowl lined with kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.
Alternatively you can bake them in an oven at 175 deg centigrade for about 20-30 minutes or fry them in Appam Pan with little oil till they turn golden brown.

To Assemble and Serve:
Heat the gravy for few minutes and then transfer it to serving dish. Arrange the koftas in gravy and top it with finely chopped coriander levaes. Malai Kofta tastes best when served with any Indian flat bread (I prefer Naan) or flavoured rice like Saffron rice or Jeera Rice with slices of Onion and lemon wedges.

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Malai Kofta


Notes:
When you deep fry the koftas, first make sure that the oil is hot enough before you place them for deep frying.
Place one kofta at a time in a pan when deep frying. If the Kofta starts to break or crumble add about 1-2 tbsp of corn flour and mix well. Corn flour acts as the binding agent and will prevent the koftas from breaking when deep frying.
Always fry the koftas in low-medium flame so that they are cooked well and get lovely golden brown colour.

77 comments :

  1. Aiiiiiii..... I LOVE U!!! I was searching for this one, have to make it next week for someone special. *Blush ..blush*

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  2. John Adams got it wrong - the shortest way to a man's heart is through his chest, hee hee!

    I don't eat malai kofta often, so I'm drooling over this.

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  3. Sia, Malai Kofta looks very delicious..mouthwatering .. Can I have that dish??

    Happy Holi !!

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  4. Wow you do make super delicious veg dishes. I should send my daughter and hubby to you to convert them to become vegetarians.
    Kofta curry looks super delicious.

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  5. WOW for the seductive presentation,those koftas do look highly addictive. Good food like such is every so pleasing.

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  6. Oh my...that looks fantastic! My kind of grub! I think the recipe is way too complicated for me...but I would sure appreciate this dish if it were made for me. WOW! The photos of your meal are OUTSTANDING!

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  7. Too tempting Sia, i'm head over heals in love with ur malai kofta :-)

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  8. Its so true that cooking for someone that we care, is always special.. taking that extra time to cook it perfectly as they want makes it extraordinary!

    Koftas look out of the world girl! I can eat the koftas just like that without the gravy :)

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  9. Thanks for posting this! Malai Kofta is my husband's favorite. I tried to make it a few months ago, but my Koftas kept falling apart and crumbling in the deep fryer. I'm looking forward to trying your recipe, Thanks again!

    kelley

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  10. WOW.... This is my fav. Looks so good. Prefect click. Pictures looks so appetizing. YUM!

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  11. wwwoww.... delicious... the kofta looks nicely browned :)

    - Indhu (www.thayirsaadham.com)

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  12. soo rich & creamy .. would love to dig into that

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  13. yummy malai kofta.... yes it is very addictive and super tasty.. totally agree....looks awesome sia.

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  14. Hey Sia,
    WOnderful! I juz love visiting your blog because of your wonderful snap shots and immaculate presentation. Hats Off!
    Btw, please collect your award form my page:)
    And great recipe. Love everything about it.

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  15. This one is simply a torture Sia. My tummy is rumbling .... Gorgeous!

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  16. OMG love malai kofta and this looks yummmmmmmmmmm!!!!

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  17. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I was looking for malai kofta receipe and this looks great. One question though: what is the purpose of adding gulab jamun mix ? Am curious to know and see if it will help me in other recipes as well.

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  18. truly seductive and addictive:)

    Love the pictures. You got the prefect color and shape.

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  19. Wow common dish like malai kofta looked so exotic in ur pictures. I always agree with ur write-ups, infact these days i'm more excited to read ur thoughts then recipe(sorry). I totally agree with what u said, coz I definately know how much care and love u put in one time meal. But on other thought sometimes i do feel way to man's heart is through his stomach. If u have done sth wrong, cook a good meal with a big smile on ur face, believe me, i have to tell my husband AFTER A WEEK sorry that was my mistake..(sorry hubby)hahaha

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  20. I simply can't take away my eyes off your koftas, perfect color, shape and consistency of the sauce looks perfect; lovely photosandi and i agree theye are highly addictive!

    I don't really agree with this theory, maybe i should say, "The shortest road to men's hearts is not only down their throats alone.....hahha; my "hum hum" is not a great cook (though I repeat it to him each time he prepares one, that's another technique to reach one's heart....:), but i love him any way .... whether he cooks well or not..

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  21. Wow, lovely clicks!!
    I love malai kofta's and your pictures are forcing me to try your recipe..
    I've bookmarked your recipe!!

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  22. Kofta curry looks delicious,Sup. Just the koftas by themselves look tempting too! :)

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  23. As the title says, Addictive..really I am so addictive to malai kofta, I order it everytime..I am that crazy about it...Awesome pics as usual..Love the color and richness of the gravy and perfect koftas..

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  24. i have never tried these at home but we always order it when we go out. guess i am too lazy :D one day..

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  25. Its time to make these, I guess :D

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  26. THANKS THANKS AND THANKS SIA!!!!
    for your tip i will be using ADOBE PHOTOSHOP and try my luck...
    This recipe featured in this post is my brother in laws favorite and so a sure thing to be done . will let you know once i prepare it.
    I would like you to give me some advice , i will be purchasing a new camera for my food blogging in near future and would like you to tell me which camera would be best for me... especially like the one you use.

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  27. Wow.... as far as the recipe goes, I had wanted to learn making Malai koftas from a long time.... Thanks for it!

    And regarding the argument, well, yes, i too believe that the easiest way to man's heart is through his stomach - that is if he a foodie, though! At least my man is one, and i just love cooking for him.... as you said, making sure that the food i make is the one he loves, in the way he likes and the time he prefers make me feel so satisfied. A little attention paid to these litle things will make sure that it turns out to be the best way that he likes.. And at the end of it, when he tastes it and beams, well all my efforts would be paid off! And it need not be applicable only him, it can be even othe family members or guests...
    Though food is not the ONLY way to please ppl, it is one of the most important ways.... at least in my household.

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  28. Malai kofta is indeed seductive and tempting!!I am for the theory that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.I've asked hubby if he would love me the same if I was a bad cook.He says yes,but I would never know..;-)

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  29. Oh..my! the pic looks soo tempting. I have lost all hopes of dieting now! aaah! I want to eat kofta curry and kulcha :D now!

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  30. OMG, your malai kofta is so tempting and pics r extra ordinary...Happy holi to u and ur family

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  31. As usual beautiful, awesome photos and a very nice and rich looking Malai Kofta.

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  32. I am conquered:) made lauki kofta on Sunday, and now you are tempting me with a malai kofta:)

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  33. lovely clicks,..wish u appy holi,..;-)

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  34. heheh...cooking yum food is surely a nice way to a your man's heart!...:)...but of course not the only way!...pictures look great!

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  35. Malai Kofta looks delicious.. I'm bookmarking this recipe. Adding jamun mix is a nice twist and frying in appam pan is a great option.

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  36. And also to the woman's !!!

    My cousin loves this so much that this is the only thing he orders when we go out, inspite of being a non-vegetarian

    Looks gorgeous

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  37. It's been a long time since I've had Malai Kofta...I will have to make this.
    Btw, the Dahiwale Baingan from Saffron Hut was superb! Thank you.

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  38. Love Malai Kofta... beautiful presentation

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  39. as usual great pics. never seen a malai kofta as beautiful as yours. i can see u cook to impress.

    cooking can impress but may or may not be able to keep the one u love - thts wht i learnt in life....just my 2 cents :)

    happy holi, sia.

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  40. oh and the title for the post is fitting! ;)

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  41. Wow lovely and tempting koftas Sia..Never tried to make these at home..Great post.

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  42. lovely clicks!!, you are tempting me to cook them right away.., very nice :)

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  43. looks so nice :-)

    I made aloo kofta recently :)

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  44. Wow...looks rich and yummy! Love the colour of the gravy!

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  45. Wow simply luscious recipe.....

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  46. @All,
    Thank you very much dear friends:) it's always fun to know your thoughts and interact with you all.

    @Pooja,
    addition Gulab jamun or milk powder is optinal. my amma always used to add this to get little sweet flavour and also it helps in binding the ingredients while deep frying.

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  47. Wow..those are super seductive indeed. Great Malai Koftas Sia. As for the eternal discussion, I think food is ONE of the ways to ANYONE'S heart not just men.

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  48. I just left a comment, did it go thru?
    Hmm..anyways just wanted to say the Malai Koftas look super seductive and that I think food is ONE of the ways to ANYONE'S heart!

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  49. I am a big malai kofta fan, & make it more often than required inspite of all that hard work. Yours look Delicious, & I think I will try yours next time for a change of taste.. it's only a teensy bit different than mine, but i think it will change the flavor.

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  50. omg!!!!!!!! looks awesome, bookmarked it.

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  51. Malai kofta is looking yummy,yummy and more yummy..i can't control my temptation for this malai kofta.You have given a very apt title :)

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  52. What can I say....your malai kofta looks superb, I can see how they can get to be very addictive ! Awesome pictures too :-)

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  53. Got to Try it.. Love Mallai Kofta at Restaurants.. Haven't tried at home. Thanks!

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  54. Who said deep frying is a sin? Shoo away.

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  55. yummy..........hmmmm..... nice clicks...!!!

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  56. Hi Sia, I'm drooling at ur malai kofta...I fisrt bookmarked it b4 i even complimented you...

    Looks gr8..

    btw...this is one gr8 vegie food blog..u have...no doubt..
    u deserve to be in the top list...

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  57. I am reserving my opinions about the first part of the post (cannot decide which way to go!) but the second part, aah....... I think your post title has said it all.:)

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  58. Sia.. Awesome dish and as always looks delish. Have to give it a try this week. Sorry for not being in touch for this long.. lot of changes and I am still getting used to it.. well thats not an excuse anyway :)

    --Meena

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  59. hey awsome dish and pics .what a mouthwatering recipe ..Thanks ..was always thinking about the calarioes and stuff but now i should try this its soo tempting Thanks for the recipe :)

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  60. Hi Sia, I have been following your blog for the past few weeks. You have some wonderful vegetarian recipes!

    This is my absolute favorite dish. I got to try it sometime soon.Thanks for sharing.

    BTW, I have tried a couple dishes from your blog already and it turned out to be awesome.

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  61. Hi Sia,
    I tried your Malai Kofta last week...It was aweeeesome!!!Everyone liked it so much that by demand am making it again this week...Thanks for the recipe...

    Regards,
    Maya

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  62. @Maya,
    Thank you, Maya. I am really glad to know u and ur family enjoyed he koftas. it is my and my family's fav too :)

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  63. I absolutely adore Koftas with gravies. I could eat them all they long. This one is sooooo bookmarked :-)

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  64. I saw the picture of your Koftas on the Lucknow Event webpage. May I just say that my husband and I immediately said in unison, "Ohhhh". They look amazing. I am going to bookmark your site.

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  65. i tried it yesterday..it was awesome!!..we r gng to hv it today for lunch & dinner as well...:)

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  66. @Shweta, glad u enjoyed it:)

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  67. I just noticed ingredients like gulab jamun powder and bread crumbs in the kofta's and got immediately interested in trying these... The recipe looks unique and delicious!

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  68. Hi Sia - love your sight - great photos too! I have no experience cooking Indian food, so need to clarify the "onion paste" for the malai kofta. I assume I cook the onions until soft with the other paste ingredients and then mash them into a paste - but am i slow cooking them as if i were carmelizing them? Could you give me an idea of how long you would take to make the onion paste? do you use a food processor or a mortar and pestle, or just mash them with a wooden spoon?
    Thanks!!

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  69. @ laurieb ,
    grind all the ingredients listed under onion paste to amooth paste in food processor or mixer grinder without adding any water. then u fry this onion paste as mentioned in recipe. I use sturdy mixer grinder (Panasonic) which makes good and smooth paste without any lumps and it doesn't take more than a minute. good food processor also could be used instead of mixer-grinder. you need to continously stir the paste in medium to high flame till it turns golden brown in coulor which meas the onions and the spices are cooked well and are not raw any more. it usually takes about 5-7 mins. make sure that the paste is golden brown in colour as uncooked onion paste lends bitter taste to the gravy. Hope this helps.

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  70. Was looking for the recipe for Malai Kofta, when I stumbled upon your site. Tried making it, and everyone was sooooooooo pleased. Got lots of compliments, thanks to your wonderful recipe. Keep 'em coming!

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  71. I have made this recipe several times now! Each time it's a hit!!! Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe!

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  72. I am going to try your Malai Kofta for my husband's birthday party. Can I prepare the gravy the before day and mix all ingredients for kofta the before day of party and just fry the koftas on the day of party? Please reply so that I can do accordingly. Thank you.

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  73. @food lover, yes u can do that

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  74. Amazing recipe :) Tried cooking malai kofta for the first time and it was delicious.

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