Malai Kofta

After seeing RedChillies post on her lower fat Malai Kofta, I simply had to try my hand at making these in the kuzhipaniyaram pan. Usually, i'm not capable of frying 7 pieces of anything at one go... so the fact that the kuzhipaniyaram/appe pan could churn out 7 in a couple of minutes was such a time saver as well. So, this would make for a great party dish because it's mild, quick, creamy & a crowd pleaser. I changed the recipe for the filling and the gravy to my usual malai kofta recipe and the resultant dish was perfect and everything i wanted it to be. Thanks RC for this fabulous idea.

LOW FAT MALAI KOFTAS


Ingredients:

For Koftas
Potatoes - 2 medium, pressure cooked or microwaved till soft, peeled & mashed
Paneer - 150 to 200 gms, crumbled
Green Peas - half cup, microwaved with little water & mashed
Raisins - 2 tbsp, chopped a bit
G. chillies - 4, chopped finely
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 2 tsp, crushed
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp, chopped
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala/Kitchen King Masala - half tsp to 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

For Creamy Gravy
Onion - 1 large, chopped into cubes
Tomato puree - quarter cup OR Tomato - 1, chopped
Garlic - 5 cloves, peeled & cut into bits
Ginger - 1 inch piece, peeled and cut into bits
Chilli powder - 1 to 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - half tsp
Garam Masala / Kitchen King Masala - 1 tsp
Cashews - 2 tbsp, soaked in warm water
Almonds - 12 to 15, soaked & peeled
Poppy seeds (khus khus) - 2 tsp, soaked in warm water
Low fat Cream cheese - 2 oz
Milk - 1 cup (I used 1 % since that's what I had)
Salt - to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter/Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method
1) In a bowl, combine all the ingredients under the Koftas list. I had no trouble binding them and forming little balls with the given proportions, if you can't you may want to add an extra mashed potato. Make small balls (keep in mind the size of your pan)

2) Heat an aapam pan on medium (mine is non-stick) and add a drop or two of oil in each depression and place the balls... turn them over every 30 to 45 seconds so they brown uniformly all over. Drizzle another drop of oil, if preferred and it looks too dry. Once they are done, move them to a plate and keep aside. Proceed with the next batch until you've made them all. Alternatively you could deep fry these in oil.

3) In a deep pot, heat oil and add some cumin seeds, once they sizzle, add the onions, ginger, garlic and fry till transparent and edges are slightly brown. Now add the tomatoes or puree and some salt. Continue to cook till they turn a bit mushy.

4) Add the masala powders (chilli, coriander, g. masala & turmeric) and saute for a few more minutes. Switch off the stove and allow this to cool a bit.

5) Grind the above onion-tomato masala with cashews, almonds, poppy seeds and the 2 oz of cream cheese to a smooth paste.

6) Heat the butter/ghee now and return this pureed masala to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the 1 cup of milk and water as required to make a gravy... it should be on the thin side.

7) Allow this to cook on a medium flame or simmer till the flavours meld and the gravy thickens a bit (but not too much)

8) Add the kofta balls into this, cover and allow to simmer for a minute more before switching off the stove.

9) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves or crushed kasuri methi, you can also drizzle some cream on the top (I didn't have any) and enjoy with pulaos/rotis/naans.