“Malai” Kofta
Ingredients
For the Gravy
- ¼ cup cashew nuts, rinsed and soaked in water for 1-2 hours
- ¼ cup watermelon or pumpkin seeds, rinsed and soaked in water for 1-2 hours
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)
- 2 medium-sized onions, roughly chopped
- 10 cloves garlic
- Unrefined salt as per taste
- 2-3 tsp garam masala (more if you like it spicy)
- Date paste (for sweet version) to taste
For the Koftas
- 2 small potatoes
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder or breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp brown rice flour
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- Unrefined salt to taste
- 100 g tofu
- 10 almonds, finely powdered
Method
For Gravy
Drain and rinse the soaked cashew nuts and seeds. Make a fine paste of them along with the poppy seeds, in a blender.
Blend onions and garlic together in a blender. For the gravy, heat the pan and pour the onion-garlic paste into it. Add a pinch of salt and cook on low heat. 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 to 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.
Squeeze out all the water from the tofu and mash it well. Add the almond powder and a pinch of salt.
Make a small ball of the potato mixture in your palms and press it in the middle to make a small hole. Fill it with tofu mixture, close the hole and make a smooth ball with your palms. Prepare as many such balls as possible. Bake these koftas at 170 °C in a pre-heated oven for approx. 8-10 minutes, or until they turn a light brown. Let the koftas cool for a while in a bowl. Then, pour the hot gravy over them and serve.
Serves 2