Malai Kofta / Malayi Kofta

Malai Kofta is a very rich and creamy Indian Side dish. It tastes amazing when served hot with roti, naan or paratha. Malai means cream and kofta defines the shape.. You can make this less rich by substituting milk for cream and water for milk. But indulge in this with this creamy and silky way and you are sure to try them again soon…Also add the koftas just before serving or they will become soggy. Stuffing is a personal choice, but paneer and potatoes need to be there. This is a dish which can go wrong easily if there is excess moisture in the balls. Make sure that the balls are dry. Also when frying the balls, add one ball and see if it comes perfect fully before adding more. If it breaks open in oil, then it has moisture, so add more flour and fry again. Once you get the kofta fried fine, then add a few in a batch and fry them. Linking this with Nupur’s page and Divya’s page


IngredientsPaneer (grated) – ½ cup
Potato (boiled and grated) – ½ cup
Carrot (boiled and diced) – ½ cup
Peas (boiled) – 2 table spoons
Coriander Powder – 1 tea spoon
Garam Masala – ½ tea spoon
Coriander Leaves – 1 table spoon + 1 table spoon
Cream – 3 table spoons
Milk – 1 cup
Cloves – 6
Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch piece
Cardamom – 2
Bay Leaves – 2
Onion – 1 cup
Tomato (diced) – ¼ cup
Garlic – 5 cloves
Ginger (grated) – 1 tea spoon
Oil – 2 table spoons + to fry the koftas
Butter – 2 table spoons
Asafetida – 1/8 tea spoon
Red Chili Powder – ½ tea spoon + ½ tea spoon
Tomato Paste – 1 table spoon
Turmeric Powder – ½ tea spoon
Salt – 1 tea spoon + 1 tea spoon
All purpose Flour – 2 table spoons
Jaggery – ½ tea spoon
Fennel Seeds – ½ tea spoon + ½ tea spoon
Cumin Seeds – ½ tea spoon
Cashew (chopped) – 1 table spoon
Cashew (powdered) – 1 table spoon

MethodDrain all the water with the help of a muslin cloth or cheese cloth from the carrot and peas and set aside
Remove the potatoes from its boiling water and keep out to dry
Mix potato, carrot, peas, paneer, 1 tea spoon salt, ½ tea spoon red chili powder, coriander powder, chopped cashew, 1 table spoon coriander leaves, garam masala and ½ tea spoon fennel seeds very well. This mixture should have very less moisture and drier the better.
Make small balls from the mixture and set aside
Roll the balls on the flour to remove any moisture (if any) and also remove the excess flour from the balls ensuring a very thin coating of the flour on the balls
Heat oil to fry the koftas to 325 degrees F (medium heat) and drop one kofta and cook it till golden brown
If the kofta does not break open, then add 4 – 5 balls as a second batch in the oil and fry all the koftas until golden from all sides
Remove the koftas once golden and transfer to a paper towel to remove excess oil
Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds and garlic and ginger and after 15 seconds, add onion and ½ tea spoon salt and cook until the onions are clear
Add the tomato paste and the diced tomatoes and turmeric powder and asafetida
Cook until the tomatoes become mushy and add cardamom
Blend the above onion tomato mixture to a smooth puree
Heat the same and add butter and add cumin seeds and once it crackles, add bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves
Add the puree mixture and bring it to a boil
Add milk and cook for 3 more minutes or until small droplets of oil appear on top of the gravy
Add cream and bring it to a boil and allow it to boil for 2 minutes
Reduce the flame to lowest possible and add the koftas slowly
Do not over mix as the koftas will break. Just gently move them to ensure that they are well coated with the gravy
Remove from flame immediately and the koftas will absorb the gravy juice with the heat in the gravy
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve!!!