Food that's fit for a king? This Malai Kofta will definitely tick that box. Meltingly soft stuffed paneer and potato balls are served with a silky sweet gravy.
The kind of magic only food can do!
Malai kofta is my go-to for fancy dinner parties or special occasions. It's perfect as part of a Diwali dinner menu too.
I love it with whole wheat chapati, flaky lachha paratha or soft peshwari naan and fluffy jeera rice. A rich and festive shahi pulao would work really well too.
The Recipe Details & Helpful Tips
Malai kofta has a few steps, but the end results are so worth it.
Firstly, you need to make the paneer kofta, which are essentially made of crumbled paneer and potato. Most restaurant versions will also stuff the kofta with nuts and raisins. I follow a similar method with a mix of cashews, raisins, coriander leaves and sliced green chillies.
I find that stuffing the kofta is better than simply mixing all these ingredients together. I've noticed that the raisins and coriander tend to burn if they're exposed on the outside, but enclosing them into the potato mixture prevents that.
If you're not too fussed about presentation or pushed for time, you can mix the potato, paneer and stuffing ingredients together and form the balls.
The kofta are then deep-fried until golden-brown. Perfect kofta have a fall-apart melt in the mouth finish that'll blend beautifully with the gravy.
The gravy is typically a sweet, creamy gravy similar to that found in paneer pasanda and shahi paneer. The important step is to sieve it to get it super silky and luscious. More on the ingredients below.
Ingredients & Notes
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
The kofta
- Potatoes - you need floury potatoes that are easy to mash. I boil the potatoes, peel and then mash to use in the recipe.
- Paneer - I use my homemade paneer recipe as it's delicate, soft and fresh. You can use store-bought paneer and grate it.
- Garam masala - just a little to add flavour.
- Cashews - chopped finely.
- Raisins - I keep them whole.
- Coriander - finely chopped.
- Green chillies - sliced or crushed chillies.
- Corn starch - needed to help bind the kofta. I've found that adding too much makes the kofta hard, so balance is key.
The gravy
- Oil - neutral oil is best so it doesn't impart its own flavour.
- Onions, garlic, ginger - roughly chopped is fine, as we'll be blending later on. I've used brown onions so that the gravy stays lighter in colour.
- Tomatoes - I've used canned tomatoes, you can use whatever you have to hand, such as fresh or even passata. I find that canned tomatoes give a richer and thicker gravy compared with just fresh.
- Spices - red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin coriander powder.
- Kitchen king masala - I love the flavours and aroma that store-bought kitchen king gives. It's my secret for restaurant style flavour! If you don't have it, simply use garam masala.
- Whole spices - bay leaf, cinnamon bark, clove and green cardamom. I remove bay leaf, cinnamon bark, clove (keep the green cardamom) before blending to prevent the gravy becoming too strong.
- Saffron - adds warmth, a gentle golden colour and luxury! It's classic in many Mughlai dishes.
- Cream - gives richness. I've used double cream, but single cream or whole milk works too.
- Sugar - helps to balance the sharpness from the tomatoes and the heat from the spices.
- Kasoori methi - a little sprinkling at the end gives incredible flavour.
Storage
As with many recipes, malai kofta is best enjoyed the day it is made for the best flavour and texture. However, if preparing for a large dinner party, you can prep ahead.
I would recommend preparing the kofta balls a day before (kept refrigerated) but deep-frying on the day of serving. If you do end of frying them in advance, you could also air fry or bake for a minute or two on the day of serving to revive them.
The gravy can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
You can also prepare extra and freeze both the kofta and gravy in batches. They wont be perfect upon defrosting but not bad either!
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📖 Recipe
Malai Kofta
Equipment
- Blender
- Sieve fine mash
Ingredients
Paneer Kofta
- 3 potatoes boiled and peeled
- ½ cup paneer crumbled or grated
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ cup coriander chopped
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 tablespoon cashews finely chopped
- 1 green chilli finely sliced
- salt to taste
Gravy
- 2 tablespoon oil
- whole spices 1 bay leaf, 1 small stick cinnamon, 3 green cardamom pods, 2-3 cloves
- 2 onions roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 cup tomatoes
- ¼ cup cashews
- 1 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder use less if adding hot chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon kitchen king masala
- ¼ cup cream I used double cream
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- big pinch saffron
- salt to taste
Garnishing (optional)
- double cream
- coriander leaves
- rose petals
Instructions
To make the Kofta
- In a bowl, mix together sliced green chillies, chopped coriander, raisins, cashews, and a small pinch of salt. Set aside for stuffing.
- In another bowl, mash the boiled potatoes and add crumbled paneer, garam masala, salt to taste, and cornstarch. Mix until it forms a soft dough-like mixture.
- Take a small portion of the potato-paneer mixture, flatten it in your palm, place a little of the stuffing in the centre, and seal it carefully to form a smooth ball.
- Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the koftas on medium heat until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
To make the Gravy
- Heat oil in a large pan. Add the whole spices, and saute for a few seconds. Then tip in the roughly chopped onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and cashews. Sauté until the onions turn soft and the mixture is cooked through.
- Add red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix well and cook the spices for 1–2 minutes.
- Pour in water and simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes.
- Let it cool slightly, remove the whole spices, except the cardamom, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the sauce for a silky texture.
- Heat a little more oil in the same pan and pour in the strained sauce. Add sugar, saffron threads, and kitchen king masala. Mix and simmer for a few minutes.
- Turn off the heat, then stir in the double cream and crushed kasuri methi. Mix well.
To Serve
- Place the fried koftas in a serving dish and pour the hot gravy on top, or gently warm the koftas in the sauce before serving.
- Garnish with cream, chopped coriander, and edible rose petals.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Hayley Dhanecha says
This is my absolute favourite dish to make for a dinner party because you can prep so much of it the day before, and when it lands on the table with the cream swirl and edible rose petals, every single guest is impressed before they've even tasted it.