Paneer & Carrot Kofta

I always wanted to try out kofta but it looked like too much of work – grating so many different vegetables. Also, most recipes I checked out had deep fried koftas and I am not a big fan of that very act of deep frying. But there had to be way of having your cake and eating it too, I told myself one day and this recipe is what exactly came out of it!

Ingredients

Grated paneer – 2 cups

Grated carrots – 1 cup

Diced green chilies – 1 tsp

Boiled potato – 1 small

Corn starch – 1 tsp

Chopped cilantro – 2 tsp

Mango powder – ½ tsp

Onion – 2 medium

Garlic – 2 cloves

Ginger – small piece

Almonds – 8-10 pieces

Tomato – 1 medium – 1 small

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Bay leaf

Dry red chili – 1 small

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Cinnamon powder – ½ tsp

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Dry fenugreek leaves – 2 tsp

Milk (optional) – ¼ cup

Oil – as needed

Butter – 1 tsp

Salt

Koftas

in a bowl combine paneer, carrots, green chilies, potato, corn starch, turmeric powder, mango powder and salt to taste. Mix well and let it stand for 15 minutes. Roll out small balls and cook them in an Appam maker using a quarter spoon of oil for every ball. Alternatively you may deep fry the balls or press them in the shape of cutlet and shallow fry on a skillet.

Gravy

Heat oil in a pan and add the dry chili and roughly chopped onion. Cook for a couple of minutes and add garlic, bay leaf, ginger, diced tomato and almonds. Cook for a couple of minutes more and stir in 1 cup of water, salt and the remaining spices. Cook cover for 7 to 8 minutes and turn the heat off. Let it cook, take out the bay leaf and puree rest of the cooked ingredients in a blender.

Heat butter and bring cumin seeds to a crackle. Pour in the gravy and cook covered for 2 minutes. Add milk and koftas. Mix everything together gently. Sprinkle dry fenugreek leaves and cook covered for 5 minutes. The koftas are ready to go on your plate.

Serving suggestions

·         With Naan, Paratha, Roti, Rice.

Tips

·         You can add any other grated vegetable of your choice to the kofta.

  Interesting fact

·         “kofta” has its origin in the Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines.