North Kofta Kebabs in Spicy Cream Sauce (Malai Kofta)

Categories: Indian

Serves: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

-----------------------------------KOFTA-----------------------------------
2 lg Russet potatoes; boiled,
-peeled, mashed
1/2 c Green peas; fresh or frozen
1/4 c Shredded Cheddar cheese
1 Fresh hot green chile;
-chopped
1/2 ts Ground coriander
1 tb Cumin seeds
1 1/2 ts Salt
1/4 c Chopped cashew nuts
1 tb Raisins
3/4 c Chick-pea flour or corn
-flour; (see note)
1 c Water
Mild vegetable oil for deep
-frying

Instructions:
-----------------------------SPICY CREAM SAUCE-----------------------------
8 Whole cashew nuts
2 Whole cloves
1 pn Nutmeg
1/2 Inch cinnamon stick
1 Garlic clove; peeled
2 tb Unsalted butter
1 lg Onion; grated
1 pn Turmeric
2 ts Paprika
1/2 ts Ground coriander
1/2 ts Cayenne pepper
1 tb Salt
1 c Half-and-half
1 c Water
1/2 c Heavy cream
2 tb Chopped fresh cilantro

Kofta, a classic dish of Moghul origin, is one of the most important
preparations of Indian vegetarian cuisine. Traditionally, koftas are
simmered in a delicate sauce and turned into a curried main dish. These
kebabs are wonderful served as cocktail appetizers with a yogurt or fruity
dipping sauce. THE KOFTA: Combine potatoes, peas, cheese, chile, coriander,
cumin, salt, cashews and raisins. Form mixture into 1-inch balls. Make a
batter with the flour and water. Season with pinch of salt, if desired.
Heat oil to 375 degrees F in a deep fryer or large heavy saucepan. Dip
balls into batter to coat completely, and deep-fry until brown (do not
crowd), about 4 minutes. Set aside. (If you want the kebabs to remain firm,
put them on a heated serving platter, and tent with foil. To serve, bring
cream sauce to a boil and pour over kebabs.) THE SAUCE: Grind cashews,
cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and garlic with a little water to make a fine
paste. Set aside. Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onion and saute until wilted; stir in ground paste and cook 2 minutes.
Add turmeric, paprika, coriander, cayenne and salt. Stir in half-and-half
and water. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. (May be prepared 2 days
ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated.) Stir in cream and kofta kebabs.
Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve
immediately. Note: Chick-pea flour (also called besan) may be purchased at
Indian grocery stores. PER SERVING: 645 calories, 15 g protein, 54 g
carbohydrate, 43 g fat (19 g saturated), 86 mg cholesterol, 1,450 mg
sodium, 8 g fiber.

Recipe by: Laxmi Hiremath in the San Francisco Chronicle, 6/92

Posted to recipelu-digest by Sharon Raghavachary on
Feb 05, 1998

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