MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Malai Kofta (Indian Cheese Balls In A Creamy Sauce) PT 1
Categories: Indian
Yield: 4 Servings

MMMMM---------------------------KOFTAS--------------------------------
6 oz Paneer
2 sm Potatoes; boiled
1 1/2 tb Corn starch; up to 2 tb
1/4 ts Black pepper
Salt

MMMMM--------------------------STUFFING-------------------------------
2 tb Nuts; up to 3 tb,
- finely chopped
2 tb Raisins; up to 3 tb,
- finely chopped
2 tb Cilantro; up to 3 tb,
- finely chopped
2 tb Chili; up to 3 tb,
- finely chopped (optional)
Oil; or more, for frying

MMMMM---------------------------SAUCE--------------------------------
3 md Tomatoes; up to 4
1 Cinnamon stick (1/2")
1 1/2 c Water
5 tb Oil
1 Clove
2 sm Green cardamom; cracked open
1 sm Black or green cardamom;
- cracked open
1 Tejpatta (indian bay leaf)
1/3 c Onion paste
1 cl Garlic; minced
1 ts Ginger; minced
1/4 ts Methi dana
- (fenugreek seeds);
- powdered
1 ts Corainder powder
1/8 ts Turmeric powder
1/2 ts Kashmiri chili powder
1/4 ts Red chili powder
1/3 c Raw cashew paste
Salt
1/4 ts Garam masala; heaping
1 ts Kasuri methi
- (dried fenugreek leaves)
3 tb Heavy cream; up to 4 tb
1 tb Golden raisins; up to 2 tb
- (optional)
Sugar; to taste

Stuffing the koftas is optional. You can fry up little balls of dough
just as is and add to the sauce.

I soak 15 to 20 raw cashews in warm water for 30 minutes and then
blend them as little water as possible to make the paste. You could
use ready to use cashew meal and make a thick paste with water
instead. For the nut allergic, even almonds or melon or sunflower
seeds can be used in this recipe but the taste will change
completely. The sauce from this recipe is more spicy than sweet.
Since I use raisins, we didn't feel the need to add sugar but you can
add sugar to taste at the end.

Koftas:

Fine grate the paneer and potatoes. In a bowl, mix both with corn
starch, pepper, and salt. Mix and mash to get a smooth, lump free
dough. Moisten you palms with oil, take a small portion of dough and
flatten it between your palms. Place a very small quantity of chopped
dry fruits, cilantro, etc in the center. Bring the edges together and
seal completely. Take care not to put too much of a stuffing else the
koftas will burst open while frying.

Make all the koftas in similar fashion and set on a plate.
Refrigerate the koftas for about 15 minutes before frying.

Meanwhile you can start making the sauce as below.

Shallow fry or deep fry the koftas on medium heat until golden brown
on each sides. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

Sauce:

In a small pot, bring 1-1/2 cups water to boil. Using a sharp knife,
make light incisions on the top of the tomatoes. Once water is
boiling, add cinnamon stick to it along with the tomatoes. Let boil
for 5 to 8 minutes, such that the skin of tomatoes starts coming off.
Take out the tomatoes using a slotted spoon, let cool and reserve the
water. Discard the cinnamon.

Once the tomatoes are cooled, peel off the skins and blend them. Set
aside.

Heat up the oil in a large pot and temper it with cloves, tejpatta,
and cardamom. Wait until they crackle, about 30 seconds. Add the
onion paste to next along with minced garlic, ginger, and methi dana.
Saute for 5 to 6 minutes until starting to turn light brown.
continued in part 2

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