Malai Kofta | Malai Kofta Gravy | Malai Kofta Gravy Restaurant Style | 4.60/5.0

Best Occasion to Prepare this Recipe

My memories of Malai Kofta tie back to almost every Potluck I’ve hosted, those little house parties/meet-ups we had during Grad school days and almost every other month when family craves Kofta curry. Funnily, in between all the home made Malai Kofta hogging sessions come those restaurant visits when the side dish for Naan is almost always unmistakably our lip-smacking-delicious Malai Kofta.

I have had several iterations of preparing the Kofta Balls and making the gravy sauce and so have tried most of the recipes out there. Like majority of the times, I have also experimented with my own ingredients and it came out very well – one such time was using bread crumbs as the batter for making the “Kofta Cutlets” <that’s the picture above>.

May look like too much of a hassle, but the prep time on this dish is only about 20 mins with a total cook time of ~40 mins. Just made up your mind? Then start cooking!!

PS: Malai Kofta Gravy Masala pairs great with Tandoori Rotis, Tawa Roti, Naan (Any kind), Kulcha or Laccha Paratha

If you’re a fan of Paneer Gravies, check out Palak Paneer recipe, Paneer Butter Masala, Methi Malai Paneer, Paneer Tikka Masala, Kadai Paneer Recipes on this Blog

My Top Recipe Recommendations

I’m classifying my Malai Kofta gravies based on the color of the sauce and ingredients used and also by the Kofta balls Prep style

1. Classic Malai Kofta Gravy Recipe – Orange Sauce
2. Malai Kofta Gravy Recipe – Yellow Malai Sauce
3. Malai Kofta Gravy Recipe – White Malai Sauce
4. Malai Kofta Balls made using Bread
5. Paneer Kofta Curry
6. Malai Kofta Restaurant Style Prep
7. Gobi Malai Kofta

My Improv & Notes

How to make Kofta Balls that don’t break and taste great?

• Beat the cooked potato and mash it until it forms no lumps. Pressure cook mixed veggies like carrots, peas and beans for 2-3 whistles mash it up (ensure all the moisture is drained). Add grated Paneer, chopped onions, turmeric powder, Red Chili powder, jeera powder,coriander powder, cashew nuts, raisins, peel cardamom (make powder and add that),salt and bread crumbs (some people use corn flour instead)
• Mix well and combine to form a thick dough. If it is loose use little more breadcrumbs / bread crumbled. Form lemon sized balls and deep fry them
• Use a small spoon to flip the koftas when deep frying in oil. I’ve even toasted my Kofta balls in Paniyaram pans greased with ghee (when I went all healthy!)

Gravy Tips

• To make the gravy thick and creamy, some recipes recommend adding milk. To avoid milk from curdling – Don’t add refrigerated milk directly. Simmer the heat once milk is added and keep stirring continuously. Also add the milk little by little stirring continuously
• You can substitute milk with cream to make an even more richer version. Also, adding in 10-12 cashewnuts will give you your rich creamy taste
• Don’t add all the koftas in the gravy before hand, just add it while serving else it will turn soggy and absorb all the gravy
• Use ripe tomatoes and red chili powder to give a good color to the gravy. You can also use food color if that doesn’t work out for you

Restaurants Serving Best Malai Kofta in Bay Area

• A Desi Cafe
• Keeva Indian Kitchen
• Sankranti
• Satkar Indian Cuisine
• Little India Cafe