Malai Kofta (Sauce + Vegan ‘Meat’balls)

March 1, 2012 by Leanne Vogel March 2, 2017

Malai kofta is a dish usually reserved for special occasions. It’s made up of malai; a rich creamy sauce, and kofta; which means meatball. The majority of malai kofta served in India is vegetarian and is usually served with naan or rice.

Ingredients

Kofta

• 2 cups diced potatoes (do not peel), boiled for 10-12 minutes
• 1 cup cooked green lentils or peas
• 1 cup diced cauliflower, boiled for 5 minutes
• 1 cup diced carrots, boiled for 5 minutes
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, diced
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon chaat masala
• 2 teaspoon avocado oil + 2 tablespoon for rolling
• 1 tablespoon chickpea flour

Malai

• 2 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup diced tomato
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ghee – see note
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 teaspoon fresh ginger, diced
• 4 teaspoon fresh garlic, diced
• 4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 teaspoon garam masala
• 4 teaspoon chaat masala
• 1.5 to 2 cup water
• 4 tablespoon roughly ground cashews
• 4 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped roughly

Instructions

1. To make the kofta
2. Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon baking mat.
3. Place 2 tablespoons of the avocado oil on a small plate and set aside.
4. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until incorporated. There can be large pieces of vegetables left intact, just make sure the mixture squeezes together nicely.
5. Work dough into golf ball-size balls, rolling each in the plate with oil, just until coated. This will help the balls stay moist on the inside and crisp on the outside without having to deep fry them. Place each ball on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Cook for 22-25 minutes, or until golden.
7. To make the malai
8. In a preheated frying pan, add vegetable oil, onion, salt, fennel seeds and turmeric. Sauté for 2 minutes on medium-high, stirring constantly. Add to a blender with tomatoes and water and process until smooth. Set aside.
9. Preheat the same frying pan on medium-high. Add ghee, oil, cumin seeds, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, masalas, water, paste, cilantro, reserved sauce and kofta. The longer you allow this to cook, the spicier it will become so just cook until the balls are heated.
10. Serve with rice flour naan (recipe below) and rice.
11. note: to make vegan and dairy free, use avocado oil or coconut oil instead of ghee.
12. note2: ghee is made from dairy, but all lactose and casein is removed in the clarification process. Use your own personal judgement when opting for a dairy-free diet. If you’ve chosen to omit, use vegan suggestion above.

Notes

To make vegan and dairy free, use avocado oil or coconut oil instead of ghee.

Ghee is made from dairy, but all lactose and casein is removed in the clarification process. Use your own personal judgement when opting for a dairy-free diet. If you’ve chosen to omit, use vegan suggestion above.

Nutrition Information Per Serving