Paneer Kofta Recipe-Paneer Kofta Curry-Paneer Recipes

This is yet another classic Paneer recipe for all paneer lovers out there. It is a much simpler version compared to Malai Kofta. Paneer balls are deep fried and served with rich onion tomato gravy. It tastes heavenly with chapati, naan, parathas and pulaos. Today we will learn how to make Paneer Kofta following this easy recipe with step wise pictures.

Paneer Kofta Recipe-Paneer Kofta Curry

 Prep Time : 15 mins

 Cook Time : 20 mins 
 Serves: 4
 Recipe Category: Side Dish-Paneer
 Recipe Cuisine: Indian-Punjabi
 Author:Padhu Sankar

   Ingredients needed

   For the Paneer Kofta gravy

   Onion paste - 3/4 cup
   Ginger- 1 inch piece
   Green chilli -1
   Garlic - 3-4 cloves
   Tomato Puree - 1 cup
   Salt to taste
   Cashew nuts -6-7

   Spice Powder

   Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
   Chilli Powder - 3/4 tsp
   Kitchen king masala or garam masala - 1 tsp
   Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

  For the seasoning

   Oil - 2 tbsp
   Cumin seeds/jeera seeds - 1 tsp
   Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
   Cardamom - 1
   Cloves - 2

   For the Paneer kofta balls- Yields 6 paneer balls

   Paneer - 1 cup grated
   Cornflour -1/4 cup
   Green chilli - 1 finely chopped
   Ginger - 1/2 tsp grated
   Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped
   Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
   Kitchen king masala - 1/2 tsp
   Salt needed

   Oil for deep frying koftas

   For Garnishing

   Coriander leaves -2 tbsp finely chopped
   Crumbled paneer -1 tbsp

Preparation

Grind ginger, garlic and green chilli together coarsely.

Soak cashew nuts in hot water for 15 minutes and grind it to a smooth paste with little water.

Puree tomatoes and keep it aside. We need 1 cup of tomato puree.

Boil water, when water starts boiling, add peeled onions, switch off  and keep it covered for 3-4 minutes. Drain the water completely and grind it to a smooth paste without adding water.

Keep all the ingredients ready to make your job easier and to prevent mess - Onion paste, ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, tomato paste, cashew nut paste and all the spice powder.

Method

Heat oil, add cumin seeds, when it splutters, add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

Then add the onion paste and saute nicely until it starts to brown. Add salt to speed up the process. Continuous stirring is necessary for the onions to brown evenly.

Add ginger-green chilli-garlic paste and saute for a few more minutes.

Then add the tomato puree and all the spice powder (mentioned under ingredients - spice powder) and salt needed. Cook the tomato puree well until it oozes out oil.

Then add the cashew nut paste and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add a cup of water, when it boils, simmer for 15 minutes. This is the paneer kofta gravy. Garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Preparation for the Paneer balls (Indian cottage cheese balls)

Grate paneer, add cornflour and the rest of the ingredients mentioned under "for the paneer kofta balls" except oil. Mix well to form a dough. You can adjust the spices and salt by tasting the paneer mixture.

Divide the paneer mixture equally and make smooth balls. If there are cracks, the balls will break while frying.

Heat oil in a kadai, when the oil is hot, reduce the heat to low. Add the 1 or 2 paneer balls and fry on low heat until it browns evenly on all the sides. Be gently otherwise the balls might break.

Remove the fried ball and place it in a colander or on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Repeat the same process for the rest of the paneer balls. Now our paneer balls are ready.

How to serve

You have to add paneer balls only at the time of serving.

Before serving, place paneer balls in a shallow dish, reheat gravy and pour it over the paneer balls.

Garnish with crumbled paneer and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis, parathas, naan or pulao. It tastes amazing.

You might like- 25 Must Try Indian Paneer Recipes and 125 Side Dishes for Chapati

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