Aloo Kofta

Kofta! For the longest time, I hunted for a good malai kofta. In fact, for a while, I ordered it each time we went to an Indian restaurant. For some reason, most places here serve malai kofta in a sweetish white gravy. The koftas always seem to have raisins in them. Now, I firmly believe that north indian food served in some restaurants in south india are just the way I like them. For instance, I love the chhole bhature you get at Shiv Sagar in Bangalore much more than what they serve at a Bikanerwala in Gurgaon. In fact, sometimes I crave "south indian style" north indian food. And no, I don't mean curry leaves laden gravies. There's this place that I went to called Verdhan (a Bangalore based chain) in Gurgaon. As always, I ordered malai kofta. I quickly checked what colour the gravy was. The guy said, 'Brown'. I was so thrilled. I haven't ordered malai kofta since even when we've been to Indian restaurants. I'll savour that taste for some time to come.

I decided to make some aloo kofta to take for lunch. Somehow, my colleagues didn't seem to know that such a dish even exists. They've only heard of malai kofta and lauki kofta. I've had both these and have also also had potato kofta. Since I very rarely make anything with potatoes and even more rarely fry food, this had to be a treat.

For the Kofta:

1 cup Potato, cooked, peeled and mashed

1 tsp Green Chilli paste

1 tsp Ginger Paste

1 tsp Garlic Paste

1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/4 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tbsp Flour, mixed in 2 tbsp water

Salt to taste

For the gravy:

1 Onion, chopped

2 tbsp Cashews

1 tsp Poppy Seeds

2 Red chillies

1 tsp Ginger Paste

1 tsp Garlic Paste

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Coriander Seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 cup Milk

Salt to taste

Coriander Leaves for garnish

Grind the ingredients for the gravy in a mixer using a little water if necessary.

Mix all the ingredients for the kofta (except the flour-water mixture) and shape into small balls. Heat the appey pan and put a few drops of oil in each mould. Dip each ball in the flour-water mixture and place it in the moulds. Cook until each ball is golden brown, turning every minute or so. Remove from the pan and drain on absorbent paper.

Heat a tablespoon of oil and add the ground paste. Fry this for a few minutes until the oil separates from the paste. Add the salt and fry for a minute. Add the milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the koftas and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

This recipe is a keeper. I remembered the recipe for the koftas from Amma's koftas. But I just went with whatever I could lay my hands on when it came to the gravy. It is a very rich and creamy dish that gives you the feeling of "rich food". Thank heavens it comes without that much guilt.

I'm sending this to Let's Go Nuts: Cashews, being hosted by Poornima of Tasty Treats.