Paneer kofta curry

This is yet another classic Punjabi 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.

Paneer is another super vegetarian food with lots of protein. 100 grams of paneer on an average has 10-15 grams of protein. The accurate value cant be decided as it depends on the quality of milk by which the paneer is made.paneer is considered a good source of protein as it is a combination of fats +protein ,fats or carbs are needed to break the protein molecules to be used 

 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

Method:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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