Paneer Koftas

Paneer kofta is a delicious one of the popular north Indian kofta dish. Paneer koftas are made of paneer and stuffed with nuts then deep fried and then immered in spicy gravy prepared with onion, garlic, tomatoes and nuts.

Paneer kofta is served as a main dish and perfect for dinner parties, special occasion and traditional Indian festivals. Paneer koftas goes well with Nan, chapatti or parthas. Paneer is a traditional North Indian cheese and source of protein. It is a very important constituent of the North Indian cuisine. Therefore it would not be surprise if you are invited for dinner and paneer is a part of appetizer or the main course and the sweet dish.

Ingredients for the paneer:

½   Gallon whole milk for paneer (see
How to make paneer at home)
4   Tablespoons lemon juice
4   Teaspoons all purpose flour
      (maida)


Ingredients for the filling:

¼    Cup crumbled paneer
1     Medium green chili- fine chopped
(remove the seeds & membrane from chili)
1    Medium onion – fine chopped
12   Almonds or cashew nuts– fine
chopped (raw cashews)
½    Tablespoon fresh fine chopped or
grated ginger
½    Teaspoon salt or to your taste
1     Tablespoon vegetable oil

Ingredients for the gravy:

2    Medium size onions
2    Teaspoon minced garlic
1    Medium size ripe tomato pureed
      or 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1    Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1    Medium green chili - chopped
3    Tablespoons plain yogurt
2    Teaspoons coriander powder
½   Teaspoon red chili powder
½   Teaspoon turmeric powder
½   Teaspoon garam masala powder
      or to your taste
4    Tablespoons vegetable oil
3    Tablespoons chopped coriander
leaves
1    Tablespoon poppy seeds –
       soaked or powdered (optional)
10 to 15 Cashew nuts -soaked or
powdered (raw cashew nuts)-
       optional
½   Cup of whole milk
1    Teaspoon salt or to your taste

Cooking measurement conversion
Measurement conversion

Paneer

Ingredient for stuffing

 Stuffing for Kofta's

Direction for stuffing:

1. In frying pan heat 1 tablespoon oil, add chopped onions and sauté them for 4 to 5 minutes or until they become translucent.

Sauté onions

Onions become translucent

2. Add crumbled paneer, grated ginger, chopped green chilies, chopped almonds or chopped cashews and salt and mix everything together with the onions, turn the stove off and let them cool down.

3. If you like to make stuffing little spicy add red chili powder or add any other
desired ingredients

Add crumbled paneer & other ingredients

Paneer stuffing

Directions for the Kofta Balls: 

1. Make the paneer and knead it with the palm of the hand till it become soft, or
use the food processer to soften the paneer.

2. Once paneer become soft add all purpose flour and mix it in the paneer, if the paneer become too dry add few drops of water, the paneer should be soft and smooth.

3. Divide the dough roughly in to 18 to 20 parts without forming into the balls.

Knead the paneer

Knead the paneer & make a dough

4. Take a portion of the dough and roll it in between your palms into a ball then with the thumb press into the middle of the ball and make a depression, with a spoon take some stuffing and fill it, then close it and roll in to a ball. Repeat it until you fill all the balls.

Divide the dough into equal portion

Make a depression in the ball

Stuff the stuffing

Stuffed paneer balls

5. Heat 3 cups of oil in a frying pan or a kadhi on medium high heat. In about
    7 to 8 minutes oil will become hot, to test it drop a small piece of dough in the
    hot oil if the dough start sizzling and comes up it means oil is hot enough, turn
    the heat down to medium low.

6. Now gently drop 7 to 8 stuffed paneer ball in the hot oil, do not touch the balls, with the spatula flicker oil over the balls, in about 2 minutes the bottom of the balls start looking light brown then turn them around, and let them fry for 2
minutes and then flip them around. With the spatula keep flipping the koftas
around for 6 to 7 minutes or until the koftas become golden brown.

Heat the oil

Drop the stuffed kofta balls in hot oil

7. Once the balls become golden brown or the desired cooler take them off the oil
    and place them in a plate over the paper towel so that extra oil could be
    absorbed.

8. Turn the heat down because the oil is hot and you do not want the other batch
    of balls fried quickly.

9. Drop another batch of paneer balls then raise the heat a little. Repeat the
    process until all the paneer balls are fried.

Kofta balls become golden brown

Fried kofta balls

Directions for the gravy:

1. Use a food chopper or blender to mince the onions and garlic. Mixture should
    be coarse.

2. On high heat add the oil in a wide nonstick frying pan, add minced onions and
     garlic and sauté them while periodically stirring. Onions will have a lot of
     water so for the first 8 to 10 minutes keep the heat high so that all the onion
     water evaporates quickly.

3. While onion mixture cooks add the soaked cashew and poppy seeds in the same
     food chopper or blender and grind them to a paste then add tomato with the
     grinded nuts and puree. Keep it aside.

In a pan add minced onions, garlic and oil & fry

Onion become light brown

4. Once the onion water evaporated turn the heat down to medium and let the
onions fry for 8 to 9 minutes, frequently stir the onions.

5. Once the onions become light brown add coriander powder, red chili powder,
turmeric powder and mix with the fried onions and fry for few seconds.

Add coriander powder, turmeric powder & red chilie powder

Mix the spices with fried onions

6.   Add tomato, cashew and poppy seed mixture and yogurt and mix, keep string
       the onion masala.

7. With the tomato puree and yogurt onion masala become watery. Turn the heat
     high for 2 to 3 minutes so that water evaporates quickly then turn the heat
     down to medium.

Add tomato puree & nut mixture

Add yogurt and mix

8. Once all the water evaporated and you see the oil in the pan that means onion
masala is done.

9. Add 4 cups of water and salt and mix with onion masala, cover the pan and
cook for10 to 12 minutes.

Onion masala is done

Add water and mix with onion masala

10. Add grated ginger, chopped green chilies and garam masala in the gravy and
      mix and let it cook.

11.  Once half of the water evaporated form the gravy add ½ cup of milk and mix
       it well with the gravy and stir constantly for 1 minute so that milk blend in
       well with the gravy. Let the gravy cook for 8 to 10 minutes, while frequently
       stirring the gravy. Milk binds the gravy with onion masala.

Add grated ginger, chopped green chilies and garam masala

Add milk in the gravy and mix

12. Once onions and milk blend in together and you have the desired consistency
       of the gravy add fried paneer koftas in the gravy and mix, coat all the koftas
       with gravy and simmer for 2 minutes, turn the heat off.

13. Once koftas are soaked in the gravy and gravy becomes thick add little water
       and give a boil, turn the stove off.

14. When ready to serve gently transfer the koftas into a serving dish and garnish
       with coriander leaves.

Add fried paneer kofta in the gravy

Paneer koftas are ready

Paneer Kofta

Tips:

1. If you do not have the time to cook everything in one day for paneer kofta then you can split the cooking process in two days by preparing kofta in one day and make the gravy other day. If you are cooking it for the party you can even make koftas’s in advance and freeze them, and the day you are going to serve mix them with gravy and heat.

2. If you have nut grinder then you do not need to soak the cashew nuts and
poppy seeds, grind them dry and make a powder then add in the onion masala.

3. Make extra paneer kofta and freeze them for later use.

Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.

Thank you
Geeta Seth

Other recipe:

Cabbage kofta (Bandh gobi)                           Lauki kofta (Bottle gourd, Ghiya)

Palak kofta (Spinach kofta)                            Masoor dal kofta (lentils)

Muttar paneer                                                  Palak paneer
(Paneer with green peas)                                (Paneer with spinach)

Paneer stuffed paratha                                  Crumbled paneer curry