Paneer Kofta are tiny cute balls made with paneer, boiled potatoes, cheese, cornflour and cooked in delicious Punjabi style gravy. Paneer Kofta is extremely delicious recipe and very common dish of Punjabi Cuisine. You can add lots of other vegetables like cabbage, carrot or capsicum in the filling for making koftas.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Indian Cottage Cheese (paneer) grated
• 50 gms grated cheese
• 2 potatoes boiled and peeled
• 2 onions sliced
• 4-5 tomatoes chopped
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp butter
• 4 green chillies chopped
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1 green cardamom (elaichi)
• 1 black cardamom
• 3-4 cloves
• 3-4 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp khas khas (poppy seeds)
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 bay leaves (tej pata)
• 1/2 tsp dry mango powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil
• Coriander leaves finely chopped

How to make Paneer Kofta:

1. In a mixing bowl mash the boiled potatoes, combine with grated paneer, cheese and cornflour.
2. Add salt, 1 tsp oil, and 1 tsp red chili powder, mix well.
3. Make small balls from the mixture and deep fry in hot oil.
4. Fry very gently until golden brown and keep aside on tissue paper.
5. In a heating kadhai add 2 tsp oil and cumin seeds, saute for a minute.
6. Add sliced onions, fry until turns into nice brown color, and keep aside to cool.
7. Now in a grinding bowl add fried onions with cumin, chopped tomatoes, cardamoms, cloves, black peppercorns, khas khas and sesame seeds.
8. Grind all the ingredients at a time and make a puree.
9. From a same kadhai remove oil and add butter.
10. Add ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chillies and saute for a minute.
11. Add dried red chillies and bay leaf and saute on low heat.
12. Add puree, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and dry mango powder.
13. Cook for 5-6 minutes.
14. If oil begin to separate and gravy becomes thick and nice then add 1/2 cup of water.
15. Stir continuously for 2 minutes.
16. Cover the kadhai and simmer for 5 minutes.
17. Add koftas and cook for a minute more.
18. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with puri or Indian flat bread.

Chef Tips:

1. Deep fry 3-4 small koftas in very hot oil and try to take out immediately from the oil.
2. Do not fry maximum 4 koftas they may tend to break.
3. If your koftas are soft then just before serving add koftas in the gravy and mix gently.