Koftas are a favourite at my home. Done with various ingredients, it adds a special touch to the dish. I call it a delightful vegetarian dish.... classy, tasty. Paneer is something I always keep handy at home. It so happened I had little left at home the other day, I was not in the mood to go out and fetch it either. Though I am not so good with ideas, these are the situations when ideas pop up in our minds, specially if we hate wastage of food. Perhaps is was a friday, my pantry was almost empty. So could not think of a mixed-veg paneer masala also as a vegetarian side. Hence, this idea of preparing a Paneer Stuffed Potato Kofta Curry popped up.
I prepared this kofta curry for the first time and was very happy with the outcome. Definitely it will be on my to do list on a regular basis. Though a little time consuming the process is, I felt it is worth of it. I used store bought paneer, you can prepare it fresh at home. Let us do it.
INGREDIENTS : [for the stuffing]
Paneer[Indian Cottage Cheese] : 100gm
Cashew : 5-6
Raisin : 7-8
Salt : 2pinches
Sugar : 4-5pinches
INGREDIENTS :[for the coverage]
Potato : 2
Green Chilli : 2
Cumin Powder : 1/4spoon
Coriander Powder : 1/4spoon
Salt : As required
INGREDIENTS :[final take]
Tomato : 1
Plain Yogurt : 1/2small cup
Onion Paste : 2tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Garlic Paste : 1/2tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Cumin Seed : 2pinches
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As required
Oil : 1tbsp + 100ml[to fry the koftas]
METHOD :
Take the paneer in a bowl. Mash it. Chop the cashews and raisins. Add the salt, sugar, cashews and raisins to the mashed paneer. Fold in well. The filling is ready.
Peel, wash, halve and pressure cook the potatoes in enough water up to 1 whistle. Let cool. Transfer the potatoes in a bowl. Add the cumin powder, coriander powder, salt. Wash and chop the green chillies, add to the potatoes. Mash together well.
Prepare balls with the potato mix. Make pockets. Fill with paneer mix. Close tight and make round shapes. They look as below.
Heat 100 ml oil in a wok. Fry the koftas till light brown. They look as below.
Wash and chop the tomatoes. Whisk the yogurt. Heat oil in a wok. Temper with cumin seeds.
Add the onion paste. Fry for a minute. Add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes. Saute till it melts.
Add the salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander and red chilli powders. Mix well. Add the yogurt and stir till the spice mix separates from the oil. Add a small cup of water. Let boil for 3-5 minutes.
Add the garam masala powder. Let cook for 2-3 minutes. Switch off gas.
Arrange the koftas in a serving bowl. Pour the gravy over the koftas. Let stand for sometime before serving.
