Paneer and Veggie Kofta Curry

Day4 of BM#10: This Paneer + Red Cabbage + Zucchini (plus couple more Veggie) Kofta is a dish that was borne out of my wild wild imagination..Do I see someone rolling their eyes?? To answer your unasked question -- Well ofcourse Kofta has been around for quite some time. Certainly I didn't invent that dish. What I meant was this version is totally my brain child! It was exceptionally good too! That too for a first try - that never happens to me! I usually muck-up things the first time around..sometimes even the second time. So it was no wonder that I was a happy camper that day!Making this dish is a  cumbersome process but very doable!

My MIL asked for the recipe. I mean, I am the one that is always badgering her for new recipes..not the other way round. She asking for the recipe is something akin to a "standing ovation".

Way4 To Maintain A Healthy Level of Insanity: Ask People What Species They Are. Laugh Hysterically After They Answer. ;-)

Ingredients:

• 4 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled
• 2 Large Carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 Medium Zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1/2 Cup Red Cabbage, diced
• 2 Cups Crumbled Paneer
• 1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
• 1 Tsp Garam Masala
• 2 Tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter
• 2 Slices White Bread, crumbed
• Oil for shallow-frying the Kofta Balls
• Olive Oil for cooking

For the Masala Paste:

• 1 Large Yellow Onion, peeled and cut into slices
• A handful of Cashews
• 6-7 Hot Green Chilies

For the Sauce:

• 6 Roma Tomatoes, Very Ripe, seeds removed and pureed
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Whole milk
• 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala
• 1-1/2 Tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves/ Kasuri Methi, crushed

For garnish:

• Chopped Cilantro Leaves
• A few Tbsp shredded Mozzarella cheese

Tool:

• Aebleskiver Pan or Paniyaram Pan

Procedure:

• Bring the cut carrot, Red cabbage to a boil in a small pan with water barely covering it.

• Once the carrot and cabbage is 20% cooked, add the cut Zucchini and Potatoes(this is added at a later stage cause it cooksfaster). Add water to barely cover it and cook.

• Once the vegetables are 80% cooked, switch off stove and let it cool.Use a masher to roughly mash the vegetables.

• Crumble the Paneer and set aside 2 Cups to be used in the recipe.

• Add the crumbled Paneer to the mashed vegetables.

• Throw in the crumbed white bread.

• Add the Red chili powder, cumin seeds, garam masala and salt. Mix it all with hands so the spice and salt are evenly combined.

• Divide the portion into 23-24 even-sized balls. The balls should neither be too hard nor too soft. They should be just hard enoughto hold together without disintegrating. They should be roughly the size of a small Lime.

• Add a few drops of Oil into the wells of the Aebleskiver/Paniyaram Pan and drop the Kofta balls into the wells..

• Brown the Kofta balls all around on low-medium flame.Should take about 3-4 minutes per batch.

• Repeat the same for the remaining balls and let them rest on paper-towel lined plate.

• Puree the tomatoes and keep it aside.

• Make the masala paste: In a shallow wide pan, add a tbsp or 2 of Olive Oil and fry the onions along with the hot green chili and cashews.

• Make the sauce for the Kofta Balls: In a shallow wide pan, warm 4 tbsp of Oil and 2 tbsp of ghee/clarified butter. Add the cloves, cardamom and bay leaf. Pour the tomato puree and bring to a boil. 5-6 minutes later add the ground masala paste.

• Stir and continue to cook for 6-8more minutes.Just before dropping the Kofta Balls, add crushed dried fenugreek leaves(to crush the fenugreek leaves, add them to your left palm and crush it with both palms of your hands) and garam masala. Additionally, pour 1 Cup water and 1 Cup Milk to the pan.Sprinkle salt and check for taste.

• Drop the Kofta balls into the sauce gently and cook an additional 10-12 minutes with lid closed.Once the Kofta balls are added,the sauce begins to thicken again. Switch off the stove.

• Move the Kofta balls and gravy to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with finely cut Cilantro leaves and shredded mozzarella cheese.Enjoy it with warm and soft Naan/Roti

Makes 24 Kofta Balls.

Enjoy!