Ingredients:

Koftas

• 750 grams starchy vegetables – at least 50% of your potatoes, carrot & cauliflower (Anything that absorbs too much water e.g. courgettes, tomatoes etc won’t work too well
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp cashew nuts (almonds also work well)
• Salt & Pepper to season
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 medium egg
• Plain flour to coat koftas
• Oil for frying

Malai

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes)
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 Cayenne chilli (optional)
• 100 ml cream
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cm ginger, minced
• 2 green cardamoms (remove the shells – we only want the black seeds inside)
• 4 cloves
• 2 cm cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder (or smoked paprika)
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 4 tbsp olivani or vegetable oil

Method

Koftas

1. Chop veges into 1 cm cubes put in a microwave proof bowl and add 1/4 cup of water.  Cover and microwave until the veg is soft (~8 mins on high). Don’t add too much water, otherwise it’ll get sodden.; however, too little and you will burn the veg.  Stir the veg half way through and add more water, if needed.
2. While the veg is cooking, crush most of your cashews to ‘crushed nut’ but not pulverised state (keep some for garnish at the end).  Add in a little salt and pepper to the cashews.  Add in a teaspoon of ground coriander.
3. Check your veg is cooked and mash thoroughly.
4. Throw in your cashews and your breadcrumbs and combine.  Don’t whip the mixture – too much whipping and the starch in the potatoes will turn it in to a thick glue like substance.
5. The mixture should be dry, but still sticky enough to hold on to a teaspoon when inverted.  If it’s not dry enough, add a little more breadcrumbs.
6. Making the koftas…
   1. In preparation, beat your egg and put into one dish – pour out enough flour to coat your koftas (about 1/2 cup) into a plate.  Now, with wet (or oiled) hands, mould a palm sized amount of the mixture into small rounds.
   2. Dip into the beaten egg
   3. Place the koftas covered in egg on to the flour and mould into your chosen shape.
7. Shallow fry the koftas in a bit of hot oil. Flip when brown.
8. Once cooked on both sides, carefully remove and place on kitchen towels to absorb excess fat.

Malai

1. Melt olivani over a medium heat and add cloves, cardamom seeds and cinnamon sticks.  Fry for 30 secs to a minute to infuse.
2. Put minced onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric and chilli powder into the butter and fry gently until the onions go soft and translucent.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and a chopped chilli.
4. Add 1 cup of water.  If you prefer a stronger tomato flavour, you can add some tomato paste to the mixture.  Bring the mix to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 mins until the water has reduced in half.
5. Remove the cinnamon from your mixture and discard.
6. Blend mixture to a thick gravy.
7. Return blended mix to the pan over a low heat and add in cream.
8. Season at this point with salt. Add in 2 tsp of garam masala.
9. Gently  place koftas into the malai and warm through.
10. Serve with some basmati and top with the retained cashews.