suja's culinary corner: Spinach Kofta in Makhani Gravy(Palak Kofta Curry)

Koftas are always special to me since my childhood.the moment our family steps in to a fine dining restaurant in Coimbatore, me and my brother used to order to paneer butter masala and malai kofta and there will be a spoon fight between us to win the bigger piece of kofta dipped in a rich creamy gravy.

After marriage I somehow feel I didnt have an opportunity to eat malai kofta often because my hubby is not a fan of this malai kofta and mostly we end ordering a paneer dish for my son and some veggie curry or dal for us.I have already made kofta curry at home even before marriage and once I made a kofta in green spinach gravy ( recipe from Mallika badrinath)for which I received complements from my family members and guests.After marriage I made it a couple of times and not too often because we deep fry the koftas which adds a lot of calories and a bit time consuming.

But recently after going through a lot of blogs which posted recipes on koftas that are not deep fried but roasted on nonstick paniyaram pan, I was motivated to make these healthy koftas at home again.I had some spinach in my fridge and so I went ahead making spinach koftas in a makhani gravy and it came out really nice and didn't make much of a difference compared to their deep fried counterparts.To make the makhani gravy rich I used blanched almonds,poppy seeds and 2 cashews.also addition of milk makes it creamier and less caloric compared to the addition of cream.

Preparation time :45 minutes

Serves:3

Ingredients :

For spinach koftas:(makes around 20 small koftas)

Spinach -1 small bunch

Chopped onion-1 big

Boiled potatoes-3 big size

Chopped fresh coriander -1 tbsp

Salt-to taste

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Hing-1/2 tsp

Garam masala-1 tsp

Jeera-1 tsp

Oil-few tsps to roast the koftas

For the makhani gravy:

Big onions-2 no

Tomatoes-2 no

Ginger-1 inch

Garlic -5 pods

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Chilli powder-1 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder-1 tsp

Cumin powder-1 tsp

Garam Masala-1tsp

Kasuri methi-1 tsp

Milk-1 and 1/4 cups

Cashew-2 no(optional)

Poppy seeds-1 1/2 tsp

Blanched almonds-4 no

salt- to taste

Oil-2 tbsp

Coriander leaves-to garnish

sugar-1 tsp

To temper:

Bay leaves-2

Cinnamon -1 inch stick

Cloves-2

Cardamoms-2

Procedure:

Spinach Koftas:

1.Wash the spinach thoroughly in water and drain it.Heat a pan and saute the leaves in low flame till they are cooked.

2.Grind it to a coarse paste by using the pulse mode in the mixie.If there is any water in the spinach before grinding drain it and keep it separately so that we can add it later to the makhani gravy.If too much water is there while grinding then you wont be able to form koftas.

3.Heat the pan with a tsp of oil and add jeera.After it splutters, add the onion,turmeric powder,hing and salt necessary for the kofta and saute well.After it turns transparent add the chilli powder and garam masala.

4.Once it is sauteed well add this onion mixture to the boiled and mashed potatoes.Add the spinach puree and some chopped coriander leaves also and mix well to form a smooth dough.Take a small amount of this dough and roll it in to small koftas and keep it ready.

5.Heat the non-stick paniyaram pan with a tsp of oil in every mold in it.Place the kofta in each mold and roast them in low flame till it turns golden brown on both sides.Flip the koftas in between when one side is roasted.

6.Your koftas are ready.The spinach koftas can be had as an evening snack as well along with a tomato ketchup .

Makhani Gravy:

1.Grind ginger garlic to a paste.Grind onions and tomatoes to a paste separately.Soak alomonds,poppy seeds and cashew in hot water and grind them to a fine paste.

2.In a wok,add the oil and heat it along with a tsp of sugar and the tempering ingredients.

2.When the sugar carmelises add the ginger garlic paste and saute well.After it is sauteed well add the onion paste,turmeric powder and salt.Mix well and let it be on medium flame till the raw smell of onion goes off.

3.Add the tomato paste,chilli powder,coriander powder,cumin powder and saute well.Add little water if the gravy is too thick.Once the tomatoes and masala powders are cooked add the almond paste.

4.The gravy will start thickening and at this stage keep adding milk little by little in a low flame.If you keep the flame high or add the milk as a whole then it will curdle.Keep stirring.When all the milk is added to the gravy add the garam masala and kasuri methi to the makhani gravy and mix well.

5.The makhani gravy is ready.Switch off the flame and garnish with fresh coriander leaves and grated paneer(optional).Add the spinach koftas to this gravy just before serving.If you add it too early then the koftas might become soggy.Serve the spinach kofta in Makhani gravy with hot phulkhas or chappathi or roti or a mild pulao.