Palak Tofu Kofta in Creamy Sauce

This one is an anglicized version of the famous palak-paneer kofta! Paneer is hard to come by in this little townling, so I made my own sketch of this party-recipe! Also, fresh cream is replaced by sour cream mixed with a little sugar, which, I discovered, improvises reasonably well.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

For the Koftas:

 

Extra firm Tofu(Crumbled and mashed)-----250 gms

Spinach(Chopped finely)-----------------------1.5 cups

Onion(Chopped finely)-------------------------1 medium

Gram flour (Besan)------------------------------1 tablespoon

Garam Masala powder--------------------------1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds--------------------------------------1/2 teaspoons

Paprika or red chilly powder-------------------1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Green chillies(Finely chopped)----------------2

Salt(To taste)

Oil

 

For the gravy:

 

Onions(Large)---------------------------------------1.5

Tomatoes(medium)----------------------------------3

Whole coriander seeds(Sabut dhania)------------1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds-----------------------------------------1/2 teaspoon

Cashew Nuts(Preferably, soaked)----------------1/2 cup

Yogurt------------------------------------------------1/2 cup

Sour Cream-------------------------------------------1/2 cup

Sugar--------------------------------------------------1 teaspoon

Bay leaves--------------------------------------------1 large
Dried Mango Powder (Amchoor)-----------------1/2 teaspoon

Dried fenugreek leaves(Kasuri Methi)------------1.5 teaspoons

Red chilly Powder-----------------------------------1 teaspoon

Cumin Powder---------------------------------------1/2 teaspoon

Coriander Powder-----------------------------------1 teaspoon

Kitchen King Masala-------------------------------1 teaspoon

Turmeric----------------------------------------------1/4 teaspoon

Ginger-Garlic Paste---------------------------------1 tablespoon

Water

Salt(To taste)

Oil

 

METHOD:

 

Koftas:

 

Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. When they start crackling, add the chopped onions. Saute them on medium heat until they start to brown. Add the chopped spinach, paprika, salt, garam masala and chopped green chillies. Fry the mixture till the spinach wilts and starts dissipating water. At this point, take the contents off the heat and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the gram flour and tofu, and knead all the ingredients together until they are firm enough to form dumplings. Shape them into little spheres. If the mixture starts crumbling, add a little more gram flour. Place the dumplings on a greased baking dish and microwave them for 90 seconds. You can also shallow fry them in low-fat oil. Koftas are ready.

 

Gravy:

 

First, blanch the tomatoes by placing them in boiling water for a minute. Take them out and immediately place them under cold running water. Let them cool, then blend them with the soaked cashew nuts to make a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Make a paste of the onions separately. Keep aside.

Heat a generous amount of oil and add bay leaves, cumin seeds and whole coriander seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add the ginger garlic paste. After stirring for 15-20 seconds, add the onion paste and green chillies. Wait for the mixture to turn aromatic. (But do not wait for it to turn into a cyclic organic compound!) Then add the tomato-cashew nuts paste, alongwith salt, red chilly powder, turmeric, coriander powder, dried mango powder, cumin powder and kitchen king masala,  and cook on medium flame until the mixture starts dissipating oil at the sides of the cooking vessel. At this point, whisk the yogurt and add into the mixture. Again wait for it to get absorbed and leave oil. Add water to the gravy until the desired consistency is reached. Mix the sugar with the sour cream and add into the mixture alongwith the dried fenugreek leaves. Place the koftas in the gravy and serve hot with rumali rotis or tawa chapattis! :)