Nawabi Kofta Curry (Stuffed Paneer Potato Koftas)
Potato koftas stuffed with paneer, cashew, and raisins, simmered briefly in a tomato-cream gravy with roasted fennel, cardamom, and cinnamon.
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai Indian wok
- Mixer or spice grinder
- Slotted spoon
- Air fryer optional, instead of frying
Ingredients
For the potato shell
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes about 1 1/2 lb / 700 g
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or besan gram flour
For the stuffing
- 5 oz paneer 150 g, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons cashews finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons raisins chopped
- 1-2 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- pinch salt
For the dry spice mix
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamom pods
For the gravy
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar only if the tomatoes taste sharp
- 1/2-3/4 cup water
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh cream
- cilantro to garnish
- pinch saffron optional, soaked in 1 tablespoon warm cream
To fry or air-fry
- 1/2 cup neutral oil for shallow-frying, or oil spray for the air fryer
Instructions
Prep the potato shell
- Boil the potatoes until a knife slides through, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain. Let them sit in the colander 2 minutes so steam leaves.
- Peel while warm. Mash until smooth, with no lumps. Spread the mash on a plate for 10 minutes.
- Mix in 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cornstarch or besan. The mash should feel like dough and pull away from the plate. If it still sticks to your fingers in sheets, wait 5 more minutes or add 1 teaspoon more cornstarch.
Make the stuffing
- Mix paneer, cashews, raisins, green chilli, cilantro, cumin powder, garam masala, and a pinch of salt.
- Press into 10 to 12 tight marbles. If the mix crumbles, squeeze it in your palm. If it weeps water, blot the paneer and mix again.
Shape the koftas
- Divide the potato into 10 to 12 balls.
- Flatten one in your palm, set a paneer marble in the center, and gather the potato up and over. Roll until the seam is gone.
- Set them on a plate. Chill 15 minutes.
Shallow-fry the koftas
- Heat oil in the kadhai over medium. A bread crumb should sizzle, not blacken.
- Fry the koftas in batches until gold on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes, turning only after a crust forms. Drain on a paper towel.
Air fryer (optional)
- Heat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Spray the basket and the koftas.
- Cook 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, until the outsides are gold and dry to the touch.
Make the gravy
- Dry-roast fennel, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom in a small pan on medium-low 3 to 4 minutes, until they smell sweet. Cool and grind.
- Grind onions, garlic, and ginger to a smooth paste. Add a spoon of water only if the blender stalls.
- Heat ghee in a clean kadhai over medium. Add the onion paste. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the raw smell is gone and the paste looks a shade darker. It should not stick in a burnt film. Lower the heat if it does.
- Add the ground spice mix. Stir 30 seconds.
- Add tomato puree, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, salt, and sugar if using. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes until the ghee peeks at the edges and the puree no longer tastes raw.
- Stir in 1/2 cup water and the cream. Simmer 2 minutes. The gravy should coat a spoon. Add a splash more water if it is a paste. Stir in saffron cream if you are using it.
Finish
- Taste for salt. Slide the koftas in just before serving. Spoon gravy over them. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes only, or set fried koftas in the serving bowl and pour the gravy on top.
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.
Notes
Dry mash is the whole game. Wet potato bursts.
Chill the shaped koftas 15 minutes before they meet oil.
Do not fry a kofta with a visible crack. Pinch it shut or save it for a snack.
Add koftas to gravy at the end. A long simmer makes them sloppy.
Air fryer: 375°F for 12 to 14 minutes. They will be a little paler than fried. The gravy covers that.
Jain / no onion, no garlic: skip the onion-garlic paste. Build a cashew and melon-seed gravy, then keep the same stuffed koftas.
Vegan: firm tofu, pressed and crumbled, instead of paneer. Coconut cream instead of dairy cream. Oil instead of ghee. The filling will taste cleaner, not milky.
Leftovers: fridge the gravy up to 3 days. Fridge fried koftas separately up to 2 days. Reheat gravy on low. Warm koftas in a 350°F oven or air fryer 5 minutes, then combine.
I do not freeze stuffed fried koftas. The potato turns woolly.
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