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malai kofta served with naan and cucumber salad
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4.53 from 63 votes

Instant Malai Kofta

A classic north Indian dish, often served in restaurants; is made with deep fried vegetable dumplings{koftas} that are tossed in a creamy tomato based sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 5
Calories: 399kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ghee or oil for vegan
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder or any mild red chili powder
  • 3 plum tomatoes pureed
  • 1 can coconut milk regular full fat
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves
  • 2 teaspoon sugar
  • 24 frozen vegetable balls IKEA, Trader Joe's or similar brands
  • ¼ cup cilantro chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  • Set Instant Pot on Saute(More) mode and heat ghee. Add onions and salt. Cook until onions are soft and translucent for 2 minutes (with a glass lid on to speed this process)
  • Add ginger, garlic, turmeric and red chili powder. Mix well. Separate the coconut cream and water. Keep the coconut cream aside. Add only the watery portion of coconut milk and pureed tomatoes mixing with spices.
  • Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing position. Cook on Manual / Pressure Cook (Hi) for 4 minutes followed by quick release.
  • Open the Instant Pot, allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Using a hand blender, carefully blend the sauce until smooth. Stir in tomato paste, garam masala, fenugreek leaves and sugar.
  • Add frozen veggie balls and cook them on saute mode for 5 minutes or until the veggie balls are heated through. 
  • Add the coconut cream and gently stir everything together. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy with steamed rice, parathas or as a sauce and topping on homemade pizzas. 

Video

Notes

  • Do not add the meatballs during pressure cooking. Add them after the pressure cooking cycle completes and then cook on saute mode until heated through.
  • You can use 1 cup of store-bought tomato puree instead of homemade fresh tomato puree
  • In addition to IKEA meatballs, I have also tried and liked Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Wegman's meatless meatball options
  • You can make this recipe with heavy cream or cashew cream instead of coconut cream. Simply replace the coconut milk water with half a cup of plain water and stir in half a cup of heavy cream or cashew cream after pressure cooking

Stove Top Recipe

Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot or pan. Add onions and salt. Cook until onions are soft and translucent for about 6 to 8 minutes on medium-high heat. Cover with a lid to speed up the process but remember to stir a few times. 
Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, and red chili powder. Mix well. Separate the coconut cream and water. Keep the coconut cream aside. Add only the watery portion of coconut milk and pureed tomatoes mixing with spices. Cook covered for 10 to 12 mins on medium heat. 
Blend the sauce until smooth using a hand blender or put the sauce in a blender jar and puree until creamy. Return the puree to the pan if using a blender jar. Stir in tomato paste, garam masala, fenugreek leaves, and sugar. 
Add frozen veggie balls and mix well. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes until heated the veggie balls are heated through. 
Add the coconut cream and gently stir everything together. Garnish with cilantro.

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 932mg | Potassium: 599mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 935IU | Vitamin C: 11.1mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3.4mg
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