Aloo Paneer Koftas- Paneer Kofta Recipe-A Quick Snack

It's been a while since I shared a paneer recipe. I always have paneer in my freezer and keep adding it to random dishes to thicken it or make it look more enticing to TH (who loves paneer!).

Since Malai Koftas have been on my mind for a while, I decided to take the plunge one day. It took me a long time compared to how long I usually take to make something. Those are not my favourite kind of recipes. But I had to try malai koftas and I did. Will share the complete recipe when I've sorted the pictures out, but for now, here are the aloo paneer koftas that I dunked in the gravy to turn these into malai koftas.

These make for a very yummy and a (relatively) quick snack for a party or just to treat your family on a weekend evening.

Aloo Paneer Koftas

Makes about 15-18 koftas
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup of paneer, crumbled fine
1 potato, peeled and boiled
1 carrot, peeled and boiled (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
A small piece of ginger, grated
1 teaspoon of red chilli powder
2 of green chillies, sliced into thin discs
A generous pinch of hing
8-10 cashew nuts, broken into small pieces
1 teaspoon of coriander powder
A generous bunch of coriander leaves / cilantro
¼ cup of cornflour for dusting (optional)
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

How It's Made:

1. Mash the boiled potato and carrot together until there are no lumps.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to this mixture (except corn flour and oil).

3. Mix well with fingertips until it's a homogenous, damp mixture. The moisture from the potato and carrot should be enough to bring it together. Don't add any water.

4. Roll into small lime-sized balls.

5. Dust with corn flour. This is an optional step because I didn't find much difference in texture between these and the ones I didn't dust. Also, if you leave them plain, the oil stays clear and doesn't leave a white layer on the koftas.

6. Heat a pan and add enough oil to submerge the koftas half way. You can deep fry the koftas but it's really not necessary. You can also use a paniyaram pan to do the frying. Gently place the koftas in the hot oil.

7. Turn gently when golden brown on one side. Keep the fire medium low to ensure the inside is cooked too.

Drain on to paper towels and serve hot with ketchup or mint chutney. Tastes fabulous on it's own or you can go on to make malai koftas with them (recipe coming soon!)

What's your most favourite quick snack recipe for evening tea?