This is the fourth paneer based recipe that I have veganized on my blog, which is pretty much just a paneer appreciation platform at this point. I won’t spend any time describing paneer since I’ve already defined it in my Vegan Palak Paneer post so let’s dive right in to today’s topic: malai kofta.
The first part of the dish, ‘malai,’ refers to clotted cream and ‘kofta’ is a spiced meatball. So, ‘malai kofta’ is a traditionally vegetarian South Asian entree of paneer and potato “meatballs” in a creamy and spicy tomato gravy.
To transform this vegetarian dish into a vegan one without sacrificing any of the richness or flavor, I’ve made a few simple swaps and additions.
Firm tofu: Just like my other vegan paneer recipes, this one uses firm tofu in place of paneer. The textures are actually very similar!
Nutritional yeast and lemon juice: The combination of these ingredients adds a nice subtly cheesy flavor to the kofta, replicating the mild paneer flavor.
Nondairy milk: Specifically, oat, soy, or pea milk. The traditional gravy in this dish calls for a bit of full fat milk and of all the nondairy milk substitutes, I find these three to be the creamiest.
Vegan Malai Kofta (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free Option)
Ingredients
- 1 medium potato
- 8 oz tofu, drained and pressed
- 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp cashews, chopped*
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- optional: 1 tbsp golden raisins or dried apricots, chopped
- neutral oil spray
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed
- 3 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick, crushed
- 1 tbsp raw cashews*
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 3/4 cups diced tomato
- 1 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup unsweetened oat, soy, or pea milk
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potato. Transfer into a medium sized pot or saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cover. Cook for about 12 - 15 minutes, or until soft.
- Transfer the boiled potato into a clean mixing bowl and add pressed tofu, cilantro, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, and corn starch. Use a fork or your hands to mash into a smooth dough. Fold in raisins or dried apricots, if desired.
- Preheat oven or air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a spoon to scoop out ~1 tbsp balls of the kofta mixture. Transfer the kofta to a lightly greased baking sheet or air fryer basket. Spray the tops of the kofta with oil as well. Bake at 400 degrees for 17 - 20 minutes (or air fry for 12 minutes), flipping halfway through. The kofta should be golden brown and crispy on the outside when ready.
- To prepare the gravy, heat vegan butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cashews, and cumin seeds and sauté until fragrant, 2 - 3 minutes.
- To the pan, add onion, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent but not browned.
- Add diced tomatoes to the pan. Once the tomatoes begin to release moisture, cover the pan and allow the mixture to simmer for 8 - 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. At this point, the contents of the pan should resemble a stew. If you find that your ingredients are cooking too quickly, reduce the heat and add water to deglaze the pan and rehydrate the mixture.
- Turn off the heat and season with fenugreek, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, and salt to taste. Transfer the gravy mixture to a high speed blender along with the milk and blend until creamy.
- Once the kofta are ready, add them to a large pan over medium low heat. Pour the gravy over the kofta and simmer over low heat for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Serve immediately over rice or with naan. The kofta will last in the fridge for up to four days.
Notes:
Nut-Free Option
- Omit the cashews in the kofta mixture.
- Omit the cashews in the gravy and add 1 tbsp of tahini or coconut cream prior to blending.
