Fusion - Malai Kofta with Chinese Rice Noodles

I made malai kofta over the weekend for a party and I just used the leftovers to make up malai kofta with chinese rice noodles for Meena's Hooked on Heat - Fusion theme. I was very skeptical of doing this but the end result was really good. I bought the Chinese rice noodles from an oriental store for 89 cents a package and it was a huge package as you can see in the picture below. I only made about 1/2 of the package and later realized that there were a LOT of noodles for the malai kofta I had. But no biggie, as I said I only paid 89 cents for the package. I did stow away the leftover noodles in the refrigerator but I am not sure if I would be able to use them again.

I am dividing this recipe up into different sections so it is easier to follow.

Warning:
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This recipe will make about 30-35 koftas. Please reduce/add the ingredients accordingly to your needs.

Malai Kofta Recipe

Masala
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• 2 inch Indian cinnamon stick
• 8 green caradamom pods
• 8 cloves
• 2 tsp black pepper corns
• 1 tsp caraway seeds/shahjeera
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds/dhaniya

Dry roast all the spices above and dry grind them. Set aside.

Sauce or Gravy for the koftas

Software
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• 1 medium onion, diced fine
• 2 cups tomato puree
• 1 cup canned tomato paste
• 1 cup khoya/ricotta cheese
• 1 cup paneer crumbled
• 1 cup cashewnuts, soaked in water
• 1/4 cup Indian poppy seeds,dry roasted
• 1 inch ginger root, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp nutmeg powder
• 3/4 th of the masala powder above
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• red chili powder, to taste
• salt, to taste

Hardware
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• One wide saucepan
• One food processor/blender

Method
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• Wet grind the cashewsnuts, roasted poppy seeds, ricotta cheese and paneer. Keep aside.
• Heat the saucepan on medium-high, add the butter and oil, add the onions. Fry till they are translucent.
• Add the ginger and garlic, the tomatoes puree and the tomato paste and heat through until the raw smell of the tomatoes goes away.
• Add the wet-ground paste above, stir, add the dry ground masala above, nutmeg, salt and stir. Add more water if necessary. Bring it to a boil.
• Taste the gravy to see if red-chili powder is needed. If you want the gravy to have a little more spice, add some red chili powder.

Koftas


Hardware
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• Baking sheet
• Mixing bowl

Software
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• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 cup crumbled Paneer
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup cashenuts, coarsly chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped into half
• 1 inch ginger root, crushed to a paste
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3-4 Indian green chilis chopped fine
• 1 medium onion chopped fine
• 1/4 th of the masala powder made above
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 3 tbsp chopped mint

Method
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• Boil the potatoes in water, peel and mash them completely.
• Mix together the rest of the ingredients and make them into ping-pong sized balls.
• Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the kofta balls in a single layer.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 5-10 mins. Broil for a couple of minutes until tops are golden brown. Using a pair of tongs, turn the kofta balls so the bottom side is up and repeat the same. The second side will take a lot less time, so be careful.
• Alternatively, you can deep fry the kofta balls in oil.

Bringing the kofta ball and the gravy together

About 10-15 minutes before serving add the hot gravy to the kofta balls. Garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro and chopped mint.

Serving Suggestion:This goes very well with paratha, chapathi, puri, rice, fried rice etc.

For the chinese rice noodles

Software
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• Rice noodles, one half package
• 2-3 springs of green onions, chopped
• 2-3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp blackpepper
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of sesame seed oil
• 1 tsp of any oil for the noodles

Hardware
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• Sauce pan to boil the noodles
• Colander
• Non-stick fry pan

Method
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• Heat water in the sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Add the salt and the drop the noodles. Add the 1 tsp of oil. Check for doneness after about a couple of minutes because they cook very quickly. I cannot emphasize this enough :).
• After the noodles are done, quickly drain them in a colander and rinse under cold water and drain. Fluff up the noodles, so they don't clump together. Drain completely.
• Heat the skillet and put the 1 tbsp of sesame oil. Add the eggs and scramble them. Add the black pepper, soy sauce and half of the green onions.
• Add the noodles and stir fry until the noodles are heated through completely.

To Serve
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Plate up some noodles and add the malai kofta curry on top. Garnish with left over green onions.

Tips and Suggestions: If you do not have the sesame seed oil, just add any oil that you own. I love the sesame seed oil flavor in Chinese cooking.