Malai Kofta

A lip-smacking and charismatic savoury, the Malai Kofta is nothing short of a star in an exquisite vegetarian buffet. The rich, creamy and silky-smooth textured gravy is made with a fusion of tomato puree, onion and ginger-garlic paste, cooked in an array of spices and generously topped with malai (cream) or sometimes condensed coconut milk.

The Koftas or round vegetable dumplings are shaped to the likeness of meatballs, prepared using paneer (cottage cheese) and grated boiled potatoes with crushed cashews and chopped raisins. These veggie balls are then fried till golden brown and folded in with the curry. In some variants, the paneer is replaced by other vegetables like unripe bananas, sweet potatoes, or gourd, and is generally accompanied by Naan (Indian bread) or steamed rice. Quirky sides like Lemon Rice, Paratha or Jeera Rice too can be paired with it.

This eminent vegetarian dish, however, lacks an authentic historical base due to a dearth of factual information to trace down its origin. What can be loosely conjectured is its connection to the Mughal kitchen, a dish popular amongst the royals, thus, linking it to the Indian subcontinent. In earlier years this dish played an integral role across different regions in Asia and has since then held onto its fame. With a multitude of expensive ingredients that go into its preparation and the richness of this savoury, the Malai Kofta is generally kept for special occasions.

Etymologically, the word Kofta has been derived from the Classical Persian word ‘koftah’, which meant pounded meat. Though Malai Kofta is essentially a vegetarian dish, authentic Kofta consists of ground meat, rolled into mid-sized balls and glazed with egg yolk and saffron. Precursors to meatballs, mentions of the Kofta can be found in numerous ancient texts of Arabia, radiating its influence along the trade routes to Greece, Spain and North Africa.

Different regions added their own touch and a much-localised name, like kofta by Indians, Kefta by Lebanese, Kibbeh in the Middle East or Keftes in Greece. It can therefore be inferred that Indians took up the Kofta, and added cottage cheese and abundantly available vegetables instead of meat, resulting in the spectacular creation of the vegetarian Kofta, making it suitable for consumption by India’s historically higher concentration of vegetarians. In countries like Cyprus and Greece, a vegetarian variant known as Harto Keftedes is served during the month of Lenten fasting. Eccentric spin-offs too popped up where fish and shrimps were added in the making of Kofta in parts of Bengal, Southern India and along the Persian Gulf.