Malai Kofta

Malai kofta is fried paneer-and-potato dumplings served in a rich, creamy cashew-tomato sauce. It is a vegetarian centrepiece built to rival any meat curry on the table, and it's rarely treated as a lesser option on a menu built around meat.

What it really is

Grated paneer and mashed potato are worked together into a smooth dough, sometimes with a few raisins or nuts tucked into the centre of each piece, then shaped into balls and deep-fried until golden. The koftas are added to a sauce built the same rich, cashew-and-cream way as shahi paneer, simmered only briefly at the end so the fried shell doesn't fully dissolve into the sauce before it reaches the table.

The koftas are added at the very last moment. Left to sit in the hot sauce too long, they soak up liquid and lose the shape and the slight textural contrast between the crisp fried edge and the soft interior.

How it is served

• Two or three koftas per portion, sauce spooned generously over the top.
• With naan or steamed rice.
• As the vegetarian main on a menu otherwise built around meat curries, not as an afterthought.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the dairy and the cashews plainly.
• It is naturally vegetarian; say if a vegan version replacing paneer with a firmer tofu-based kofta is available.
• Say if the koftas are fried to order, since a batch fried ahead and reheated softens noticeably in the sauce.

The ingredients, allergens and dietary notes listed here describe a typical recipe. They are not a binding declaration for any particular restaurant: recipes, portion sizes and the products used can differ.