Air Fryer Vegan Malai Kofta
This famous Indian dish gets a twist: We use tofu to replace the paneer cheese, pistachios, and almond butter to replace cashews, and as for the tomato curry sauce, we use dried tomatoes instead of fresh ones. Baking the Malai Kofta in an air fryer makes a delicious dish at the level of deep frying without health damage. Serve the Malai Kofta lukewarm or at room temperature. Accompany the dish with chapati to get a perfect and satisfying Indian meal.
Ingredients
25 - 28 Koftas
Kofta
- 3 medium potatoes 650-700 grams
- 300 gram tofu
- ¼ cup amaranth flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 4 Tablespoon canola oil
- 3 Tablespoon coriander leaves, finely chopped
- ¾ tsp salt by taste
- ¼ tsp chili flakes by taste
- ⅛ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼-½ tsp garam masala by taste
Kofta Filling
- raisins, cranberries, or golden berries, as the amount of koftas
- roasted and salted pistachios as the amount of koftas
Tomato Curry Sauce
Tomato Onion Puree
- 2 Tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 3 minced garlic
- 100 gram sundried tomatoes
- 1½ cups boiling water to soak the dried tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoon almond butter
Curry
- ½ cup (water (from which we soaked the tomatoes add gradually, as necessary
- 1 bay leave
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp salt by taste
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ cup oat milk of coconut milk
- 1 tsp chopped fenugreek leaves kasuri methi
For Serving
- Coriander leaves, chopped
Instructions
Kofta
- Peel the potatoes, slice them, put in a pot, cover with water, add salt, bring to a boil and cook until soft.
- Filter and leave in a colander over a bowl to drain completely.
- Drain the tofu from the liquid, and press it lightly to squeeze out more liquid; Crumble the tofu into a bowl.
- In a mixing bowl, mash the potatoes well until there are no lumps. Add the crumbled tofu and mix well.
- Add almond butter and oil and mix well. Add chopped coriander leaves, ground chili, cumin, turmeric, garam masala and salt.
- Add amaranth flour and cornstarch and mix well to form a soft dough.
- Oil your hands and make dumplings in the shape of balls with a diameter of about 3 cm (1.2 inches). Make a dimple in each dumpling with your finger and press in one pistachio and raisin. Close the dumpling with your fingers and, gently roll it again into a ball with your palms, place it on a plate.
- Heat the air fryer to 180 degrees Celsius (356 F) for 20 minutes. To bake in the oven - see the note below.
- Add the kofta to the basket - 5-7 units at a time.
- Fry until the koftas are nicely golden - if necessary, add a few more minutes. Keep aside.
Tomato Onion Puree
- Put the dried tomatoes in a bowl and add a cup and a half of boiling water until the tomatoes are covered. Cover the bowl - leave for about ten minutes. Drain, but keep the water. We will use them later.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and fry the onion until it becomes translucent.
- Add crushed garlic and ginger and fry while stirring until the onion turns golden.
- Add the dried and drained tomatoes and saute together for about a minute.
- Add almond butter and mix well; add 1/2-3/4 cup of the tomato soaking water and mix well; remove from the heat and let cool completely.
- Transfer to the blender and process to a smooth paste; Add water if necessary. Set aside.
Curry
- Place a wok or a wide pan on medium heat, pour the tomato and onion puree, and stir for a few seconds.
- Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk or oat milk and mix well.
- Gradually add 1/4 - 1/2 cup from the water you soaked the dried tomatoes while stirring until you get the desired thickness.
- Add salt, bay leaf, chili flakes, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, and a quarter teaspoon of garam masala. Mix well and bring to a boil; Lower the heat and add the dried fenugreek leaves. Mix well and remove from heat.
For Serving
- Pour the sauce on a serving plate and place the koftas on top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or coriander leaves and serve.
Notes
You can make the kofta in the oven; in this case, we will get patties that are soft on the inside with a crispy and thick crust on the outside:
- Heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (374 F).
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and spray or brush it with oil.
- Place the koftas 2-3 cm apart
- Brush or spray the top of the kofta with natural oil.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden.
- Turn over and bake for another twenty minutes until nicely golden.
- Remove from the oven and wait 3-5 minutes before removing the koftas from the pan.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!