Aloo Paneer Kofta is a melt-in-the-mouth vegetarian kofta dish from Indian cuisine that combines mashed potatoes (aloo) and Indian cottage cheese (paneer) to form crispy kofta balls, served in a creamy gravy. A comforting alternative to minced meat koftas, this dish is often featured in festive spreads, Indian restaurants, or homemade celebrations.
The literal translation of this dish is "potato and paneer dumplings in sauce" Whether youāre familiar with the classic malai kofta recipe or trying something new like lauki kofta, this paneer kofta curry recipe delivers restaurant-style richness with homemade comfort. Make a paneer tikka for a starter and Dunk the remaining paneer cubes in gravy to make paneer tikka masala. If you are looking at keto vegetarian recipes, keto paneer tikka or air fryer paneer is a great option. For dhaba style curries, kadai paneer, shahi paneer, palak paneer, paneer butter masala.
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Air fryer paneer kofta video recipe
Ingredients
For paneer kofta balls
- crumbled paneer / grated paneer
- boiled potatoes
- Cooked quinoa/ little millet / poha / sama
- olive oil / ghee for brushing
- chopped coriander leaves
- chopped ginger
- salt and black pepper
For gravy:
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Ginger paste
- Green chillies (optional)
- Cashews
- Turmeric powder
- Coriander powder
- Red chili powder (adjust according to taste)
- Dried fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi
- Salt as per taste
- Cream / Coconut milk
- Oil
See recipe card for quantities.
Related recipes
Instructions
Combine all ingredients (except the oil) into a large bowl and mix thoroughly into mashed potatoes and crumbled paneer.
Mix together to make a dough in a mixing bowl.
Use small portions and shape them into paneer balls on the tray lined with parchment paper. Keep them in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
You can also cover them and freeze them for later use.
Preheat the air fryer at 180 deg C| 355 deg F for 5 minutes
Place the paneer tikki in a single layer in the air fryer basket lined with a parchment paper.Brush them with oil.
Hint: Always preheat your air fryer like an oven for best results.
How to make paneer kofta gravy?
You can use store-bought curry or gravy packets, or prepare the curry base from scratch.
The process is simple: sautƩ onions and tomatoes with spices, add cashews and coconut milk, then blend the mixture until smooth. Once the gravy is ready, add the kofta balls.
You can follow the detailed steps in our Vegan Chana Korma recipe. Here's a quick overview:
- SautƩ onions, ginger, tomatoes, and cashews with spices, then add coconut milk. Blend the mixture with water until smooth, adjusting the water to reach your preferred consistency.
2. Boil the curry base , add kofta balls, simmer for few minutes., and serve hot with rice or flatbread.
Paneer kofta recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer for low oil version
- potato masher
- food processor (optional)
Ingredients
- 250 gm potatoes /2 cup boiled and peeled
- 200 gm paneer / 2 cup crumbled
- Ā¼ cup lentil flour red lentil flour is best or use besan(chickpea flour)
- 2 tbsp. ginger chopped
- 1 tbsp. salt
- Ā½ tablespoon dried mint
Kofta gravy
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1-Ā½ cup tomatoes chopped
- 4-5 cashews
- 3 tablespoon oil for curry Adjust if reqd
- Ā½ teaspoon turmeric powder /haldi
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder /dhania powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or as per taste
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves /kasuri methi optional
- Salt as per taste
- 2-3 tablespoon coconut cream can be replaced with dairy based cream if you prefer for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (except the oil) into a large bowl and mix thoroughly into mashed potatoes and crumbled paneer.250 gm potatoes, 200 gm paneer, Ā¼ cup lentil flour, 2 tbsp. ginger, 1 tbsp. salt, Ā½ tablespoon dried mint
- Use small portions and shape them into kofte on the tray lined with parchment paper. Keep them in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the air fryer at 180 deg C| 355 deg F for 5 minutesPlace the paneer kofta in a single layer in the air fryer basket lined with a parchment paper.Brush them with oil.
- Cook them for 12 minutes. Carefully flip them over (you may remove the parchment paper now) remove parchment paper later
- Brush with oil and cook them for further 8-10 minutes. Serve golden brown paneer potato kofta in your curry sauce.
For the curry:
- Heat oil in a pan. Add onions & ginger to it.1 cup onion chopped, 1 tablespoon ginger, 3 tablespoon oil for curry
- Cover and cook for 2 minutes until soft.
- Add chopped tomatoes, spices and salt. Cook till tomatoes soften, mixing with a spatula.1-Ā½ cup tomatoes chopped, Ā½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, Salt as per taste
- Turn off the heat, add cashews with 1 cup water4-5 cashews
- Blend the curry base. Pass it through sieve.
- Cook the gravy in a pan, along with spices and coconut milk.2-3 tablespoon coconut cream can be replaced with dairy based cream if you prefer for garnish, 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
- Add the koftas. Garnish with coriander.
- Serve paneer kofta with rice or roti or any flat bread.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Substitutions
There are many ways you can make this.
- You can air fry them or bake them in a preheated oven if you want to avoid deep fried food.
- You can shallow fry them in hot oil or ghee in a cast iron skillet. You can also deep fry them in a kadai / wok / appe pan / paniyaram pan.
- Vegetarian - You can fry them in ghee or spread some ghee while air frying.
- Vegan - Use crumbled tofu instead of paneer and fry them in olive oil.
- You can also stuff chopped cashew nuts and raisins in the kofta stuffing.
- You can also add a spoonful of kasoori methi in the end for extra flavor.
Variations
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes or green chilies to it. Serve it with a spicy mint coriander chutney
- Deluxe - Malai kofta curry works great as an option for kids. Use fresh cream for malai gravy.
Storage
Store the left over paneer aloo kofta in refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze uncooked kofte in a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover them with a cling film or baking sheet for best results.
Top tip
Always preheat your air fryer like an oven after remaining the leftovers of the last cook. This will ensure your food does not have a burnt smell.
FAQ
Why do my aloo kofta fell apart?
If there is too much moisture or very little binding agent it will break. Also, if you are frying it, ensure you fry it in hot oil on a medium-high flame.
Conclusion:
Celebrate special occasions with delicious paneer recipes like paneer kofta which has a delicious kofta dunked in a creamy sauce. This recipe goes well with jeera rice, butter naan and even tandoori roti.
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