Vegan Malai Kofta

Ingredients

 Servings : 6-8

• 450g of firm tofu

• 340g of cooked sweet potato

• 40g of tapioca starch

• 1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger

• 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped

• 1/2 an onion

• 1 teaspoon garam masala

• 1 teaspoon of cumin

• sea salt

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

• 1 large yellow onion

• 1 green chili deseeded and chopped

• 1 ½ tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 1 tsp of cumin seeds

• 1 cinnamon stick

• ½ tsp of fenugreek

• 1 tsp of garam masala

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 480-500g of chopped canned tomatoes

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes and drained

• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

• 300 ml of soya milk

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• salt and pepper

Instructions 

For the sauce :

1. Heat the coconut oil or oil of choice in a large pan over medium high heat. Once melted and hot, add ginger, onion garlic and chili with a little salt. Sauté for 45-60 seconds or until very fragrant, tossing frequently to prevent burning.

2. Add all the spices and sauté for another 45-60 seconds.

3. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the cashews Simmer for 15 minutes, opening the pot to stir occasionally, until the liquid has mostly evaporated.

4. Remove the cinnamon stick. Transfer the mixture to a high-powered blender or use a hand mixer and add the lemon juice and plant-based milk. Remove the center cap from the blender lid (to vent steam), but cover the hole with a kitchen towel. Blend until the gravy is completely smooth and very creamy. If it’s too thick add a little water. Add chopped cilantro for garnish.

For the kofta :

1. Steam the sweet potatoes until the potatoes are just barely fork-tender, not too soft so around 10 minutes. You want them to be firmer than you’d use for mashed potatoes.

2. Add the tofu to the food processor and pulse many times until it looks like a crumble.

3. Once the potato are steamed add it to the tofu in the food processor as well as the rest of the ingredients. If the mixture is too soft add a little bit more starch. Knead with your hands until the dough holds together.

4. Oil your hands to prevent sticking. Roll the dough you should be able to make around 10-15 balls.

5. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Space out the rolled kofta so that there’s a bit of space between them. Brush them with oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and lightly browned on the tops and bottoms.

Serve

Heat the sauce in its pan to warm up (if not already warm). Add the Kofta and spoon the sauce over the Kofta. Garnish with additional cilantro and serve with basmati rice or naan to dip the extra sauce.