First time I saw a bay leaf plant was when I went visiting a friend’s house. It was a young plant, I plucked a leaf crushed a little and the aroma and fragrance was unbelievable. The fragrance of Indian Bay leaf or malabathrum is somewhat similar to cinnamon bark but slightly milder. Bay leaves are used as whole in cooking.
Benefits of Bay leaf are they are good for treatment of diabetes, good for digestion, helps to treat kidney stones, has anti cancer properties, has anti inflammatory properties and are great insect repellent.
In this recipe boiled mashed potato stuffed with paneer and little cheese is shallow fried and served in onion tomato sauce. I have used slightly dried bay leaf, the aroma and fragrance was amazing.
INGREDIENTS
FOR MAKING KOFTAS
Paneer 2 tbsp
Boiled Potato medium 2
Cheese single 1
Corn flour 2 tbsp
Refined oil for frying
Salt to taste
FOR THE GRAVY
Tomato medium 4
Onion 2
Ginger 2 inch piece
Garlic (Indian) 7-8
Cloves 4
Cinnamon 2 inch stick
Cardamom 2
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Green chillies 2-3 according to taste
Bay leaf 1
Cashew nuts 2 tbsp
kasuri methi 1 tsp
Fresh cream 1 tbsp
Refined oil 2 -3 tsp
Salt to taste
METHOD
First we prepare all the paste one by one. Cut and blend the onion in a blender and keep it aside. Make ginger and garlic paste keep it aside. Blend the tomatoes and keep it aside. In half cup water soak the cashews, after 15 minutes blend it and keep it aside
Mash the potatoes nicely without lumps and add 1 tbsp cornflour, salt and mix it well. This helps to bind the potatoes while frying. Divide it into balls. I have made 9 potato balls. Crumble the paneer and cut the cheese singles in 9 parts.
Make a depression with your thumb and fill 1 tsp of crumbled paneer and one part of the cheese single and roll back the ball. Repeat the same with other balls. Roll and coat all the potato balls in cornflour.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan shallow or deep fry the potato balls gently in the oil. Test with one. Fry in batches. When they turn golden brown drain excess oil in a kitchen towel.
Heat a deep frying pan add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and cardamom. Saute for a minute on low flame add the onion paste and saute till it changes to brown colour. Add garlic ginger paste, green chillies and saute till raw smell of garlic disappears. Add turmeric powder saute for a second.
Add the tomato puree and cook till tomato puree becomes thick and oil starts leaving sides. Add cashew paste, crushed kasuri methi and add enough water for medium gravy consistency and simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add Salt to taste. Turn off the heat when the gravy becomes thick, smooth and slightly thick.
Garnish it with fresh cream.
Add the koftas into the gravy while serving or keep the koftas in the plate and pour the gravy on top. Serve with roti/naan/rice.
Note
- Add corn flour and mix with potatoes when making koftas. Deep fry by testing one. If the potatoes break you have to add more cornflour.
- While serving add the koftas into the gravy or they will break.
- To make paneer you can learn from http://ahaaafood.com/cottage-cheese/
