Vegan Malai Kofta (Indian Dumplings in Creamy Tomato Curry)
Potato-veggie-tofu dumplings baked crisp and drenched in a creamy tomato-cashew sauce, best served with naan or brown rice.
Equipment
- oven
- stove
- food processor or high-speed blender
Ingredients
Kofta/Dumpling Ingredients
- 1 pound yukon gold or yellow potatoes
- 1-2 carrots 1 cup
- 16 ounces firm or extra firm tofu drained
- 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup hemp hearts shelled hemp seeds or cashews*
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ fresh lemon squeezed (1 Tbsp lemon juice)
- 1 Tbsp garam masala
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ - ½ tsp salt optional
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup panko crumbs optional
Creamy Tomato Curry
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked in hot water for 10-20 minutes*
- 1 large onion chopped
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 5-8 cloves garlic chopped (2 Tbsp)
- 2 inch nub of ginger chopped (2 Tbsp)
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp kasoori methi dried fenugreek leaves
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp kashmiri chile powder**
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp - 1 tsp cayenne pepper***
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 – 1½ cups plant milk
- salt and pepper to taste optional
- ½ fresh lemon squeezed (2 tsp lemon juice)
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ cup Easy Vegan Sour Cream or Yogurt (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, pour hot water over the ½ cup of cashews for the sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan or small pot, bring water to boil. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes and carrots. Boil for about 6-8 minutes, until almost fork tender. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the cooked potatoes and carrots a few times until minced. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Back in the food processor, pulse the hemp hearts or dry cashews a few times until finely chopped. Add in the tofu and peas and process until almost smooth. The mixture consistency should resemble ricotta. Transfer to the bowl with the processed potatoes and carrots. Stir in the minced cilantro, lemon juice, garam masala, nutritional yeast, and cornstarch (or tapioca starch) and pepper. Mix together with your hands or a large spoon until a nice dough forms. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings and salt, if using, to taste. Shape the dough into 1 to 1½ inch balls.
- Roll the balls into panko crumbs, if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, until golden. Alternatively, use an air fryer or convection oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
- Meanwhile, prep the sauce by sautéing the onion, cumin seed, garlic, and ginger in a large skillet over low to medium-low heat, until onion is translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add vegetable broth, water, or a little oil, to prevent sticking, as needed. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the soaked cashews. Blend the rinsed cashews, plant milk, tomatoes, sautéed onion-garlic-ginger mixture together in a high-powered blender (or food processor) until very smooth. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender in the skillet or pot.
- Back in the skillet, heat the kasoori methi, garam masala, ground turmeric, kashmiri chile powder, ground coriander, black pepper, and cayenne for 20-30 seconds. Immediately pour in the blended cashew-tomato sauce, along with the maple syrup. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the fresh lemon juice, and cilantro. Adjust seasonings to taste. Remove from heat.
- Serve the Creamy Curry Sauce over the Baked Kofta, along with steamed rice and fresh naan or roti. Garnish with a little Easy Vegan Sour Cream or Yogurt and chopped cilantro, if desired.
Notes
* I like using hemp hearts in the kofta and soaked cashews in the curry sauce, though cashews will provide the most neutral flavor. If you use cashews, please note that there are two sets of raw cashews in this recipe – ¼ cup dry raw cashews to make the kofta and ½ cup soaked raw cashews to make the creamy tomato curry sauce.
** Kashmiri chile powder is an Indian spice that adds great flavor, rich color, and a mild heat to this dish.
*** If you enjoy spicy food, amp up the cayenne. Otherwise, start with ¼ teaspoon and add more, if desired. I use ½ teaspoon.
- Alternatively, if you don’t have a food processor, mash the potatoes and carrots with a potato masher; finely chop the cashews and peas; and crumble the tofu with your fingers.
- These koftas taste best fresh but you can make them and the sauce 1-2 days in advance. Simply store in the refrigerator separately. It’s important that the kofta is added to the curry right before serving. If you add the kofta to the curry sauce in advance, they may get soft.