Malai Kofta - Meatless Meatballs in Creamy Indian Sauce

Malai Kofta is a traditional recipe gets a makeover by using frozen meatless meatballs. Same rich and flavorful Indian spiced sauce but half the work.

Malai kofta, literally translates into meatballs in a creamy sauce. I have grown up eating meatless malai kofta which had koftas actually made of a mixture of potatoes, paneer, carrots and peas. My mom makes a killer meatless malai kofta and I have myself perfected the recipe as well. The key to this recipe is the tomato based sauce that is slightly sweet due to addition of honey or sugar but at the same time maintains the depth and flavor of rich, aromatic spices.

Jump to Recipe

You know that we are not a very big meat eating family. Our meals are mostly vegetarian with a balanced nutritious value. So when I heard about an opportunity to celebrate Earth Day with Gardein to highlight their meatless options, I wad excited to be a part of it. Being a part of the Meatless Monday team, I feel honored to share this recipe of malai kofta using Gardein Meatless Meatballs.

Earth Day

Though there is no doubt in my mind that as responsible citizens of this planet, we should consider everyday Earth Day, but a day specially recognized and set aside to celebrate everything about out beautiful planet deserves attention and respect. Study after study has shown how commercial production of meat is harming our environment. I have friends who are cattle ranchers and farmers and they have an exactly opposing thought process. I am still trying to figure out and research more this topic before reaching my conclusions.

Giving up meat one day a week should not be life changing for anybody though it can significantly help our environment. There are many other ways we can help our environment and earth along with giving up meat for just one day a week. It does not have to be a Monday if you think it is asking too much out of the first day of the week..ha ha.

Recycling and reusing is the most obvious and easiest way of helping our environment. Other things that we do as a family include using glass straws" target="_blank">glass straws instead of the use and throw ones, reusable grocery bags, and refusing one time use plastics wherever possible. Some of the other activities are growing your own produce - whatever the weather in your are permits. It is a great family activity and nothing beats the taste of fresh, off the garden fruits and vegetables. We also support our local farmer's markets and shop local.

Recycling and reusing is the most obvious and easiest way of helping our environment. Other things that we do as a family include using glass straws" target="_blank">glass straws instead of the use and throw ones, reusable grocery bags, and refusing one time use plastics wherever possible. Some of the other activities are growing your own produce - whatever the weather in your are permits. It is a great family activity and nothing beats the taste of fresh, off the garden fruits and vegetables. We also support our local farmer's markets and shop local.

There are many other ways to support your environment and planet. It does not have to be complicated and anything major. Small, thoughtful steps make an impact. So do not wait, just spring into action! Make this meatless meatball malai kofta as a teeny tiny step towards celebrating Earth Day.

Recipe Run Down

This is my version of malai kofta and some purists might not agree with it. But this is how I roll...lol. I have adapted a traditional malai kofta recipe to the spices and ingredients easily available in the United States. It is important to choose the right cooking pot or pan. The gravy/sauce will cook for a long time until all the moisture is absorbed. So choose a heavy bottomed pan that distributes the heat evenly - non-stick or traditional is your preference.

The sauce begins with whole spices like cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and aromatics like ginger garlic and onion. I always use fresh tomatoes and puree them in the blender to add to the onion masala, but if canned tomatoes are your thing, feel free to use them. After the onion tomato masala is bhoonoed (in other words all the moisture has cooked off), add heavy cream while stirring continuously. Make a silky sauce/gravy by adding milk and some water. Add the frozen meatless meatballs and cook for 10-15 minutes. Finish with garam masala and kasoori methi. You have a keeper on your hands!

Here is a handy dandy printable:

I hope you will give this recipe a try on this Earth day to cut out some meat without compromising on texture and taste of the meatballs. If you have other ways of celebrating Earth day or helping the environment, please feel free to leave it in comments below.

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Mutter Paneer

Love - Vaishali.