Monday, May 13, 2013

Cooking with Canola Oil - Paneer Koftas

Ooh how I love hosting friends and showing off my culinary skills (ahem) -- yes I do, I really really do :) all the dainty crockery clamoring for attention get their spot in the sun and the the hearth sees a buzz of activities . And then I cook some magic {if i say so myself} like these hot looking koftas



The koftas are paneer/cottage cheese balls ensconced in a potato shell and deep fried. To complement it, a red gravy spiced just right upped the ante. What made these koftas even more tastier was that they were deep fried in Canola Oil.  

Sometime back I received a mail from a representative of Dalmia Continental, asking me if I would be interested in reviewing a sample of their latest offering – Hudson Canola Oil. I jumped at the offer despite a hectic schedule and the reason was Canola. Having heard a lot of good things about the oil I was looking forward to use the same in my kitchen. Canola Oil, made from rapeseed plant or field mustard is a vegetable oil and seems to be catching people’s fancy in India. Already popular in the US, Canada and Australia this oil is good for the heart as it is low in saturated fats and high in mono unsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids.
This oil is especially good for cooking. 







Hudson Canola is brought to you by Dalmia Continental, owners of Leonardo Olive Oil. The best thing I loved about the oil is that there is no change in the original flavour of food. And as it has the highest smoking point compared to other oils it is relatively safer and healthier for deep frying. Indian food rocks with canola oil and fried stuff tastes delightful.  Though while deep frying these beauties we were distinctly reminded of the smell of mustard oil, the final product was devoid of any smell and was very tasty.







What's in it :-



For the Kofta :- {makes about 15 koftas}

Outer Cover---

  • Potato - 3 (large) - boiled and peeled
  • All Purpose Flour - 3 to 4 tbsp
  • Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
  • Canola Oil - 2 tbsp (for blending)
For the Paneer (Cottage Cheese) stuffing:- 
  • Paneer - 200 grams (grated)
  • Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp - to taste
  • Salt - to taste
  • Nigella Seeds - 1 tbsp
  • Carom Seeds/Ajwain - 1 tbsp
  • Coriander leaves - from a few sprigs - finely chopped
  • Mint Leaves - from 2 to 3 sprigs - finely chopped
  • Cashew nuts and Raisins - a fistful
For the red gravy :-

The paste----
  • Onion - 4 large
  • Tomato - 3 large
  • Coriander leaves - leaves from a few sprigs
  • Mint leaves - leaves from a  few sprigs
The Gravy ----
  • Canola Oil - 1 tbsp
  • Butter - 1 tbsp
  • Ghee - 1 tbsp
  • Saunf (Fennel Seeds) - 1 tsp
  • Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1 tsp
  • Kasoori Methi Leaves (Dried Fenugreek) - 1 tsp
  • Milk - 250 ml
  • Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp
  • Dried Mango(Aamchur) Powder - 1 tsp
  • Pav Baji Masala - 1 tsp
  • Chole Masala - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt - to taste
  • Paste from above
For Deep Frying
  • Canola Oil - as required
Here's How :-



For the Outer Cover & the Paneer balls ----

Mash the boiled potatoes well and tip in the all purpose flour and corn flour. Mix well and finally add the oil to blend it in to a fine dough for the outer cover/shell of the kofta. 
The panner balls are a breezy preparation - just add all the ingredients mentioned in red in to a bowl and mix well. Take a small quantity of the mixture and shape it into a ball for the stuffing.


Take a small quantity of the potato dough and make a small depression in the middle. Place the paneer ball in it and shape it into a fine ball. Repeat till all the potato and paneer dough are finished. The koftas are ready to be dropped into a pan of simmering hot oil and fried till they are red hot and shiny crispy beauties.



For the gravy :-


Grind all the ingredients for the paste finely. In a pan add oil, butter and ghee. As it becomes warm, tip in fennel seeds, cumin seeds and the dried fenugreek leaves. Cook this for about 30 seconds and tip in 50% of the milk and allow it to boil. Tip in the ground paste and cook for a few minutes. Add the other spices and cook till the rawness evaporates. Finally add the remaining milk, let it cook and then season to taste.




Finally place the koftas in to a serving dish and liberally pour the gravy all over. Serve after a garnish of coriander leaves and/or cashew nuts. Needless to say the koftas with phulkas (or any other bread for that  matter of fact) was a stunning hit of the day. Let me leave you with one more click---


E.N.J.O.Y

24 comments:

  1. Delicious and lovely looking koftas. Wonderfully prepared.
    Deepa

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  2. Yummilicious kofta curry, Well presented, nice clicks and good write up :)

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  3. Husband has been wanting to try out Canola Oil. Howz it? Looks great.
    And the koftas look absolutely yum!

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  4. yummy kofta curry :) tempting me dear !!

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  5. creamy deliciousness in a bowl. Lovely curry PS. And what s in the background? Kulchas?

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  6. oh tell me about it, i too love to show off..and those roties and panner kofta looks amazing girl!

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  7. looks creamy and tempting kofta

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  8. OMG ! Its tempting me badly...

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  9. gorgeous kofta, Priya..I am now tempted to try this paneer version, we so love kofta curry at home, as well as canola oil :-)

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  10. Very nice recipe Priya! I am sure they will taste just as great as a party appetizer no? I have eaten them at a party & loved them!

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  11. the koftas look so creamy and melt in mouth. Todays post : http://nayanas-kitchen-kreations.blogspot.in/2013/05/dhokar-dalna-snc-challenge.html

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  12. Yammy while see this ponda curry watering in my mouth yaar..very very tasty post :)

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  13. Lovely presentation!Never tried cooking with canola oil.Will try this one!

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  16. The gravy looks stunning and the fried koftas are less greasy than the usual!!

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  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  18. Lovely clicks and the gravy looks so rich and inviting. :)

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  19. Looks Scrumptious, Delicious, lovely and all that words from the category. These pictures makes me hungry. Between thanks for sharing the recipe with us.

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