Chickpea Paneer Kofta in a Creamy Cashew Tomato Sauce

Often when I have a day off from work with nothing particularly pressing to attend to, I spend the afternoon in the kitchen cooking up a special treat for dinner. Not only is it a good way to burn off stress, the result is a particularly satisfying and delectable meal. I'm a modest gal, but honestly, if a local restaurant served this spicy combo, I'd spend way too much money eating out and much less time in my own kitchen. Truth be told, warm sunny days tempt me away from the kitchen besides.

Somewhat like a falafel, these baked koftas are roughly based on these Spicy Chickpea Kofta that have always been enjoyed by anyone I've served them to. I added paneer this time, along with eggs, and served them smothered in an heavenly cashew tomato sauce. I'll be thinking of more uses for this winning sauce in future.

Serve with rice and a side vegetable dish to complete the culinary experience.

Chickpea Paneer Kofta in a Creamy Cashew Tomato Sauce

For the kofta:

1/2 cup of dried chickpeas
1 large potato, cooked
400 grams of paneer cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 red chilies, chopped
2 green chilies, chopped
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida
1 - 2 teaspoons of sea salt
1/3 cup of fresh coriander, chopped
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
sesame oil

For the tomato sauce:

2 tablespoons of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
2 - 3 red and green chilies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
4 large tomatoes, finely choppped
1 cup of dry roasted cashews, cut into pieces
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
2 - 3 tablespoons of cream

To make the kofta:

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Drain, transfer to a medium pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender - roughly 1 hour. Drain and transfer to a food processor. Process the chickpeas until they resemble coarse crumbs.

Mash the cooked potato together with the paneer. Add to the chickpeas in the food processor, along with the ground coriander, paprika, ground cumin, cayenne, turmeric, asafetida, chilies, egg, coriander leaves and salt. Process until well combined and the mixture resembles a smooth dough. Transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Stir in the sesame seeds and the whole wheat flour. Rub your hands with some sesame oil and shape into small patties. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheat 350 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove the koftas from the oven, flip, and brush the tops with a bit of oil. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.

To make the sauce:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown. Now add the garlic, ginger, chilies, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and paprika to the pan. Stir and fry for a minute or two.

Next add the tomatoes, cashews and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 20 - 30 minutes until you have a thick sauce. Puree the sauce with a hand blender or in a food processor. Add the cream, salt and garam masala and cook over low heat until warmed throughout.

Spoon some sauce over each serving of koftas.

Makes roughly 20 koftas and 3 - 4 cups of sauce. Serves 4 - 6.

This is contribution to "My Favorite Things" event, started by Bindya and hosted this time by Poornima. The theme is cheese, and I know cheese is certainly one of my favorite foods.