Paneer and Vegetable Kofta Curry / Cottage cheese and Vegetable Dumplings in Tomato Sauce

This recipe is dedicated to all my friends. Thanks a lot for keeping my spirits high and encouraging me to blog more :)
Kofta is one of my favorite indian vegetarian dishes but I dont make it that often because it involves deep frying.
Here is an interesting fact that I would like to share with this recipe: Deep frying absorbs less fat than shallow frying. Want to know why?  Here is the answer:
Cooler fat will absorb into fried foods more than fat kept at a good, steady 375 degrees. A deeper container of hot grease will retain it's temperature even with the introduction of cooler food items- just like a cast iron pot will stay hotter when cooler products are added than a thin aluminum pot of similar dimensions.

Ingredients

For the Kofta
3/4 C - Carrots, chopped
3/4 C - Cauliflower
3/4 C - Broccoli
1/2 C - Green Peas
12 Oz / 325gm / 2 Medium sized - Potato
1/2 C - Paneer shredded
1 Slice - Bread
3/4 Tsp - Jeera powder / Cumin Powder
3 to 4 Tbsp - Corn flour (*Refer Notes)
Cilantro
Salt
Oil for frying

For Gravy
2 1/4 C - Tomato, chopped
5 - Garlic, chopped
1/2 inch - Ginger, chopped
1 C - Red onion, chooped
1/2 Tsp - Red chilly powder
1/2 Tsp - Garam Masala
1.2 Tsp - Pepper
2 Tsp - Corn Starch
1 C - Whole Milk
Dollop of sour cream (optional)
Salt
Cilantro for garnish
Oil or butter

Directions

To make Kofta

• Cook the potatoes in a pressure cooker. Skin them and keep aside.
• Add bread to the blender and pulse to make bread crumbs.
• Bring water to a boil in a steamer and then add carrots, chopped cauliflower, broccoli and green peas. Steam for 12- 15 minutes.
• Take a bowl and add the cooked potatoes, carrots, chopped cauliflower, broccoli and green peas and mash them into a coarse lumpy mixture.
• Add shredded paneer, salt, jeera powder, bread crumbs, cilantro and corn flour and mix well.
• Make golf ball sized Kofta out of this mixture
• To deep fry the Kofta, add oil to a Kadai or Wok and heat before you drop them into the oil. Fry until golden brown.
• Drain on a paper towel.

To make the gravy

• Add oil or butter to the pan and add onion, ginger and garlic. Saute until golden brown. Add chilly powder, garam masala, pepper and saute for 2 mintues. Add tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. Take the pan off the fire and let the mixture cool slightly.
• Transfer the above mixture to a blender to make a smooth sauce.
• Transfer the sauce from the blender to the pan. Add boiled milk. Bring this mixture to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the corn flour and add it to the boiling sauce. Mix until the gravy has thickened.
• Add the kofta balls to the gravy and garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve hot with Roti, Naan, Chappati, Rice or Pulav.

 Notes and Tips

• Fry a single Kofta first to make sure that the consistency is right. If the Kofta cracks while frying, it implies that you need to add more corn flour to your kofta mixture.
• Steaming the vegetables is preferred to boiling them, to get the correct Kofta consistency, as steaming reduces the water content in the vegetables. 
• You can add a dollop of butter on the dish before serving
• Add 3-4 Tablespoons of heavy cream to make it rich.