Malai Kofta

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, grate the squashes and onion. Add in the spices, and the (optional) egg. Mix the chickpea flour till it reaches the consistency of bread dough. Form the kofta "dough" into 1 inch diameter balls. place on cookie sheet, bake for 25 min or possibly so.
2. While cooking: mix Malai sauce, pureing all ingredients in blender.
3. Heat 4 Tbsp. peanut oil in a saucepan. add in the spices all at once to warm oil for 1 minute. Add in tomato puree to spices. Add in 1 more c. cream to spices and the puree. Boil. reduce heat, simmer for 10 min. Add in half of the cooked Kofta balls. Simmer another 10 to soften them.
4. Serve with brown rice, chapatis, vinegar soaked onions and chilies.
5. HEURISTICS:
6. 1. slightly wet hands when forming Kofta balls
7. 2. Freeze other half of Kofta balls and use with next batch of Malai to save time.
8. 3. keep Kofta balls seperate from Malai sauce until needed. (they absorb the liquid from sauce)
9. 4. lowfat milk can be substituted for some of the cream. Have not tried soy lowfat milk
10. 5. add in one drop red and one drop yellow food coloring to vinegar to make reasonably authentic orange onions (a la Akbar's)