Nadru Ke Kofte – Lotus Stem Koftas
Creamy indulgent Koftas made with lotus stem and paneer in white rich cashew-based sauce. So delicious with naan or rotis, or even with some steamed rice.
If malai kofta isn’t one of your top favorite north Indian dishes, then you are missing out big time. Growing up anytime we would go out for dinner, which was not quite often but more so a luxury for our family of five. We would always order malai kofta. It was a ritual to order these and that too we would go to the same restaurant every time. There weren’t as many restaurant at that time that we frequented quite often. So options to dine out were mainly North Indian cuisine or South Indian cuisine. Malai Kofta holds a special place for our family. I still haven’t published my original malai kofta recipe.. But if you want to give it a try please check it out here.
What is Malai Kofta?
Koftas were originally introduced to India by the way of Persia or middle east and through Mughals later. Koftas usually were the meat version of meatballs either shallow fried or cooked on skewers. The vegetarian version is a made-up dish to satisfy vegetarian eaters mostly made using potatoes and paneer. Now, there are many variations of this dish. Some people use both paneer and potatoes, some make them stuffed with cashews and sultanas in the middle (my original version), and some would also add extra veggies like beans and carrots. The newer version with dried figs is our most favorite recently. I will share that recipe also.
Malai refers to cream in Hindi. So creamy, indulgent, and very rich dish. I have used no cream in this dish, though.
I have made these using lotus stem or root, instead of potatoes. I have also used some paneer and did not stuff them with the usual dry fruits. For the regular malai kofta I like to make red tomato-based gravy but for this recipe I kept it white or rather light (yellow due to use of saffron) gravy. It’s super delicious. You are in treat for this recipe.
Lotus Stem Koftas are not a new invention, just that lot of people do not know about them or have never made them. Lotus stem has many names one being Nadru in Kashmiri cuisine. It is also called kamal kakdi, bhein etc. It holds a lot of importance in Kashmiri cuisine. They make lot of dishes from Nadru.
I tried Nadru ke kofte in a restaurant in New York many years ago. I don’t really remember the taste. But since then, I wanted to experiment recreating them in my kitchen.
To make it vegan – you can make easy swaps for those two non-vegan ingredients
Paneer can be swapped for tofu or I think even cashew cheese might work. You can skip yogurt.
I have used Lotus stem that is already boiled but fresh ones can also be used. They are little tough. You can chop them in small pieces and then grate it or boil them. I used a food processor to combine lotus stem and paneer, cashews and all the rest of the ingredients. Corn starch (or substitute tapioca starch) helps absorb some of the extra moisture and binds the koftas and makes them crispy when they are fried. The seasoning in the koftas is with green chilies, tiny piece of ginger, small amount of garam masala. You can eat Koftas by itself once they are fried, they are so good. The addition of cashews in the koftas gives it such a nice nutty texture and taste.
The kofta are traditionally deep fried. The soft dumpling mixture holds its round shape well and you have a crispy outside and soft, melt in your mouth interior. Deep frying is not complicated at all, but I know how much I like to avoid it, but if you own an air-fryer then it does a great job. And does not require a lot more babysitting. I don’t have an air-fryer. You have to fry them on medium heat to avoid them from cooking the outer coating quickly and then you will have the inside undone. You must work in batches and keep a close eye on the temperature of the oil. One of these days, I want to try baking them.
The golden creamy sauce made to accompany the kofta is super easy and has the richest flavor. The sauce is made with caramelized onions and cashews, technically called white gravy. I have added cardamom powder, fennel seeds and kasuri methi and that’s what makes it a very light green gravy. I have used 2 tbsp of yogurt, but it is completely optional to make it vegan. There is no cream in this sauce, but if you want to add some you can add some cream, sour cream or coconut milk. I love how the thick sauce clings to the kofta and thickly coats them when poured overtop while serving.
Cilantro is added in the koftas as well as in the gravy for flavor. I like to add a good pinch of cardamom powder for that awesome flavor in the gravy right before its done cooking.
For final presentation, I added some bloomed saffron on top to gave it a nice color and flavor, I also garnished the koftas with some fried lotus stem chips. Pomegranate is totally optional. I wanted to give it some texture and color. My husband wanted cashews and sultanas, so I toasted them in 1 tbsp warm ghee at the very end and drizzled them on top while serving. (Not pictured)
For a very indulgent dinner serve it with some garlic naan or steamed jeera rice. You can also get creative and fill these up in pita pockets.
I hope you guys love this recipe as much as I had fun making it! It’s sure to impress anyone and no one would be able to tell if it has lotus stem or not.
Some tips –
I have used less cornstarch in binding, so make sure all the kofta ingredients do not have a lot of moisture. If you need to use more cornstarch, add 1 tbsp at a time.
While frying the koftas, add one to see it does not break down and hold its shape. Otherwise, all of them will start splitting and spoil the oil.
Add Koftas just before serving. That way they have some texture to them.
I like to store leftover koftas and sauce separately.
Lotus Stem 
Rolled Koftas 
Final dish
Nadru ke Kofte – Lotus Stem Koftas in Cashew Sauce
Ingredients
Lotus Stem Koftas
- Lotus Root Stem, 8-8.8 oz.
- ½ cup crumbled paneer
- ¼ cup cashew nuts
- 1/2 inch piece ginger
- 1-2 green chilies
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 2 tbsp corn starch + extra for rolling
- Oil to fry neutral
Cashew Onion Sauce
- 1 ¼ cup onions chopped
- ½ cup cashews soaked in water
- 1 inch ginger
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp ghee or butter
- 2 cloves
- 1 small stick cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tsp kasuri methi
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- ½ tsp saffron crushed and diluted in 2 tbsp of warm liquid
- chopped cilantro, fried lotus stem chips, pomegranate etc. for garnish
Instructions
Lotus Stem Koftas
- Pre heat oil to 350 F or until its hot enough to fry the koftas.
- If you plan on frying lotus stem chips, remove few pieces, and leave them aside.
- With the help of a food processor, pulse roughly chopped lotus stem, paneer, cashews, ginger, green chilies, garam masala, cardamom powder, salt everything together for the kofta until it is crumbled and nicely mashed. Add 2 tbsp. of corn starch and chopped cilantro too. Make sure the kofta mixture holds its shape. They should not have too much moisture.
- Take the mixture out in a plate, divide it up into equal portions. You should be able to get 8-10 koftas, depending on the size. I prefer medium sized. Roll each of them into rounds and then toss them into corn starch. Roll the rounds into cornstarch to coat on all sides.
- Once the oil is medium hot, add one kofta round and fry it. If it does not break and separate in the oil. Then proceed with rest of them and fry until golden brown on the outside. Do not speed up the process by increasing the heat. It needs to crisp up but at the same time cook inside also.
- Remove them on absorbent paper. Leave them aside. Fry the lotus stem chips if you left some for garnish.
Cashew Onion Sauce
- On medium heat in a pan, saute onions until caramelized and browned and add cashews, green chilies, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds and saute for few more minutes. Once cooked, cool it down and blend it into a paste.
- In a deep pan on medium heat, add some ghee along with whole spices like cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and sauté it for few seconds and immediately add the onion/cashew sauce. Add 1- 1 1/2 cup of water, depending on the consistency you want. Once the sauce is simmered down, add whisked yogurt, garam masala, kasuri methi leaves and cardamom powder. Turn off the heat.
- Once ready to serve, place the sauce in a serving platter, place koftas and add some more sauce and add cilantro and lotus stem chips to garnish. If you are adding pomegranate arils, then add those too. You can also add some cashews and sultanas roasted in ghee or butter on top.
- You can also add saffron diluted liquid in the sauce or on top for presentation -to show off the colors. Serve them with naan, rotis or steamed rice.
Notes
- Make sure all the kofta ingredients do not have moisture. I have used less cornstarch in binding, if you need to use more cornstarch if koftas are not holding their shape, add 1 tbsp at a time.
- While frying the koftas, add one to see it does not break down and hold its shape. Otherwise, all of them will start splitting and spoil the oil.
- Add Koftas just before serving. That way they have some texture to them.
- I like to store leftover koftas and sauce separately.
XO, Devangi