Instructions

Preparing for Akbari / Mughlai Curry
Heat ½ cup water and soak cashews, roughly chopped onion, ginger and garlic in it. Set aside for 10-12 minutes.
Preparing for Aloo / Potato Kofta
Take cashews and raisins as mentioned under kofta and chop them into small pieces. Mix and Set aside in a bowl.
Use potatoes that you have already boiled in advance and cooled for few hours, for best results. I request you not to use freshly boiled potatoes.I boil potatoes a day before or at least 4-5 hrs before making the curry. Cool them completely. I often refrigerate the potatoes after boiling whenever I have to fry these or use as stuffing.
Take the boiled and cooled potatoes. Grate them fine, making sure that there are no lumps or big pieces.
Add all the spices as mentioned above for koftas + baking soda. Grease your hands with oil and Start bringing the grated potatoes together as a dough. If the potatoes are difficult to bring together in dough form, start adding corn starch/corn flour little by little to bind the potatoes.
Once the dough is formed, grease your hands again and pinch approximately 1-2 tbsp of potato dough at a time. Flatten it in the center of your palm. Take a little bit of cashew and raisin filling and place in the middle of the potato dough. Bring the sides of the potato dough in the center, enclosing the nuts in the middle. ROLL IT TIGHTLY, LEAVING NO CRACKS. Set it on a plate.
Finish all the potato dough like wise.
You can shape them in any form - round, flat like a patty or oblong roundels.
Frying the Aloo / Potato Koftas
Heat the oil n the frying pan. Then reduce the heat to medium high.
Place 2-3 koftas only, at a time, in the hot oil in the pan.
SInce these are very delicate, do not flip or touch them again and again.
Fry these from all the sides, till they are golden brown in color.
Take them out gently with a slotted spoon and place them gently on a plate covered with paper towels. Finish frying all of the koftas like wise.
It should yield approximately 10-12 large koftas or 15-18 mini ones.
Important Note for Frying
Always pay close attention when frying. Do not overload your frying pan with koftas or else they will splutter. Fry 3-4 koftas at a time, depending upon the size of your pan. Somewhere between medium to high heat is best suitable for frying these. Do not let the temperature of the oil drop down while frying or it will spoil the koftas.
My friend DURU JASSAL, says that if you add a fat pinch of salt in oil before frying, the fritters and koftas do not absorb that much oil. Try the tip if you want to.
Making the Akbari / Mughlai Curry
You are going to love me for this short and efficient method.
Take the good quality blender. Place the soaked cashews, onion, ginger and garlic in it along with the water these were soaked in.
Blend these ingredients into a smooth paste. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in the non stick or heavy bottom pan. Add coriander powder, Fancy paprika/degi mirch, turmeric, salt, red chili powder to the hot oil. Reduce the heat and saute the spices for few seconds.
Keep the heat to medium and add the cashew and onion paste to the pan. Stir the paste with spices with a spoon. Add honey and 1&1/2 cups of water + garam masala. Give it a good stir.
Cover the pan with lid and cook on low medium heat till the curry is reduced to required thickness. This curry is notorious. The cashew paste in the curry keeps absorbing the water. So if you see that it thickens up more than required, then add more water, a little bit at a time. Adjust salt and garam masala to your desired taste.
Once the curry is cooked, add crushed dry kasuri methi. It is optional. You may add dried or fresh mint instead for garnish and that extra oomph.
This is the BEST VEGAN CURRY EVER. Use it as a base for any vegetable or vegetarian/vegan protein of your choice.
Serving
I would not suggest you to dunk the koftas in curry for a long time and leave. These will soak up all the curry. The best way to do is, Keep your curry less thick. Heat it well before serving. Add the Aloo/Pottao koftas just 10 minutes before serving.
Serve Aloo Akbari with Pulav, Rice or Naan of your choice.
More Options for using Potatoes in this curry, instead in the form of kofta
Par Boil baby potatoes, Peel them. Either deep fry them or bake them. Salt and pepper them. Add these to the curry as is.