Lauki (Bottle Gourd) Kofta

Bottle Gourd is known as ‘Lauki or Dudhi’ in Hindi and as ‘Suraikai’ in Tamil. It needs no further introduction as I have discussed in Lauki Sabji in microwave cooking. Lauki kofta is a popular dish in north India. It is very different from south Indian dishes.

Serves: 4 to 6

Cooking time: 45 minutes approximately

Ingredients

• For kofta
  • Bottle gourd medium size – 1 no
  • Bengal gram flour (besan or kadalai mavu) – 1 cup
  • Onion – 1 no
  • Potato – 1 no
  • Green chilli – 2 no
  • Ginger – ½ inch piece
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ tea spoon
  • Red chilli powder – ½ tea spoon
  • Curry and Coriander leaves – few
  • Sodium bi carbonate – pinch
  • Salt – as per taste
  • Oil – for frying kofta
• For gravy
  • Onion – 3 no
  • Tomato – 2 no
  • Garlic clove – 5 no
  • Ginger – ½ inch piece
  • Green chilli – 2 no
  • Turmeric – ¼ tea spoon
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tea spoon
  • Coriander powder – 2 table spoon
  • Roasted cumin powder – ¼ tea spoon
  • Garam masala powder – ½ tea spoon
  • Coriander leaves – few
  • Salt – as per taste
  • Cumin seeds – ½ tea spoon (for seasoning)
  • Oil – 1 table spoon (for seasoning)

Method

Kofta

• Boil potato, peel and mash; chop onion, green chilli, ginger, curry and coriander leaves.
• Peel and grate bottle gourd;  squeeze, remove juice and keep it for further use in curry.

• In Bengal gram flour add chopped onion, ginger, green chilli, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt; add mashed potato, mix and form a dough by adding little water; make small balls, deep fry in oil till golden/light brown colour; remove and keep on kitchen tissue to remove excess oil.

Gravy

• Step 1: Chop one onion, two green chilli.
• Step 2: Grind garlic, ginger, two onions and one green chilli coarsely.
• Step 3: Grind tomato, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder and salt as a paste.
• Step 4: Do the seasoning; add step 1 item fry until onion is soft; add step 2 item fry for few seconds; add step 3 items mix well and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until oil separates.

• Step 5: Add bottle gourd juice, one cup water; bring to boil, keep cooking for 5 minutes in low flame; add fried koftas, mix gently and cook for 2 to 3 minutes; switch off flame and allow 15 minutes for koftas to settle in gravy.

• Lauki Kofta curry is ready; garnish and serve with Chapatti, Puri or Rice. (A cut away kofta is also shown below)

Tips:

• Make kofta by adding water little by little; too much water in kofta will absorb more oil while frying.
• Make small koftas; too big koftas will take long time to fry and the surface may become dark brown before it gets cooked inside.