Food for Happy Souls
The residents of coastal regions are very fond of seafood. My family is no exception. Both my parents as well as my husband love their fish and prefer eating it over any meat. Being the sole vegetarian in the non-vegetarian family, I have learnt to …
Cooking a vegetarian dish for a die-hard Non-Vegetarian is a difficult feat to achieve. My husband always say cook whatever you want, just don’t make me miss non-veg. Hence I came up with an idea of preparing a paneer dish using a gravy usually made …
Lauki Kofta has been my favorite dish to eat since childhood. Though the thought of eating Lauki or Bottle Gourd as a vegetable irks many and yet this dish will make you want more. My mommy made this dish on rare occasion as its meant to be a rich, hearty dish apt for parties and social gatherings.
Traditionally the Lauki Kofta is meant to be deep-fried until golden brown and crisp from the outside yet soft from inside. Another reason to make it strictly on special occasions. Also the gravy is a creamy onion tomato based one with rich aromatic spices.
In my tryst to make the Lauki Kofta in a healthy way, I have found a unique yet quirky way to do it and yet there is no compromise on the taste of this dish.
I drew inspiration for the gravy from the Masterchef Australia episodes where in many a times the contestants use roasted pumpkin puree in their dishes.
additionally, I have prepared the lauki kofta in paniyaram pan, the same way I did for Nariyal ke Kofte . It’s a healthy and convenient way of making koftas and I can vouch for this method.
Do try out this recipe at your home at least once. It’s a smooth and delicious gravy without adding any cream or nut paste in it.
Succulent Koftas made of Lauki (Bottle Gourd) in a healthy and creamy gravy
Peel and cut Onion, Pumpkin and Tomatoes into 1 inch cubes. In a pan, heat oil and add the onion and fry until it becomes translucent. After that add the pumpkin and tomatoes cubes and fry them well.
Add Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder, Salt and Sugar to the vegetables and let them roast with the spices on medium flame. Add little water and cover the pan with and lid. Cook them until the vegetables -are cooked well. This should take about 7-8 minutes. Once done, keep aside to cool.
For making the koftas, start with grating the Lauki or Bottle Gourd. Once grated, add Salt, Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder and Black Pepper Powder and mix well. Keep this mixture for 10 Minutes.
After 10 minutes, Squeeze the Lauki to get rid of excess moisture and add Besan and Rice Flour to it and mix well. the consistency should be such that you will be able to shape into small balls.
Heat the Paniyaram Pan and oil the cavities of the pan by brushing some oil. Place the lauki koftas into the oiled cavities and fry them till golden brown on all sides. This would take about 8-10 minutes on medium flame.
In a pan, heat the Ghee or Clarified Butter. Once hot, add the Shahi Jeera or Black Cumin Seeds and let it splutter. Add the Ginger-Garlic Paste and cook till the raw smell of garlic goes off.
After the Onion, Tomatoes and Pumpkin mixture is cooled, Blend it to fine paste. Now add this blended mixture to the Pan with Shahi Jeera and Ginger Garlic Paste. Cook the gravy for 1-2 minutes.
Add milk to gravy and mix well to attain a smooth consistency. Now add Garam Masala Powder and mix well. Let the gravy simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the Koftas into the Gravy Pan and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Be careful to stir the gravy with the koftas as they are soft and may break if agitated more than required.
Dry roast the Kasuri Methi or Dried Fenugreek Leaves and crush them lightly. Sprinkle the crushed Kasuri Methi leaves over the Lauki Kofta and cover for 5 minutes. Turn of the Gas in the meanwhile.
Serve the Lauki Kofta hot with Chapati or Naan alike.
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