Lauki Kofta Curry / Bottle Gourd Dumplings Curry Recipe

Soft lauki koftas/bottle gourd dumplings have been made with grated bottle gourd (also known as lauki/ghia/doodhi ), mashed potatoes and gram flour along with a few spices. They have been deep-fried and dipped in rich and spicy onion-tomato gravy. Koftas must be added just a few minutes before serving, otherwise they soak a lot of water and break easily.

Important thing to keep in mind while making these koftas/dumplings is to extract excess bottle gourd water/ juice before making them, otherwise they will not hold shape and break while frying. I reserved excess juice/ water and added the same to gravy as bottle gourd juice is very healthy and full of nutrients.

I have used soaked melon seeds for thickening gravy. They made the gravy more palatable as well. Gravy has been spiced up with aromatic black cardamom, green cardamoms and garam masala .

It is a must try dish even if you do not like bottle gourd/lauki. Serve lauki kofta curry/bottle gourd dumplings curry with phulkas/ steamed rice.

INGREDIENTS

For Kofta

• 1 Medium Grated Bottlegourd / Lauki ( Approx. 1 1/2 Cup, when grated )
  
• 1/2 Cup (Mashed) Potato
• 5 Tbsp Gram Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Cardamom Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala
• Salt

For Gravy

• 1 Big Onion (Chopped)
• 4 Medium Tomatoes (Chopped)
• 2 Tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 1 Green Chilli (Chopped)
• 1/2 Tsp Asafoetida
• 1 Black Cardamom
• 4 Green Cardamoms
• 1 1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 2 Tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 Tsp Garam Masala
• 2 Tbsp Watermelon Seeds (Soaked in lukewarm water for 30 minutes)
• 3/4 Tsp Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• Salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Oil

METHOD

For Koftas

1. Squeeze water from lauki/bottle gourd by pressing it . You can use a sieve and a big spoon for the same. Reserve this water / juice for adding to gravy later.
2. Take a big plate/bowl and transfer grated lauki/bottlegourd to it.
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix . Add more gram flour if you feel that mixture is too wet and is unable to bind.
4. Divide into 14 portions and shape into round balls.
5. Deep- fry these balls at medium to high flame till they turn golden brown.
6. Transfer them to a paper towel for absorbing excess oil.

For Gravy

1. Heat oil in a kadai and asafoetida, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cumin seeds and chopped green chillies.
2. Once cumin seeds begin to crackle, add chopped onion and ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes till tomatoes become tender.
4. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Make a paste of melon seeds using a grinder and add it to kadai. Cook further for 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat.
6. Once mixture is cooled down, transfer it to a grinder jar and grind till you get a smooth paste.
7. Again heat kadai and add paste to it.
8. Add sugar, salt, garam masala, milk and 1 1/4 cup of water.
9. Cover the pan and let it cook for 12-15 minutes till oil starts separating.
10. Add koftas/dumplings to gravy and serve immediately with phulkas/steamed rice.