Lauki Kofta Curry
Succulent bottle gourd dumplings in a rich, aromatic tomato gravy.
⏱️ 70 min🍽️ Serves 1
🔥 380 kcal💪 12g protein🍚 35g carbs🥑 20g fat🌾 6g fibreper serving
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🎬 Watch Kanak's Kitchen Hindi make it
Ingredients
- 🥒500 g bottle gourd (lauki)
- 🍚½ cup besan (gram flour)
- 🧄1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 🟠½ tsp turmeric powder
- 🌶️1 tsp red chili powder
- 🤎½ tsp garam masala
- 🧅2 onions, chopped
- 🍅3 tomatoes, pureed
- 🍦1 cup yogurt, whisked
- 🌻2 tbsp cooking oil
- 🌱1 tsp cumin seeds
- 🧂 salt, to taste
- 🌿 fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish
Pro tips
- Ensure bottle gourd is thoroughly squeezed to prevent koftas from breaking apart during frying.
- For healthier koftas, air-fry or bake them instead of deep-frying.
- To avoid curdling the yogurt, ensure it's at room temperature and add it slowly while stirring constantly on low heat.
Method
- 1Grate the bottle gourd, squeeze out excess water completely, then mix with besan, ginger-garlic paste, half of the turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and salt. Form into small balls (koftas).
- 2Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry or shallow-fry the koftas until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside.
- 3In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed. Sauté cumin seeds until they splutter. Add chopped onions and cook until golden brown.
- 4Add remaining ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, and red chili powder. Cook for a minute until fragrant.
- 5Stir in the tomato puree and cook until the oil separates from the masala.
- 6Reduce heat, gradually add whisked yogurt, stirring continuously to prevent curdling. Cook for 5 minutes.
- 7Add 1 cup of water, bring to a simmer, then add the fried koftas. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until koftas absorb some gravy and are tender.
- 8Adjust salt, sprinkle with garam masala, and garnish with fresh coriander before serving.