Lauki kofta (Bottle gourd kofta) is one of those festive and delicious recipes from North India!
I grew up eating bottle gourd in many forms, in dry sabzi (vegetable preparation), in raita, in dal, in halwa and even in kheer but the one thing I never had was lauki kofta! I have to be honest, the first time I had it this dish, I wasn’t too impressed with it because it was quite oily and heavy, albeit I quite liked the idea of making koftas out of bottle gourd and this is how this recipe came about.
This Lauki kofta recipe is a gluten-free and vegan!
Whilst I was developing this recipe, the one thing I wanted to do is to keep this recipe completely gluten-free and vegan but still delicious. To make these koftas soft, I added some boiled potatoes and tapioca starch (you can use corn starch) and chickpea flour. And the gravy is prepared with onion, tomatoes and cashews. Trust me you are not going to need or miss any cream!
Lauki kofta goes perfect with rice and rotis!
I like to serve this dish with whole wheat parathas or rice; I love to eat it with parathas! Hot ghee laden parathas, lauki koftas and spicy chutney with a simple salad is a perfect meal for any day! If you can’t find a bottle gourd you can make this recipe with courgette/ zucchini, it tastes absolutely perfect! You can find a similar method in my highlights on my Instagram feed.
Learn how to make these lauki koftas step by step!
If you like Indian dishes then do check these recipes out.
Lauki Kofta
Ingredients
For koftas:
- 3 cups bottle gourd grated
- 1 small boiled potato mashed
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 1 or to taste green chilli finely chopped
- 4 tbsp chickpea flour besan
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- 2 tsp tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
- 1 tsp each red chilli powder and dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp or to taste salt
- oil for deep frying
For the curry:
- 1 cup onion roughly chopped
- 3 tomatoes blanched
- 1/4 cup cashew nuts
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 or to taste red or green chilli
- 1 tbsp coriander stalks
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp or to taste each red chilli and Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves Kasuri methi
- 1 tsp garam masala
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp golden ghee
- 2 tsp oil
- A few bay leaves, green cardamom and peppercorns
- fresh coriander for garnishing
Instructions
- To make koftas, squeeze out all the water from bottle gourd. Make sure it is nice and dry. Add in all the ingredients mentioned for koftas and mix it well. Make small round balls and deep fry them till they are brown in colour.
- Make a paste of onion, garlic and chilli. Make a paste of blanched tomatoes, cashews and ginger keep it aside.
- In a heavy pot heat ghee and oil together and add all the whole spices. Let them splutter for a few seconds. Tip in the coriander stalks, onion puree, salt and cook for 7-8 minutes.
- Add in all the spice powders, mix well. Add 1 tbsp of water so the spices don't burn. Now tip in the tomato puree and cook for about 7-8 minutes till the oil starts releasing from sides.
- Add 1 cup of water and let the gravy come to a rolling boil. The consistency should be not too thick or watery. Add in the garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves. Mix it well and adjust salt if needed.
- Just before serving add in the koftas and let the gravy come to a gentle boil Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with rice or parathas.
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