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4.25 from 8 votes

Lauki Kofta

A delightful Indian dish made with bottle gourd fritter usually served with onion tomato gravy.
Prep Time40 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: Curry, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian Cuisine, North Indian Cuisine
Keyword: Bottle gourd, Kofta, Lauki kofta
Servings: 4
Author: Gayatri Singh

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.