Lauki Kofta

Lauki Kofta.

Lauki kofta is a popular Indian gravy curry made with bottle gourd. A simple tomato based gravy is prepared with lots of spices. For kofta, bottle gourd is grated and cooked before mixing with spices and besan to form into balls or disks. They are then deep fried or shallow fried and added to the gravy as a final step.
Makes: around 4 Servings of Lauki Kofta.

Ingredients:

Bottle Gourd 1/2 of Small One
Besan 1/4 Cup
Coriander Powder 1 tsp
Cumin Powder 1/4 tsp
Red Chile Powder 1/3 tsp
Cilantro a Handful
Salt to taste

Kofta:

Onion 1 Large
Tomato 3 Medium
Ginger Garlic Paste 1 tsp
Green Chiles 2
Coriander Powder 2 tsps
Cumin Powder 1 tsp
Red Chile Powder 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
Cilantro few Sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil for Deep Frying

Method of preparation:

Remove stems, wash and finely chop the green chiles.
Peel, remove ends and very finely chop the onion.
Wash and finely chop the tomatoes.
Wash and finely chop cilantro leaves.

Peel, wash and grate the bottle gourd using thinner side of the grater.
Alternatively, chop the bottle gourd and use a food processor to grate the pieces.
Bring to boil a cup of water, add grated bottle gourd and salt.
Boil till the bottle gourd is soft but not mushy.
Strain the cooked bottle gourd and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together squeezed bottle gourd, besan, red chile powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, cialntro and salt.
Add minimal amount of water when necessary and make the mixture into lemon sized balls.
Slightly flatten the prepared balls by pressing them and keep aside.

Heat a flat pan on medium high heat, grease the pan with half a tsp or more of oil.
Slowly arrange the flattened bottle gourd mixture on the hot pan.
Let one side turn completely to golden brown before turning and frying on the other side.
Once both the sides are golden brown in color, remove onto a plate.

Heat oil in a pan on medium high heat, add cumin seeds and chopped onion.
Fry the onion till it turns light golden in color around the edges.
Then add ginger garlic paste and green chiles and fry for couple of seconds.
Stir in chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes soften and become mushy.
Then add coriander powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt.
Fry till the tomato onion mixture comes together and oil separates.
Add around a cup of water to dilute the thick gravy and slowly arrange the fried bottle gourd koftas.
Stir in garam masala, cilantro and cook covered for 3 – 5 minutes.
Serve lauki kofta with plain steamed rice or with any flattened bread.
Notes: Don’t overcook the grated bottle gourd.

Suggestions: If you cannot flatten the bottle gourd mixture, then form the mixture into small balls and deep fry them. Make sure to add enough besan depending on the moisture left in the grated bottle gourd.
Variations: Alternatively, bottle gourd disks or koftas can be deep fried for much richer version. You can also salt the grated bottle gourd and leave it for sometime before squeezing off the excess water. It can then be mixed with besan and spices to form into koftas.
Other Names: Lauki Kofta, Dhoodi Kofta Curry, Bottle Gourd Kofta, Lauki Ka Kofta.

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Bottle Gourd Stew

Sorakaya Pulusu.

Bottle gourd is chopped and cooked along with chopped onion. Tamarind is soaked in water to extract all the pulp. Then tamarind pulp and ground spice powder is added to the cooked bottle gourd. Once the stew comes together, it is tempered and garnished with chopped cilantro.
Makes: around 4 Servings of Bottle Gourd Stew.

Ingredients:

Bottle Gourd 1/2 of Small One
Onion 1 Small
Tamarind 2 inch sized Ball
Jaggery 1 – 2 inch Block (optional)
Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
Green Chiles 2
Cilantro few sprigs
Whole Dried Red Chiles 2
Chana Dal 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp
Coriander Seeds 3/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1/2 tsp

Talimpu:

Fenugreek Seeds a Small Pinch
Urad Dal 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves 6
Asafoetida a big Pinch
Oil 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

Peel the thin skin and remove ends of the bottle gourd.
Wash and chop the bottle gourd into small chunks.
Remove stems, wash and slice the green chiles.
Peel, remove ends and finely chop onion.
Wash and chop the cilantro.
Soak tamarind in few tablespoons of hot water and extract all the thick pulp.

Heat oil in a pan and add chana dal, urad dal, broken red chiles, cumin seeds and coriander seeds.
Fry for a minute or two or until aromatic and remove from heat.
Once the spices come to room temperature, grind them into fine powder.

Bring to boil 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water to heavy boil in a sauce pot.
Add chopped bottle gourd and chopped onion.
Let the bottle gourd cook and turn soft.
Then stir in tamarind extract, jaggery (if using), green chiles, ground spice powder, turmeric powder and salt.
Boil till the stew slightly thickens.

Heat oil in a small pan, add all talimpu ingredients in order.
When mustard seeds almost stop spluttering, remove from heat and add to the above stew pot.
Boil the stew for 3 more minutes and remove from heat.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve bottle gourd stew with plain steamed rice and dollop of ghee.
Notes:Make sure bottle gourd is cooked well before removing the stew from heat.

Suggestions: If bottle gourd is still little raw, add half a cup of water to the stew and cook on medium flame till done. If the stew is too thin, mix few tsps of rice flour in enough water and add it to the stew and boil till the stew thickens. If the stew is too thick, add sufficient water and boil the stew for 5 more minutes.
Variations: You can also temper the stew at the very beginning of the cooking process. Also check Vegetable Stew with Plain Dal.
Other Names:Bottle Gourd Stew, Sorakaya Pulusu, Anapakaya Pulusu, Lauki Stew.

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