22 September, 2013

Lauki Ke Kofte - My style

a complicated recipe made easy..

GGoing back into my childhood memories, I remember bottle gourd was grow into my garden. It was definitely a pleasure to see the vine growing longer and the little fruit bottle-gourd grow from a little finger size to a big hand size. But being a kid I used to dislike eating the bottle-gourd just like any other youngster would do. Though one of the most nutritious vegetable, it could never appeal me. However my mom had new tricks to make me eat it. She would prepare delicious bottle gourd kofta (recipe to be shared below) and lovely ghiya kheer. A recipe which not only me but my friends also used to also love it. Ghiya Kheer recipe can also be find out on this blog with this link : Ghiya Kheer.

Between bottle gourd have several different names all over India. Lauki, ghiya, dhoodhi, white gourd, bottle squash, calabash gourd etc. are some of the familiar names. It have a cooling effect, hence helps from heat stroke, its juice is often given to kids. For the people trying to lose weight, bottle gourd is one of the best option to eat, it is low in calories and fat and is on high in dietary fiber. Bottle gourd also have properties that would help in in improving the digestion.

It interesting to know, apart from eating and relishing recipes, bottle gourd in India is used to make the Indian musical instruments, such as the tanpura, sitar and rudra veena, which are constructed from dried calabash gourds imported from specific cultivators of Africa region.

So here sharing my favorite and mom's recipe in detail with pictures, which is absolutely loved by my friends and hubby too.

Serves: 4 to 6 pax easily.


Ingredients for kofta:

  • a medium size bottle gourd : 1 nos.
  • small onion : 1 nos
  • garlic : 5-6 pods
  • ginger : 1 inch
  • green chilli : 1 nos.
  • coriander leaves : big bunch
  • coriander seeds : 2 tea spoon
  • cumin seeds : 1 tea spoon
  • black pepper : 4-5 nos
  • Salt : to taste
  • turmeric powder : 1/2 teaspoon
  • red chilli powder : 1/2 teaspoon
  • gram flour/ besan/ chana dal flour : 2 tablespoon
  • bread/ bread-crumb : 1 nos/ 1 tablespoon

Making of Kofta mix:

  1. Peel the gourd, discard the stem, grate the Bottle gourd/lauki/dhoodi atleast 2 cups.
  2. Fine chop the onion.
  3. Crush the garlic and ginger.
  4. Dry roast in the pan the cumin, coriander, black pepper seeds and crush them into the rough powder form.
  5. Mix the ingredients together with the gram flour and bread slice or bread crumb.


Making of the Kofta :

  1. Heat the oil in the deep pan for frying the balls/kofta.
  2. Mix all the ingredients and make small balls.
  3. The kofta balls should be smaller than the lemon size.
  4. Quickly add the tiny balls made up of the ingredients in the medium hot oil.
  5. Fry until golden brown and crisp from outside.
  6. Take them out on the tissue paper to extract all extra oil from the kofta.


Ingredients for the Gravy :

  • Oil : 1 tablespoon
  • Tomatoes : 2nos
  • Onion small : 1 size
  • Garlic : 4-6 pods
  • Cumin seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
  • Coriander seed : 1 teaspoon
  • Cinnamon stick : smaller than 1/2 inch
  • Red chilli powder : 1/2 tea spoon
  • Salt : to taste

Making of the Gravy :

  1. Heat the oil in the pan.
  2. Add the fine chopped onion and fry until glossy.
  3. Crush the garlic and add into the dry powder in the spices, mix well.
  4. Add the tomatoes either fine chopped or paste.
  5. Cook well, until the spices leave the oil.
  6. Then add water and bring into the running consistency.
  7. Let the gravy boil for 2 to 5 minutes on medium heat and then leave them to the rest.
  8. Add the balls/kofta into the gravy ones its is all ready and leave them for the while before eating.
  9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or chapati/roti.


Note :

  • Ensure that the bottle gourd has a smooth skin, is pale green in colour and free from any cuts, spots and blemishes. It should be firm to handle and the flesh should not feel soft when pressed. The smaller the size the less the seeds would be inside.
  • The quantity of the spices can to altered according to the taste.
  • If the bottle gourd/lauki/dhoodhi after being grated leaves water, then squeeze the grated bottle gourd with your palm and keep the water aside.
  • This bottle gourd water can be reused into the gravy to add more nutrition and flavour.
  • I personally love to add extra fresh green coriander leaves to the kofta to give more fragrance.
  • The dry masala/spices added into the kofta/balls is the same spice added into the gravy. So one can make it extra while dry-roasting it.
  • While you are mixing the ingredients for the kofta, heat the oil simultaneously. This will not only save the time but also prevent the kofta ingredients to leave the water again.
  • The kofta balls must be fried as quickly as possible after the ingredients are ready.
  • You can store the fried ingredients in the freeze in air tight container for two days.
  • When I was a kid, I used to love to eat the kofta soon after it was fried.
  • Kofta are one of the most nutritious piece of food, full of bottle gourd and gram flour.
  • Gram flour very healthy ingredient and is also a binding agent.
  • Bread-slice or bread crumb also help in binding but most of all it helps in giving the right texture since bottle gourd when being grated start leaving lots of moisture which makes it a bit difficult to make the kofta.

Hope you enjoyed! Try making at home for a better change from the routine food :)


1 comment:

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