Lauki ke kofte

Lauki ke kofte is simply bottle gourd dumplings in a curry. This is a very tasty way of having lauki/ghiya for the people who do not like it. As for me, i love it and so any lauki dish is a treat for me ! It may sound strange but it's true:-) These dumplings can also be used as an appetizer and give a similar effect as pakoras. I learnt this recipe from my mom who is a great cook for the 100th time ;-) and all her recipes can be followed blingfoldedly and they are garunteed to turn out amazing! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

For kofte:
1C grated bottle gourd/lauki
3 tbsp gram flour(besan)
1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1 tsp chili powder
1 green chili deseeded, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1C vegetable oil
salt to taste

For curry:
1 tomato
1/2 onion
2 green chilis
1 clove of garlic
1/2 inch ginger root, peeled
handful of cilantro
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder (optional)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2C milk
salt to taste Method:

Preparing koftas:

1) In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients of kofta except oil and mix well so that no lumps are formed. The consistency should be thicker than pakora batter. If you feel that the batter is watery, add more besan until the right consistency is reached.

2) In a frying pan, heat oil, drop in little dumplings of the batter into oil. Leave space between them. Let them cook until a dark brown color is reached. Flip them to make both the sides brown. Place them into paper towel to remove excess oil.

Preparing curry:

1) In a grinder, add tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic, ginger and green chilis and grind them to form a paste.

2) In a pan, heat oil and pour in the paste. Let it cook until it starts to leave oil.

3) Then add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder and cook for a few seconds. Add milk and 1/2C water to form a gravy. Let it come to a boil.

4) Add the lauki dumplings into the curry and let it simmer for a few minutes. turn off the heat.

5) Serve hot with roti or rice.

Serves: Makes about 10 koftas.