Tuesday 7 April 2009

Delectable Eats: Lauki Kofta- Bottle Gourd Dumplings in a Tomato sauce

Lauki Koftas are delectable indeed!

I hadn't made them in a long while, and I am so glad I did. These are heavenly, especially the soft, Koftas along with the spicy,tomato sauce....this would be such a hit at dinner parties, I think!

Here is the very simple recipe:

You will need:

For the Koftas (dumplings):
1 large bottle gourd, or any soft squash- washed, peeled and grated.
Besan flour- as needed to bind the koftas ( around 2 tbsps)
1/2 cup: Grated Paneer
Ginger, Chili, Garlic Paste- to taste
salt, a pinch of sugar,
1 tbsp-Garam masala- to taste
1 tsp- aamchoor powder, ( dried mango powder)
bread crumbs- I used 2 slices of old bread
1 tbsp- raisins, cashews
1 sliced red onion, chopped finely

For the Gravy:

1 large onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 big knob of ginger, 2-3 green chilies - blend into a paste

3-4 large tomatoes- crushed, you can use canned tomatoes if you'd like

1/2 cup cashews, 1 tbsp- Khuskhus - soaked in some milk for half an hour at least and then blended to make a paste.

Cumin seeds, cinnamon, and a bay leaf - for the tempering

1/2 cup evaporated milk, you can use cream in its place, or even milk.

1 tbsp- your favorite garam masla, 1 tbsp- Kasturi methi
Salt, Sugar, chili powder, Jeera powder, turmeric - to taste

Oil- to deep fry the koftas
Oil- 1 tbsp to make the gravy

For the Koftas:

Wash, peel and grate the gourd or squash, whatever you're using. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on it and leave it to drain. Squeeze out as much water as you can from them so that your koftas won't be a soggy mess.
Mix all the ingredients in the Kofta list and make little dumplings out of them, I made Oblong ones. Deep fry and let them turn dark brown, taking care not to burn them. Set aside.

To make the gravy:

In a wide pan, heat some oil, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon and the bay leaf. Add the onion, chili, garlic and ginger paste and stir until the raw smell goes away. Now, add the Cashew-Khuskhus paste and stir well. After 2-3 minutes, add the tomatoes. Cover and simmer until the oil leaves the sides of the pan. Now add the spices, the garam masala, the methi, and the evaporated milk. Stir again and cover and simmer. Take out the bay leaf. Have a taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. When ready to serve, add the fried koftas, and ladle the sauce over the koftas, taking care not to stir them too often, just let them simmer in the gravy for a bit. Garnish with some Cilantro.

Meal Ideas: Lauki Kofta, Puris, Raita, Jeera rice and Kaali Daal.

23 comments:

Subhie Arun said...

new too me..will try ..thx for sharing..and nice pic

sunita said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sunita said...

Yummy! Haven't had lauki for quite a while now...

Trupti said...

Kofts looks mouthwatering trupti.Nice click

TheCooker said...

Ohhh Trupti, they look delicious.

Pavani said...

Kofta curry looks delicious Trupti.. I'm going to try it out.

Bong Mom said...

My friend makes this. It is super delicious

Chandani said...

mouthwatering koftas, trupti!!

Gopi Shah said...

Koftas look so yummy!!

A_and_N said...

I love these. I make them too. :D My sis in law's recipe. Comes out perfect every single time and yes, its a totally party thing :)

I usually bake the koftas since A is a health nut! I'd love to try the fried ones out!

Dori said...

Dumplings are so irresistible!!! Wish I could have a plate :)

veggie belly said...

wow, this sounds amazing! i love your idea of using evaporated milk, im going to try that next time :)

chef and her kitchen said...

Even i had prepared cabbage kofta curry last night..love koftas a lot...urs look mouth watering!!

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow something new and tasty. Looks yum.

Srivalli said...

That looks so yum!

Manasi said...

These look so, so inviting! I'd gobble them up!

Meenal Mehta said...

its been ages since I made this ...the pictures look yum , tempted to try it:)

Chutneytales said...

Lauki koftas looks very yummy..The picture makes me drool :)

Mandira said...

looks delicious Trupti!

Anonymous said...

Wow....this looks so good! Lovely pic.

Unknown said...

I love koftas. These sound delectable n creative.

Priyanka Agrawal said...

love ur blog. i've linked to it! kofta looks gr8

Crystal Singing Bowl said...

That looks really great. I love your blog.

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