We have had kofta made of Potatoes, Paneer & Plantain but didn’t know about kofta made with Bottle-gourd/lauki/Sorakkai till I came across this recipe of Sanjeev Kapoor. Also these koftas lower the caloric value of the dish compared to the ones made with potato and paneer. I found many variations of this recipe online but decided to stick with Online Guru Sanjeev kapoor

In the original recipe, a tiny piece of tamarind is kept in the center of kofta for a tangy burst, which i omitted. But Dried cranberry or raisin works great.

A fried dumpling of grated Bottle-gourd/Lauki/Sorakkai with chickpea/gram-flour and spices cooked in creamy gravy.

Original Recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor‘s Desi Sabziyan.

Ingredients:

For Koftas:

1 lauki /bottle gourd/Sorakkai

3 tbsp of besan / gram flour

1 tbsp of corn flour

Red chilli powder -to taste

1/8 tsp asafoetida/Hing

Salt -to taste

Oil for deep frying

For Gravy:

2 tbsp of oil

1 Cup diced onions

1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste

2 medium size tomatoes, chopped

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tbsp of coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander/Cilantro leaves

2 tbsp of fresh cream

Making Kofta’s:

1. Wash and peel Bottle-gourd/lauki/Sorakkai. Remove the seeds inside and grate. Squeeze out all excess water. Place a kitchen towel on the grated vegetable to absorb water if any.

2. In a mixing bowl, add chilli powder, besan/chickpea flour, hing/asafoetida and salt to the grated bottle-gourd. Mix well to combine. Add a tbsp of corn flour for extra crispy kofta.

3. Divide whole mixture into equal parts and form (golf size) balls. The original recipes calls for making a small dent in the center to place a tiny piece of tamarind. Cover it up and make the ball smooth.

4. Fry in hot oil until brown all over. Keep the flame to medium hot and keep turning to cook evenly. Drain and set aside.

The Gravy part:

1. Soak cashew-nuts and poppy seeds in warm water.

2. In a medium size pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add onions.

3. As the onions start to cook, add ginger0garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and dhaniya-jeera powder (coriander-cumin powder) and continue to cook.

4. Add tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are tender and soft.

5. Cool the mixture completely and purée till soft and creamy.

6. In the same pan, add a tablespoon of butter. Add the purée and add garam masala.

7. Grind the cashew- poppy till smooth.

8. Add the cashew-poppy to the onion-tomato purée.

9. Bring to boil. Add cream and chopped coriander leaves.

In s serving dish, place all the koftas and drizzle the gravy on top or drop the koftas in a bowl of gravy. We usually prefer kofta not soaked in gravy for long time. They tend to become very soft and almost melt.

Happy Cooking