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    Home » Curries

    Lauki Kofta Curry

    Published: May 14, 2013 · Last Modified: Apr 14, 2020 by Kanan Patel / 17 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    Lauki kofta recipe - kofta made from bottle gourd (lauki) and besan, then deep fried in the oil. These koftas are simmered in creamy, flavorful onion-tomato-yogurt gravy.

    Lauki kofta with a glass of water.

    Lauki or bottle gourd is also known as Ghiya or doodhi or Dudhi or Opo squash. In this summer season, it is available in all Indian veggie market. It has more water content, so it is helpful to deal with the heat, and it prevents exhaustion in hot Indian summer.

    Doodhi is a kind of vegetable that most of the people don’t like its taste. My husband doesn’t like any kind of gourds at all. So I have to be smart and tricky to include this vegetable in our diet. So instead of making sabji with chopped lauki, I hide them in the dish by grating it.

    So I usually make lauki chana dal, muthia, thepla or lauki soup and sometimes this kofta curry. He will eat these dishes without any complain.

    The first time he tried the lauki kofta curry, I didn’t tell him that kofta is made from lauki. I just told him that this is mix veg kofta curry. He even didn’t realize that I was lying. The soft koftas with gravy will melt in your mouth. yes, if you have lauki hater in your family, make him/her this dish.

    I have added some yogurt to the gravy which makes it little creamy and rich tasting. I have seen some recipes online; they use cashew paste or cream to make it creamy and rich. You can use any. But I find the yogurt as a healthy option.

    Check out more curry recipes
    Corn palak curry  //  Aloo chole  //  Okra curry

    Step By Step Photo Instructions:

    1) Wash the bottle gourd, peel it and grate it using box grater. I have used 1 small sized lauki. Now measure the 1 ½ cups grated lauki. Then squeeze out the water as much as you can. Keep the lauki water, we need this nutritious water to make the gravy.

    2) Take squeezed lauki and rest of the kofta ingredients (besan, cumin powder, red chili powder, salt, green chili, ginger paste, cilantro) in the bowl.

    Collage of 2 images showing grated lauki and rest ingredients added in the bowl.

    3) Mix all and make it like dough. It will be sticky. Increase or decrease the besan quantity as needed. All the ingredients should come together. It will depend on your lauki’s water content.

    4) Meanwhile heat the oil in Kadai for deep frying. Grease your hand with some oil. Take small portion and make round balls.

    Collage of 2 images showing kofta mixture and rolled kofta.

    5) By the time, oil should be hot enough to fry. Drop the kofta carefully into hot oil and fry it till they are golden brown from all the sides. Keep moving the koftas in between for even browning. Be careful. If oil is too hot then kofta will remain raw from inside. If oil is not that hot then kofta will absorb more oil.

    6) Once koftas are brown from all the sides remove them on paper towel lined plate.

    Collage of 2 images showing frying kofta and fried kofta in a plate.

    7) Take all the ingredients for paste (onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chili) in grinder.

    8) Grind into a smooth paste and keep it aside.

    Collage of 2 images showing gravy ingredients in the grinder and blended.

    9) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add whole spices (cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick and bay leaf). Fry it for a minute or till you get nice aroma of the spices

    10) Then add prepared ground paste.

    Collage of 2 images showing tempering of whole spices and onion tomato paste is added.

    11) Cook it till all the moisture evaporates and oil start to leave from the sides. Do stir in between and make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.

    12) Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt.

    Collage of 2 images showing cooked paste and spices added.

    15) Mix it well and cook it for a minute.

    16) Then add lauki water to make the gravy consistency

    Collage of 2 images showing spices mixed and water added.

    17) Lower the heat and then add whisked yogurt. We are lowering the heat, so yogurt will not curdle.

    18) And immediately stir it well till everything is mixed. Now crank the heat to medium again and bring it to a boil.

    Collage of 2 images showing adding yogurt and mixed.

    19) Add garam masala and kasoori methi. Mix it well.

    20) Add kofta, stir gently and serve.

    Collage of 2 images showing adding rest spices and kofta.

    Add the koftas right before the serving, otherwise kofta will absorb almost all the gravy and becomes soft and soggy.

    Storing the lauki kofta curry: Best served the day it is made. If you want to store for next day, refrigerate kofta and gravy separately in containers. The next day, reheat the koftas in a microwave. Also reheat the gravy, you may need to adjust the gravy consistency by adding splash of water. Now add kofta to the gravy and serve right away.

    Serving suggestion: Serve lauki kofta with paratha or naan or tandoori roti or phulka roti. It can be served with jeera rice or pulao like green peas pulao, vegetable pulao.

    Lauki Kofta curry in a bowl.

    Did you try this lauki kofta curry recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.

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    Lauki kofta recipe | Lauki kofta curry recipe | Kofta curry
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    Lauki Kofta Curry

    4.84 from 6 votes
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and/or give ★ ratings
    Lauki kofta recipe - kofta made from bottle gourd (lauki) and besan, then deep fried in the oil. These koftas are simmered in creamy, flavorful onion-tomato-yogurt gravy.
    Author: Kanan
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Calories: 444kcal
    Servings 3
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour
    US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml) See details

    Ingredients  

    For Kofta:

    • 1 ½ cups Lauki (bottle gourd or dudhi) grated
    • ⅓ cup Besan (gram flour)
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
    • ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
    • 1 Green chili chopped finely
    • ½ teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
    • ⅓ cup Cilantro or coriander leaves chopped finely
    • Salt to taste
    • Oil for deep frying

    For Paste:

    • 1 medium or 1 cup Red onion roughly chopped
    • 2 medium or 1 ½ cups Tomato roughly chopped
    • ½ inch Ginger chopped
    • 1 Green chili
    • 2 cloves Garlic

    For Gravy:

    • 2 tablespoons Oil
    • 4 Cloves
    • 2 Green cardamoms
    • 1 inch Cinnamon stick
    • 1 Bay leaf
    • 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
    • Salt to taste
    • ⅓ cup Plain yogurt (dahi or curd) whisked
    • 1 ½ teaspoons Kasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves) lightly crushed
    • ½ teaspoon Garam masala
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions 

    • Wash the bottle gourd, peel it and grate it using box grater. I have used 1 medium sized lauki. Now measure the 1 ½ cups grated lauki. Then squeeze out the water as much as you can. Keep the lauki water, we need this nutritious water to make the gravy.
    • Take squeezed lauki and rest of the kofta ingredients in the bowl.
    • Mix all and make it like dough. It will be sticky. Increase or decrease the besan quantity as needed.
    • Heat the oil in Kadai for deep frying.
    • Grease your hand with some oil. Take small portion and make round balls.
    • Drop the kofta carefully into hot oil and fry it till they are golden brown from all the sides. Keep moving the koftas in between for even browning.
    • Once koftas are brown from all the sides remove them on paper towel lined plate.
    • Take all the ingredients for paste in grinder. Grind into a smooth paste and keep it aside.
    • Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add whole spices. Fry it for a minute
    • Then add prepared ground paste. Cook it till all the moisture evaporates and oil start to leave from the sides. Do stir in between.
    • Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix it well and cook it for a minute.
    • Then add lauki water to make the gravy consistency
    • Lower the heat and then add whisked yogurt. And immediately stir it well till everything is mixed.
    • Now crank the heat to medium again and bring it to a boil.
    • Add garam masala and kasoori methi. Mix it well.
    • Add kofta, stir gently and serve.

    Notes

    Storing the lauki kofta curry: Best served the day it is made. If you want to store for next day, refrigerate kofta and gravy separately in containers. The next day, reheat the koftas in a microwave. Also reheat the gravy, you may need to adjust the gravy consistency by adding splash of water. Now add kofta to the gravy and serve right away.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.4g | Protein: 6.7g | Fat: 38.5g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 844mg | Potassium: 650mg | Fiber: 5.2g | Sugar: 8.3g
    *Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving
    Did you make this recipe?Snap a pic, mention @spice.up.the.curry or tag #spiceupthecurry. I would love to see.

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    1. Bala Iyer

      May 10, 2018 at 2:21 pm

      Thank you for this delicious simple recipe ( Lauki Kofta Curry)
      I am planning tto try this recipe this evening5 stars

      Reply
      • Kanan

        May 11, 2018 at 9:19 pm

        sure. Happy cooking !!!
        Hope you like it

        Reply
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    Kanan

    Hi, I'm Kanan Patel. I share easy, delicious vegetarian recipes (mostly Indian) and Eggless baking recipes that you can sure count on!

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