Lauki Kofta

Let’s make lauki kofta curry healthier by avoiding deep-frying. Instead, cook the koftas in a paniyaram pan or air fry them. These soft, melt-in-your-mouth koftas are simmered in a delicious onion-tomato-yogurt gravy.

My Version Of Lauki Kofta

Usually, lauki kofta curry requires quite a bit of prep work, so whenever I make it I make sure to prepare a large batch of kofta and freeze them for later. So I just have to make the gravy, add some koftas from my freezer stash and it’s ready.

When making in bulk, grating bottle gourd requires a lot of arm work. To reduce that I recommend using a food processor with a grating disc. The grating part gets done in just 5 minutes. Isn’t it quick? 

Sometimes, I use my frozen onion-tomato masala to make this lauki kofta curry. So my meal comes together in just 15 minutes. I just have to reheat the gravy and add kofta along with whisked yogurt, kasoori methi, and garam masala. Such meal preps are handy when you’re in a rush or not in the mood to cook. 

Ingredient Notes

Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make lauki kofta. For the gravy, you’ll need onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chili, yogurt and basic spice powders.

Step By Step With Tips

1) Crush Ginger, Green Chili & Cilantro

Add ginger, green chili, and cilantro in a food processor and run it until it becomes coarsely ground. Remove it in a bowl. In the same food processor, we will grate the lauki.

Note: I am making kofta in a large quantity that’s why I am using a food processor. Otherwise, use a small grinder or chop them finely using a knife.

2) Grate Lauki & Squeeze Out Water

• Peel the bottle gourd, cut it into half vertically, and make 6-7 inches long pieces. If your lauki has mature seeds then discard those otherwise it’s ok.
• Use a grating disc with a food processor, keep the processor running, and press the pieces of lauki from the tube and grate.
• Then using a clean man’s handkerchief or a muslin cloth, squeeze as much water as possible from the grated lauki and add to the same bowl with chili-cilantro mixture.
• Save this water and add it to gravy later.

3) Make a kofta Mixture

• Add spice powders (red chili and cumin-coriander powder), salt, and besan.
• Mix with a light hand and it comes together like a thick, sticky dough mixture. 

4) Shallow Fry Lauki Kofta

Shallow fry kofta using a paniyaram pan on low-medium heat. Do cover with a lid while cooking, so it gets cooked from the center. 

Air Fry Kofta: It is a must to line your air fryer with parchment liner and air fry at 350 F for 20 minutes. 

Deep Fry Kofta:

• This is the quickest method, but it is high in calories. So I avoid it most of the time.
• I prefer shallow frying in a paniyaram pan because it gives a slightly similar taste to a deep-fried one. 

5) Make Gravy & Add Kofta

• You’ll need to make a typical North Indian style onion tomato gravy with spices. Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
• Add whisked yogurt to the gravy and stir immediately to avoid curdling.
• Keep the gravy slightly on the thinner side as kofta will absorb some moisture.
• Add lauki kofta and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Lastly, add garam masala, kasoori methi, and cilantro.

Serving: Serve lauki kofta curry with roti, paratha, or naan. It can be served with jeera rice or plain basmati rice. 

Storage & Freezing Lauki Kofta

• In the refrigerator, leftover curry stays good for 2 days. 
  • If making ahead of time for the next day then store kofta and gravy separately in the fridge. At the time of serving, reheat the gravy, add kofta, simmer, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
• Freezing Kofta: Place cooked lauki kofta in a parchment paper lined tray and freeze until frozen. Transfer it into a freezer-safe ziplock bag and store. It stays good for up to 3 months.
• Thaw: Remove the required kofta and keep it on a counter until defrosted. Or quickly defrost in a microwave. 

Lauki Kofta Recipe (No Fry Method)

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Let’s make lauki kofta curry healthier by avoiding deep-frying. Instead, cook the koftas in a paniyaram pan or air fry them. These soft, melt-in-your-mouth koftas are simmered in a delicious onion-tomato-yogurt gravy.

Kanan

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Serving Size 4

US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)

Ingredients

For Kofta:

• 1 ½ cup Lauki (bottle gourd or dudhi), grated & packed while measuring then squeeze out the water
• 1 Green chili
• ½ inch Ginger
• ⅓ cup Cilantro or coriander leaves, crush ginger, green chili and cilantro to a coarse paste or simply use finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon Cumin-coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt, to taste
• ⅓ cup Besan (gram flour)
• Oil, for cooking kofta

For Gravy:

• 1 + 2 tablespoons Oil
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 medium Red onion, roughly 1 cup chopped
• ½ inch Ginger, chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 Green chili, chopped
• 2 medium Tomatoes, ~ 1 ½ cups roughly chopped
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• Salt, to taste
• ¼ cup Yogurt (curd or dahi), whisked to smooth
• ½ teaspoon Garam masala
• 1 teaspoon Kasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves), Crush before adding

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Instructions

Make Lauki Kofta:

• Wash the bottle gourd, peel it, and grate it using a box grater. I have used a food processor with a grating disc. Now measure the 1 ½ cups grated lauki that is tightly packed.
• Squeeze out the water as much as you can. Keep the lauki water, we need this nutritious water to make the gravy.
• Transfer squeezed lauki to a bowl and crushed ginger, green chili, and cilantro mixture.
• Also, add salt, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder, and besan.
• Mix all and make it like a soft, sticky dough. Increase or decrease the besan quantity as needed.
• Shallow-Fry: Heat the paniyaram pan on medium heat. Add around ½ teaspoon of oil in each section.
• Once hot, lower the heat to low, add kofta using a cooking scoop or using your hand. Cover it and cook one side for around 5-6 minutes. Then flip and cook another side covered for 5-6 minutes. Remove it to a plate and continue cooking the next batch.
• Deep Fry: Heat the oil in a kadai for deep frying. Drop the kofta carefully into hot oil and fry them until golden brown from all sides. Keep moving the koftas in between for even browning. Remove them on a paper towel lined plate.
• Air Fry: Line the air fryer basket with a parchment liner. Place kofta with some space between them. Spray with cooking oil spray and air fry at 350 F for 20 minutes. Do flip them halfway through.

Make Gravy:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
• Add onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili. Sprinkle a little salt to speed up the cooking process. Cook until onions become soft and light pink in color.
• Then add tomatoes and cook until they are softened. Let the mixture cool down slightly.
• Transfer it to the blender jar and make a smooth puree.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Once hot add prepared puree and let it simmer. If it is spluttering too much then you can partially cover the pan with a lid and continue cooking.
• Do stir every few minutes to make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom and sides of the pan. Cook until it becomes thick and most of the water is evaporated.
• Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and remaining salt. Mix well and saute for a minute.
• Add some of the saved lauki water to make gravy consistency and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
• Lower the heat, add whisked yogurt, and stir in the gravy at the same time.
• Add prepared kofta and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Lastly, mix in garam masala and crushed kasoori methi.
• Turn off the stove and garnish with cilantro.

Notes

• Squeezing out all the possible water from lauki is very important. Otherwise, the kofta mixture might require more besan and because of more besan, kofta may come out raw from the center.
• I like to use a small cookie scoop to shape & drop kofta to keep my hand clean to do other kitchen tasks.
• Be patient, one batch of kofta in paniyaram pan requires around 5-6 minutes for each side (so a total of 10-12 minutes). So cook on low to medium heat otherwise kofta will turn brown quickly around the edges but it stays raw from the center.
• To avoid curdling yogurt, lower the heat and mix simultaneously while adding yogurt.
• Do not simmer for more than 2 minutes after adding kofta otherwise, kofta may become super soft and fragile.

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcal (22%) | Carbohydrates: 20.4g (7%) | Protein: 6.7g (13%) | Fat: 38.5g (59%) | Saturated Fat: 5.2g (26%) | Cholesterol: 2mg (1%) | Sodium: 844mg (35%) | Potassium: 650mg (19%) | Fiber: 5.2g (21%) | Sugar: 8.3g (9%)

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