Lauki ke kofte

Lauki ke kofte also known as ghiye ke kofte or doodhi kofta is a delicious vegan curry recipe from India. This dish is made by adding fried bottle gourd dumplings in a tangy tomato-based curry. It can be served with rice as well as roti.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, North Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings people

Calories 511kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Ingredients

Ingredients for dumplings

1 medium-sized bottle gourd around 3 cups grated bottle gourd
1 inch piece ginger grated
1 green chili finely chopped
½ cup chickpea flour
½ teaspoon black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying the dumplings

Ingredients for gravy

1 large onion finely chopped
2 medium-sized tomato grind to make a paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
½ tbsp garlic paste
¼ cup coriander leaves finely chopped
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1.5 tbsp chickpea flour
½ tbsp coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder
¼ teaspoon kasoori methi dry fenugreek leaves powder
A pinch of garam masala
1 tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste

Instructions

Making dumplings

Peel and grate the bottle gourd, using the thick side of a grater. If the seeds of bottle gourd are too hard, remove them. Sprinkle some salt and let it rest for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, squeeze out water from grated bottle gourd by pressing between the palms. Don’t throw away the water, it will be used in the gravy later.
Add grated ginger, chopped green chilies, pepper, salt, and chickpea flour to the grated bottle guard and mix well.
Heat oil in a wok. Take equal portions of the mixture and make small balls by rolling between your palms. Put them in the oil and deep fry. Once they turn golden brown from all the sides, take them out on a tissue paper. Keep aside.

Making gravy

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds start crackling, add finely chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, and salt. Fry till the onions turn golden brown.
Once the onion turns brown add chickpea flour and all the dry spice powder. Saute for 1 minute and then add around ¼ cup water. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
When the water dries add tomato paste. Cook for 7-8 minutes or till tomatoes get nicely cooked and their color changes.
While the tomatoes are getting cooked, take 2 dumplings and put in a mixer along with 2 tablespoons of water to make a smooth paste. Keep the paste aside.
Once the tomatoes are cooked add bottle gourd water, dumplings paste and around 1 cup of water to the pan. Mix and allow to cook for another 7-8 minutes.
Finally add the dumplings, kasoori methi, and garam masala. Cover the pan and cook for about a minute and then switch off the gas.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes

Don’t add too much salt to the dumplings as salt will be added to the gravy too.
In the dumplings mixture, don’t add the entire besan at one go. Add one tablespoon at a time to get the right consistency. If you add too much besan, you will lose the taste of bottle guard and if you don’t add enough, the ingredients won’t stick together on deep frying. The right consistency is when the mixture sticks together when lightly pressed between the fingers.
For a healthier version use an air fryer or appam maker to make the dumplings.
Making the paste of dumplings is optional but a very useful tip to get a nice thick gravy.

Nutrition