LAUKI KOFTA CURRY

INGREDIENTS:

Bottlegourd/Lauki	1 small
Onion	1 medium finely chopped
Tomato	2 large chopped
Besan	½ - 1 cup
Ginger paste	2 tsp
Salt	To taste
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Red chili powder	1 tsp
Coriander powder	1 ½ tbsp
Cumin powder	½ tsp
Amchur powder	½ tsp
Garam masala powder	½ tsp
Kasuri methi	1 tsp
Cashew nuts	6-8
Yoghurt	2-3 tbsp
Coriander leaves	3 tbsp
Ghee	1 tbsp
Oil	For frying
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Asafetida	¼ tsp
Bay leaf	1-2

METHOD:

Making Lauki kofta:

• Wash and peel the bottle gourd. Grate the bottle gourd and squeeze out the water from bottle gourd using a muslin cloth. Keep the drained water aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add grated lauki, ¾ cup besan, 1 tsp ginger paste, salt, ½ tsp red chili powder, ½ tbsp coriander powder, ½ tsp amchur powder, and 1 tbsp coriander leaves.  Mix well and add rest of ¼ cup besan if required.
• Keep the mixture aside for 10 mins.  In a kadai, heat oil for deep frying.
• Take small portions of the kofta mixture and fry golden brown in oil. Drain and keep aside.

Making the gravy:

• In a pan, heat a tbsp of ghee and add cumin seeds, bay leaf and asafetida. Saute for a min and add finely chopped onions & ginger paste.
• Saute until onions are golden brown. Meanwhile, puree tomatoes and cashew nuts into a smooth puree.
• When onions are golden brown, add tomato – cashew puree, salt, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chili powder,1 tbsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder.
• Sauté until raw smell of tomatoes are gone and oil separates from sides.
• Add 3 tbsp of whisked yoghurt and mix well. Cook for a minute and add ½ cup of luke warm water to adjust the consistency.
• Once the gravy starts to boil, turn off the heat. Add ½ tsp of garam masala, crushed kasuri methi and chopped coriander leaves.
• Mix everything well. Add the koftas to the gravy before serving and give a gentle mix.
• Serve the lauki kofta curry hot.