Lauki kofta recipe | without deep frying

Ingredients

• 225 g (1½ cups)grated lauki (bottle gourd)
• 55 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp)gram flour (besan)
• 1green chilli, chopped
• 1 tspchilli powder
• 1 tspcoriander powder
• ¼ tspgaram masala
• ¼ tspasafoetida
• ¼ tspturmeric
• ⅛ tspcooking soda
• 1 tbsp (15 ml)curd
• 2 tbspcoriander leaves
• to tastesalt
• as neededoil
• 2 tbsp (30 ml)oil
• 2onions, cubed
• 3tomatoes, cubed
• 1 tspcumin seeds
• 2 tspginger-garlic paste
• 8cashews
• 1green chilli, slit
• 1 tspred chilli powder
• 1 tspcoriander powder
• 1 tspgaram masala
• 1 tspkasuri methi
• ½ tspamchoor powder
• ¼ tspturmeric
• to tastecoriander leaves
• to tastecream, for garnish

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the lauki

   Wash and peel the bottle gourd. Trim off both ends, cut it into three pieces, then grate lengthwise, turning each piece as you go so you leave the central seeds behind. Measure about 225 g (1½ cups), loosely packed.

2. 2

   Mix the kofta

   Squeeze the excess water from the grated lauki and reserve the liquid. Add the gram flour, chopped green chilli, kofta spices, soda, curd, coriander leaves and salt, but not the oil. Mix into a sticky dough and set aside while you make the gravy.

3. 3

   Soften the onions

   For the gravy, heat a pan with 1 tsp oil. Add the cubed onions and cashews and sauté until the onions are soft and golden. Transfer them to a plate and let them cool.

4. 4

   Blend the gravy

   Put the cubed tomatoes and cooled onion mixture in a blender. Grind to a smooth paste without adding water.

5. 5

   Cook the spices

   Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil. Temper the cumin seeds, then add the slit chilli and ginger-garlic paste and fry briefly. Add the ground paste and gravy spices, then cook until thick. Drizzle in a little oil and continue until the paste looks glossy and no longer sticks to the pan.

6. 6

   Simmer the gravy

   Stir in the reserved lauki water, followed by 1½ cups water, and mix thoroughly. Simmer for 6–8 minutes.

7. 7

   Cook the kofta

   While the gravy simmers, heat a paniyaram pan and lightly oil the hollows. When hot, fill them with the kofta mixture. Cover and cook over a low flame; when one side is golden, turn the kofta and cook the other side in the same way. Check that the centres are cooked through, then remove them from the pan.

8. 8

   Finish and serve

   Transfer the cooked kofta to the simmering gravy. Garnish with coriander leaves and cream if desired, then serve.

What is lauki kofta?

Lauki kofta is an Indian dish of bottle-gourd dumplings served in a spiced gravy. Kofta dishes have many regional forms, and this one brings grated lauki together with gram flour before cooking the dumplings separately from the sauce.

Paniyaram pan: its small hollows help cook the kofta with a light coating of oil rather than submerging them in it. The onion, tomato and cashew gravy gives the mild lauki a rich, aromatic partner.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 42 calories, 2g protein, 5g carbs, 2g fat.

Gram flour supplies most of the carbohydrates and some protein, while the oil and cashews contribute much of the fat; lauki and tomatoes add comparatively little energy. Serve a moderate portion with plenty of vegetables, and choose rice or flatbread to suit how filling you want the meal to be.

Getting the kofta mixture right

Drain well: squeezing out excess liquid helps the gram flour bind the lauki into a manageable mixture. Keep the expressed liquid, since the method uses it later in the gravy.

Sticky dough: the mixture is intended to be sticky, not dry and firm. Mix in the gram flour and seasonings evenly, then leave it aside while you prepare the gravy.

Building the gravy

Golden onions: sauté the onions and cashews until the onions are soft and golden before blending. This softens their flavour and helps the paste become smooth.

Cooked paste: let the tomato and onion mixture thicken in the pan before adding the reserved lauki water and measured water. The glossy, non-sticking paste is a useful cue that it has cooked down.

Cooking in a paniyaram pan

Low heat: cover the pan and cook the kofta gently so the outside can turn golden without rushing the centre. A light smear of oil in each hollow helps them release and brown.

Check the middle: browning both sides is not enough on its own; make sure a kofta is cooked through inside before taking the batch out. Work in batches if the hollows cannot hold all the mixture at once.

Timing the kofta and gravy

Use the gravy's simmering time to cook the kofta, as the recipe directs. Keep the gravy at a gentle simmer while you work rather than letting it boil hard.

Add the kofta once they are cooked through. This keeps them from sitting in the gravy for too long before serving.

Serving ideas

Serve the kofta hot with rice or a flatbread such as roti, so there is something to enjoy with the tomato gravy. Add the cream garnish if you like a softer finish.

A simple vegetable side or salad can bring freshness and contrast to the warm, spiced sauce.

Recipe notes & tips

• Grate around the seeds rather than mixing the soft central portion into the kofta.
• Reserve the lauki water after squeezing; it is added to the gravy.
• Let the onion and cashews cool before blending them with the tomatoes.
• Keep the kofta pan covered and the heat low while the dumplings cook.
• Check a kofta's centre before removing the batch from the pan.
• Add the cooked kofta to the gravy shortly before serving.

Variations

• Adjust the heat: reduce or increase the chilli to suit your preference.
• Skip the cream: leave off the garnish for a simpler finish.
• Add more herbs: scatter extra coriander leaves over the dish just before serving.
• Make it tangier: add a little more amchoor powder to the gravy.
• Serve with rice: spoon the kofta and gravy over plain rice for a fuller plate.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Discarding the lauki water: reserve it after squeezing, as the recipe adds it to the gravy.
• Leaving the kofta mixture too wet: squeeze the grated lauki thoroughly before mixing in the other ingredients.
• Blending the onion mixture while hot: let it cool on a plate before processing.
• Cooking the kofta over high heat: use a low flame and cover the paniyaram pan so the centres have time to cook.
• Adding uncooked kofta to the gravy: check that they are cooked through before transferring them.
• Boiling the gravy hard: keep it to a gentle simmer for the stated 6–8 minutes.

How to store

Store leftover kofta and gravy in a covered container in the fridge and use within 2 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan until hot throughout, adding a splash of water if the gravy has thickened; the kofta may soften as they sit in the sauce.

Frequently asked questions