Homemade Healthy Lauki/ Bottle Gourd Kofta Recipe

Ingredients:

For Kofta:

• 1 medium size bottle gourd

• 1 chopped green chili

• 1 tsp chopped ginger

• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

• 1 onion

• 1/2 cup besan ( gram flour)

• 1 tsp chili powder

• salt to taste

For Gravy:

• 2 big onions chopped roughly

• 3 big tomatoes chopped roughly

• 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic

• 1/2 tbsp chopped ginger

• 1 chopped green chili

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1-2 tsp chili powder

• 1-2 tsp coriander powder

• 1/2 tsp jeera ( cumin) powder

• 1/2 tsp garam masala

• salt to taste

• 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves )

• 1 cup milk

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2-3 black peppers

• 1-2 cloves

• cream and coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Peel, wash and grate the lauki and onion then squeeze the extra water from it. Mix the remaining ingredients for the kofta and make small balls.

2. The balls can be deep fried but to make it healthy the koftas are cooked in an Appe pan by greasing the pan with just 1-2 drops of oil. Drop the balls one by one in the appe pan.

3. Cook all the koftas till brown on both sides . Keep aside for future use.

4. In a vessel heat 1-2 tbsp of oil add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppers and cloves saute it. Then add the roughly chopped onion and tomatoes with one cup of water. Cook till the onions and tomatoes are soft and mushy and all the water dries. Allow it to cool. Then grind it in a grinder to a fine paste.

5. Again heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a kadai add the chopped ginger, garlic and chili saute for a second then add the onion tomato paste with all the other spices. Cook on low flame stirring at intervals till oil is seen on sides of the vessel. Add milk to it and cook for 5 minutes. If the gravy is too thick a little water can be added to it. Remove from flame.

6. Take a wide mouth dish and place the koftas in it then pour the hot gravy on it. Garnish with cream and coriander leaves.

   Serve this tasty kofta with rotis, parathas, kulcha or naans.