Lau or lauki or bottle gourd kofta: An unforgettable vegetarian kofta dish

Lau or lauki or bottle gourd kofta: An unforgettable vegetarian kofta dish

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Call it lau, lauki, doodhi or bottle gourd this nutrient rich vegetable gets a lot of attention in Ayurveda. It’s more or less neutral taste makes it unique because you can use it in many recipes. And I will be sharing the best recipe of all with you today – bottle gourd kofta! Kofta is generally a Middle Eastern or South Asian dish made with minced meat and spices. They are often shaped into small balls and then spiced in gravy. I am taking the same concept only changing the meat into bottle gourd or lauki. And I promise you it is indeed tasty. Surprise your guests or family members by making this dish for a main meal. Even for a vegetarian this will be a pleasant surprise. You will find bottle gourd at any Indian or South Asian and Chinese groceries around your area. It is also known as fuzzy squash in Canada.

Lauki Kofta Curry Recipe:

Lauki

Quick tips for making extra or preparing it faster:

  1. Use the garam masala recipe from my previous blog posts. I tried using store bought and it doesn’t taste the same!
  2. Get 2-3 bottle gourds, peel and cut them into small pieces and freeze them for easy cooking next time.
  3. Make extra kofta’s, fry them, let them cool and freeze them. Next time you cook, all you have to do it make the gravy or enjoy the kofta’s with sauce or salad.

Read this blog to learn about the benefits of bottle gourd or lauki in Ayurveda.

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Lauki Kofta Curry Recipe
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For the koftas
  1. • 1 medium size bottle gourd (yields up to 2 cups)
  2. • 3 tbsp. of chickpea flour (also known as besan)
  3. • 1 tsp. of garam masala powder
  4. • ¼ tsp. of cumin powder
  5. • A pinch of turmeric
  6. • 1 green chili, thinly chopped
  7. • 2 tbsp. of coriander leaves, finely chopped
  8. • Salt and white pepper
  9. • Coconut oil for frying
For the gravy
  1. • 1 medium sized red onion
  2. • 1 large tomatoes
  3. • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  4. • ¼ cup of raw cashews, soaked
  5. • ¼ tsp. of garam masala
  6. • ½ tsp. of cumin powder
  7. • ½ tsp. of coriander powder
  8. • ¼ tsp. of turmeric powder
  9. • ¼ tsp. of cayenne powder
  10. • 5-6 curry leaves
  11. • 1 cup of bottle gourd juice
  12. • 2 tbsp. of coconut oil
  13. • Sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. 1. Rinse and peel the lauki or bottle gourd using a peeler.
  2. 2. Cut it into half and spoon out the seeds as much as you can.
  3. 3. Cut lauki or bottle gourd into smaller pieces so that it is easy for grating.
  4. 4. Use a grater to grate lauki or bottle gourd. No need to fine grate with the smaller holes but the other side of the grater (bigger holes) is fine.
  5. 5. Use a nut milk bag inside a bowl and put all the grated lauki or bottle gourd in the bag.
  6. 6. Squeeze the juice out of the lauki or bottle gourd gently and leave it hanging is possible.
  7. 7. Do not throw away the water as we can use it for the gravy.
  8. 8. Transfer the grated bottle gourd in another bowl and add rest of the ingredients for the kofta.
  9. 9. The chickpea flour or besan will work as a binding agent to make the lauki balls.
  10. 10. Form the balls and keep them aside.
  11. 11. In a small pan add coconut oil so it is half way covered.
  12. 12. After the oil is hot add the lauki or bottle gourd kofta’s and fry.
  13. 13. Use a tong to turn the kofta’s after 5-6 minutes.
  14. 14. Regular deep frying will required more oil but since the kofta’s are well bind I just use a small pan and fill half way with oil.
  15. 15. Once both sides are fried into golden brown, put the kofta’s on a paper towel that can soak excess oil.
For the gravy and completing the curry
  1. 1. Peel onions and roughly cut in big sizes.
  2. 2. Peel garlic and wash the tomatoes.
  3. 3. Rinse and dry the cashews.
  4. 4. Put onion, tomato, garlic and cashew in a food processor and chop until fine.
  5. 5. In a pan heat coconut oil and add the onion paste.
  6. 6. Add all the powdered spices and the curry leaves.
  7. 7. Pour in the bottle gourd or lauki juice and cover for 7-8 minutes until the gravy is cooked.
  8. 8. Add in the salt and lastly gentle add the koftas.
  9. 9. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and your delectable bottle gourd kofta is ready!
  10. I know it looks like a lot of steps. However I tend to write down even the small details for people who are cooking this dish or any South Asian dish for the first time. Once you do it, you will understand how easy and simple it is. I sometimes make it watching TV or listening to an audio book.
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3 COMMENTS

  1. I live in the middle of the United States on a farm outside Odessa, Missouri. I was given a large bottle gourd by an Indian woman, Jyoti who sits next to me at work. She grew the vines in her garden. She gave me a smaller one before and a dish to prepare. We loved it. I am looking forward to preparing this dish and also juicing part of it. Thank you for your informative website. I will plant this vine next year on my farm.

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