+Lauki Kofta Curry..;)

Post Title: Kofta Curry (Bottlegourd/Lauki/Ghiya)

A post from a fellow blogger, suddenly reminided me of the kofta curry my mum used to make for us. how i loved it as a little girl and how so i love it till date..! This urged me to cook some lauki ke kofte for myself! Ahh...pure satisfaction to my soul...;).
The curry has a very subtle yet distinct flavor to itself, tough it is mildly spicy, the mild tang of the tomato based gravy adds zest and life to the already yum kofta's which just melt in the mouth. Really smooth..!!
This can be easily eaten with roti's or rice...completely your choice...either way its really awesome..!!
My mother would add cashews to the tomato based gravy to achieve the creamy,and rich flavor,added to the curry also gave her children calories...but being a mother in this century i chose to give my children a creamy, rich yet healthy variation of this curry by adding Almonds instead of Cashews. and instead of deep frying (which also strips the nutrients off the veggies) the koftas i pan fried them with very little olive oil.
The outcome was as good as the original i will say...;)


Lauki ke Kofke ki Kahdi: A light Tomato n almonds based curry with koftas made from bottle gourd dunked in them. Light Healthy n Yum..!!

Preperation Time: 15-20mins.
Cooking Time:15-20mins.
Serves: 2


What goes Inside:
This recipe can be divided into two parts the making of the koftas and the making of the Curry/Kadhi.

First for the Koftas:

• Bottlegourd: 1no (Small, De-Skinned ,de-seeded & Grated).
• Jeera: 1/2 Tsp.
• Red Chilly Powder: 1 Tsp(you can add more to your taste or use green chillies finely chopped if u wish).
• Corriander/Dhaniya Powder: 2Tsp.
• Gram flour/Besan: about 3-4 Tbsps(for mixing the dough to achieve pakora like consistency).
• Salt to Taste.
• Oil :2-3 Tbsp(for pan frying or more for deep frying).

Now for the Curry/Kadhi:

• Onions: 2 Medium Sized.
• Tomato: 1 big.
• Ginger paste: 1tsp.
• Garlic minced: 1 tsp.
• Cloves/laung: 7 nos.
• Cinnamon stick/dalchini: 1 inch piece.
• Coriander leaves(fresh)
• Almonds: about 8-10(peeled preferably if you are mostly a lazy person as i am then just throw them in as is..;).
• Turmeric Powder:1/4 Tsp.
• Red Chilly Powder: 1-2 Tsp.
• Corriander Powder: 1-2 Tsp.
• Jeera/Cumin seeds: 1 Tsp.
• Garam masala Powder: 1/4 Tsp.
• Oil: 2 Tbsp(i used olive).
• Salt to taste.

How to put it together:

1. De-skin then de-seed and grate the Lauki/Bottlegourd,then squeeze the grated lauki to remove all the juice however, keep the juice. We will use this juice in the curry at a later stage.
2. Now mix the lauki,the besan/gram flour,and  spice powders,finally the salt.Next we form small sized round or oval balls or you can even keep the mixture consistency lighter and droppy and just fry them like we fry onion pakoras(i.e what my mum does)when you add water to this,then you will get a batter like consistency which will help you in making pakoras. If you decide to make pakoras, then just drop spoonfuls of the mixture to the oil while frying,add less water to make the batter if you decide on shaping them.
3. Heat oil in a kadai or frying pan. you can shallow fry or deep fry or even just pan fry them, you must not let the oil get too hot or else the pakoras will turn brown too quick and the inside may remain uncooked.Fry the koftas in oil until they turn golden brown or slightly darker, evenly from all sides, while panfrying you may not be able to achieve even browning but we need to ensure its cooked on medium heat, so it its cooked well till inside.Drain on a tissue to absorb the extra oil.
4. Roughly chop 1 Onion,along with 4cloves,1/2pc cinnamon stick,if you do not have ginger paste and garlic minced you may very conveniently just add a few pods of garlic and some ginger into the mixer and grind to achieve a rough paste, set aside(no need to add water).Quater 1 Big Tomato and grind along with the almonds in the mixer to achieve a puree like consistency, smooth paste preferably,Set aside.
5. Now taking a deep bottomed pan, you can youe the same oil you used to fry the pakoras, take about 2-3 Tbsp, heat. Splutter jeera/Cumin seeds,the remaining cloves and the cinnamon stick into the oil now add the onion masala paste and allow to brown you will see the mixture stops sticking to the nonstick pan and leaves oil, which means it is well cooked, now for the second stage where we will add the tomato and almond paste mix well and keep stirring,be careful as the paste splutters  a bit if it too much  then just cover the pan with a lid not covering fullyso as to allow some steam to escape. The spluttering will stop as the mixture thickens.
6. Now add the all the dry spice powders turmeric,red chilli powder,corriander powder and the garam masala powder,mix it in and allow the mixture to cook until it starts to leave oil.
7. Now add the bottlegourd juice to bring this mixture to the right consistency,add salt   allow to cook in the open pan for about 10 minutes or more.
8. Now add the fried lauki koftas to the curry...Please DO NOT STIR THEM IN, they are very delicate and may break if you do so,as they soak in the curry and become softer. Serve the lauki kofta curry with rotis, phulkas, naan or steamed basmati rice this kadhi also goes well with jeera rice and Enjoy...!!!;)