Lauki kofta recipe without deep frying, using paniyaram pan to fry kofta making it one step healthier. Full video, stepwise photos.
Lauki Kofta curry is best way to make your family enjoy bottle gourd in kofta form. I used paniyaram pan to avoid deep frying the veggie kofta and pairs well with this roti or Paratha.
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Ingredients
Lauki or bottle gourd – Can be cooked in many ways like in south Indian way – kootu, adai as well as we can make lauki halwa, lauki paratha etc and enjoy the vegetable.
I have used 2 onions and 3 large tomatoes as base for the gravy. It tastes best when the gravy is on tangier side as lauki kofta goes well in it.
Though I used homemade ginger garlic paste, you can use store bought or 6-7 garlic cloves, same amount of ginger while frying cubed onion. I also add cashews while sauteeing onion itself and grind along everything together.
Substitutions
The recipe by itself is gluten free. It is vegan if you skip cream for garnish. You can also make it no onion no garlic by following my recipe for no onion no garlic malai kofta gravy.
I adapted this recipe from Master chef Nikita’s Instagram post, but altered it to my convenience.
Video
Is video more your thing? Watch my Lauki kofta video.
Storage
After grating the bottle gourd, it tends to leave out lot of water. So squeeze off the excess and use it up in gravy. Also after mixing it with other ingredients, do not recommend keeping refrigerated.
It makes it hard to cook from inside as we are using shallow fry option with less oil.
The prepared gravy and kofta in it can be stored coupe of days if there is left over and re-heated. But I promise there won’t be any leftovers!
Top tip
Since we are not deep frying and use less oil, please note the important points before making this recipe:
- Use fine grater and not the large hole ones as it makes it difficult for the grated lauki to get cooked in the kofta.
- Use ⅛ tsp of cooking soda to ensure it gets cooked easily. If you are deep frying you can skip this. But it is important for the inside to get cooked.
- Cook covered in low flame, patiently.
My notes
I cut the lauki to 3, took two parts from it for the recipe. Used a large grater, but should use fine one next time for easy cooking.
The besan quantity may differ depending on how much water is retained in the lauki.
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Recipe card
Lauki kofta recipe | without deep frying
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups grated lauki bottle gourd
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp Gram flour besan
- 1 green chilli chopped
- 1 tsp Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- ¼ tsp Garam masala
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- ⅛ tsp Cooking soda
- 1 tbsp curd
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves
- Salt
- Oil as needed
For gravy
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 2 Onion
- 3 Tomato
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 8 Cashews
- 1 slit green chilli
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Kasuri methi
- ½ tsp Amchoor powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- Coriander leaves
- Cream to garnish
Instructions
- First wash, peel the bottle gourd. Cut off stalk and bottom and cut into 3.
- Grate holding it lengthwise, turning all around as you grate to leave out the seeds in middle.
- I measured approximately 1 & ½ cup lauki loosely packed.1.5 cups grated lauki
- Squeeze out the excess water from grated bottle gourd. Reserve the water.
- Add all the other ingredients , spices required for kofta, except oil.¼ cup + 2 tbsp Gram flour, 1 green chilli chopped, 1 tsp Chilli powder, 1 tsp Coriander powder, ¼ tsp Garam masala, ¼ tsp Asafoetida, ¼ tsp Turmeric, ⅛ tsp Cooking soda, 1 tbsp curd, 2 tbsp coriander leaves, Salt
- Mix well to get a sticky dough. Set aside until we prepare gravy.
For gravy
- Heat a pan with a tsp of oil. Add cubed onion and cashews.2 Onion, 8 Cashews
- Saute until the onion turn golden and soft.
- Remove in plate for cooling.
- In a blender, take cubed tomatoes, sauteed onion.3 Tomato
- Grind smoothly without water.
- Now again in the same pan, add remaining oil and temper with cumin seeds.2 tbsp Oil, 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- In goes slit chilli, ginger garlic paste.2 tsp Ginger garlic paste, 1 slit green chilli
- Just give it a fry.
- After that, add ground paste and the spice powders.1 tsp Red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp Garam masala, 1 tsp Kasuri methi, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp Amchoor powder
- Mix and continue cooking until the paste becomes thick.
- Add a drizzle of oil and it will be now non sticky and glossy.
- In goes the reserved water from lauki. Mix in.
- Then add 1 & ½ cups water and mix throughly.
- Simmer for 6-8 minutes.
- While simmering, let’s cook kofta.
Cooking kofta
- Heat a paniyaram pan and smear with little oil. Once hot, fill the hollows with the kofta batter.Oil as needed
- Cook covered in low flame.
- Once one side is golden, flip and cook the other side same way.
- Make sure the inside of the kofta also cooked thoroughly. Once done, take out.
- Transfer the kofta to simmering gravy.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and cream if desired to serve.Coriander leaves, Cream to garnish
Video
Notes
- Use fine grater and not the large hole ones as it makes it difficult for the grated lauki to get cooked in the kofta.
- Use ⅛ tsp of cooking soda to ensure it gets cooked easily. If you are deep frying you can skip this. But it is important for the inside to get cooked.
- Cook covered in low flame, patiently.
Stepwise photos
1. First wash, peel the bottle gourd.
2. Cut off stalk and bottom and cut into 3.
3. Grate holding it lengthwise, turning all around as you grate to leave out the seeds in middle.
3. I measured approximately 1 & ½ cup lauki loosely packed. Squeeze out the excess water from grated bottle gourd. Reserve the water.
4. Now it was around 1 cup lauki.
5. Add all the other ingredients , spices required for kofta, except oil.
6. Mix well to get a sticky dough. Set aside until we prepare gravy.
For gravy
1. Heat a pan with a tsp of oil. Add cubed onion and cashews.
2. Saute until the onion turn golden and soft.
3. Remove in plate for cooling.
4. In a blender, take cubed tomatoes, sauteed onion.
5. Grind smoothly without water.
6. Now again in the same pan, add remaining oil and temper with cumin seeds. In goes slit chilli, ginger garlic paste.
7. Just give it a fry.
8. After that, add ground paste and the spice powders.
9. Mix and continue cooking until the paste becomes thick. Add a drizzle of oil and it will be now non sticky and glossy.
10. In goes the reserved water from lauki. Mix in.
11. Then add 1 & ½ cups water and mix thoroughly.
12. Simmer for 6-8 minutes.
13. While simmering, let’s cook kofta.
Cooking kofta
1. Heat a paniyaram pan and smear with little oil. Once hot, fill the hollows with the kofta batter.
2. Cook covered in low flame.
4. Once one side is golden, flip and cook the other side same way.
5. Make sure the inside of the kofta also cooked thoroughly. Once done, take out.
5. Transfer the kofta to simmering gravy.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves and cream if desired to serve.
Goes well with plain parathas, lachha paratha.
Can I use eno fruit salt instead of cooking soda
Yes sure. You can use 1/2 tsp. Just to note both are same chemically 🙂