Delicious & Healthy No-Oil Lauki Kofta Curry

Kofta Ingredients

1 medium-sized bottle gourd (lauki), peeled and grated
1/4 cup gram flour (besan)
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp freshly chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp jeera powder (cumin powder)
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp garam masala

Gravy Ingredients:
2 large-sized onions, roughly chopped
3 large-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
3 tsp soaked melon seeds
Salt to taste
1 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

Directions:

Making Koftas:

1. Grate the bottle gourd. Add salt to the grated bottle gourd and set it aside for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water from the grated bottle gourd, and save the squeezed water for the gravy.
2. In a bowl, combine the grated bottle gourd with gram flour, salt, turmeric powder, chopped coriander leaves, red chili powder, jeera powder, coriander powder, minced ginger, and garam masala. Mix well to form a kofta mixture.
3. Shape small portions of the kofta mixture into small-sized balls. You can steam the koftas for 10 minutes andair-fry them at 180°C for 25 minutes until they turn golden and crisp.

Preparing the Gravy:

1. Steam the chopped onions and tomatoes for 5 minutes. Then, add the soaked melon seeds and steam for an additional 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the steamed onion, tomato, and melon seed, ginger, garlic and chopped coriander mixture to a blender and grind it to a fine paste.
3. Heat a pan and add jeera (cumin seeds). Allow them to splutter. Add 2 whole cardamom pods.
4. Transfer the ground masala paste to the pan. Add the saved bottle gourd water and green chili. If desired, add garam masala and kasuri methi at this stage.
5. Bring the curry to a boil. Add a little water if needed, as the gravy tends to thicken due to the addition of besan in the koftas. Allow the gravy to thicken slightly.
6. Once the desired consistency is achieved, turn off the heat and add salt to taste. Garnish the Lauki Kofta Curry with chopped coriander leaves.
7. Serve the warm Lauki Kofta Curry with chapati or steamed rice.

Enjoy the delicious and flavorful Lauki Kofta Curry!