Lauki Kofta Curry
Lauki Kofta Curry is a comforting North Indian dish made with soft, spiced bottle gourd (lauki) dumplings simmered in a rich, flavorful tomato-onion gravy. Perfect with roti, paratha, or steamed rice, this vegetarian curry is both wholesome and indulgent.
Ingredients
For Curry
- Tomato (टमाटर), Quartered – 2 cups or 500gms
- Onion (प्याज़), Roughly Cut – 1 cup or 250 gms
- Peanuts (मूंगफली) – 15 pc
- Cashew Nuts (काजू) -12 pc
- Cardamom (इलाइची) – 3 pcs
- Tej Patta (तेज पत्ता) – 1 pc
- Black Cardamom (काली इलाइची) – 1pc
- Laung (लौंग)- 5 pc
- Saunf (सौंफ) – 2 tsp
- Chilli Powder (लाल मिर्च पाउडर) -1 tsp
- Turmeric (हल्दी) – ½ tsp
- Coriander Powder (धनिया पाउडर) – 1 tbsp
- Garlic (लहसुन) – 6 cloves
- Ginger( अदरक), Roughly Cut – 1 inch pc
- Butter (मक्खन) – 1 tbsp
- Water (पानी) – ¼ cup
- Salt (namak) – to taste
For Kofta
- Lauki (लौकी) – 1 pc or 600gm
- Water (पानी) – For Boiling
- Salt (नमक) – 2 tbsp
- Cold water (ठंडा पानी) – To Cool the Lauki
- Paneer mashed (पनीर) – ¼ cup
- Green chilli (हरी मिर्च), Chopped – 1 tsp
- Ginger (अदरक), Chopped – 1 tsp
- Roasted cumin (भुना जीरा) – ½ tsp
- Coriander (धनिया), Chopped – 1 tbsp
- Onion (प्याज़), Chopped – 1 tbsp
- Bhuna Besan (भुना बेसन) – ¼ cup or as needed
- Salt (नमक) – to taste
- Pepper powder (काली मिर्च) – a pinch
- Oil (तेल) – for Frying
For Finishing of the curry
- Butter (मक्खन) – 1 tbsp
- Ginger (अदरक), Chopped – ½ tsp
- Green Chilli (हरी मिर्च), Chopped – 1 tsp
- Kasoori Methi (कसूरी मेथी) – ½ tsp
- Green Chilli (हरी मिर्च), Slit – 1 pc
- Sugar (चीनी) – a pinch
- Cream/Malai (क्रीम/ मलाई) – ¼ cup
- Coriander (धनिया), Chopped – 1 tbsp
Instructions
For Curry
- In a pressure cooker, add the tomatoes along with onions. To that add peanuts and cashews. Put in the cardamom, bay leaf, black cardamom, cloves and some fennel seeds in the pressure cooker. Add some red chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powdered. Now add ginger, garlic, salt and butter. Add a dash of water, close the lid and cook on high flame till one whistle and then lower the heat and give two more whistles to it.
- Check on the gravy, once it is ready, cool it down completely, remove the bay leaf and grind it in a mixer grinder. Heat up a pan and add butter to melt, while it’s melting, add ginger and green chillies. Sieve the gravy and add it to the pan, stir this well. Cook on simmer for about 10-12 minutes.While the gravy is boiling add kasoori Methi, slit green chilli and a pinch of sugar. Mix well and keep this aside.
For the Kofta
- Peel the lauki, cut into manageable pieces and grate the lauki. After grating, immediately add it to a saucepan with hot water. To this add some salt and let it boil. Sieve the lauki strands and put them into cold water to cool them down. Now squeeze out the water completely.To the lauki, add grated/mashed paneer, green chillies, ginger, roasted cumin, coriander, onion, roasted besan and salt. The roasted besan will provide the binding.Shape this mixture into small balls and keep aside. Fry the koftas on low to medium heat till a light brown colour is achieved. Remove the koftas and reserve over paper towel to remove excess oil.
For Finishing
- Finish the gravy with some cream and fresh coriander, turn the gas off. In a serving platter, pour the curry and then place the koftas on them. Then pour some more curry on top of the koftas. Garnish with some cream and coriander sprigs.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!