Lauki Kofta

Name: Lauki Kofta
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 medium Lauki; 0.5 tsp Salt; 200 g Grated paneer; 3 tbsp Roasted besan; 1 tsp Turmeric; 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder; 1 tsp Coriander powder; 0.5 tsp Cumin powder; 1 tsp Crushed kasuri methi; 1 Finely chopped green chilli; 2 tbsp Chopped coriander; 2 tbsp Chopped mixed nuts (cashews, almonds); 1 tbsp Chopped raisins; 2 tbsp Ghee; 1 tsp Chopped ginger; 3 Chopped tomatoes; 1 Chopped carrot; 2 tbsp Chopped coriander stems; 10 Soaked cashews; 1 tbsp Mustard oil; 1 Bay leaf; 2 Green cardamom; 3 Cloves; 6 Black peppercorns; 1 Dry Kashmiri red chilli; 1 tsp Crushed coriander seeds; 1 tsp Crushed fennel seeds; 0.5 tsp Cumin seeds; 1 tbsp Chole masala; 1 tsp Jaggery (optional)

Serves 4

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Lauki Kofta

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Serves 4

Directions

1Peel and grate the lauki.
2Add the grated lauki into a cloth and squeeze out all the water.
3Add grated paneer to the squeezed lauki and mix well.
4Add chopped coriander, crushed nuts, spices (chilli powder, coriander powder, roasted besan for binding), and salt to the lauki and paneer mixture.
5Mix everything thoroughly to form a dough.
6Shape the mixture into oval-shaped koftas.
7Cook the koftas on a tawa with ghee over medium flame until they are crisp and golden.
8For the gravy, sauté dry red chili, coriander stems, tomato, and cashew in a pan.
9Grind the sautéed ingredients into a paste and sieve it.
10In the same pan, add ghee and mustard oil, then add whole spices and dry masalas.
11Add the tomato mixture to the spices and cook well.
12Whisk curd with a little bit of besan and add it to the gravy.
13Add the cooked koftas to the gravy, cover, and cook until the oil is released.
14Smoke the gravy, garnish it, and plate it up.

Ingredients

1 medium Lauki
0.5 tsp Salt
200 g Grated paneer
3 tbsp Roasted besan
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
0.5 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Crushed kasuri methi
1 Finely chopped green chilli
2 tbsp Chopped coriander
2 tbsp Chopped mixed nuts (cashews, almonds)
1 tbsp Chopped raisins
2 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Chopped ginger
3 Chopped tomatoes
1 Chopped carrot
2 tbsp Chopped coriander stems
10 Soaked cashews
1 tbsp Mustard oil
1 Bay leaf
2 Green cardamom
3 Cloves
6 Black peppercorns
1 Dry Kashmiri red chilli
1 tsp Crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp Crushed fennel seeds
0.5 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Chole masala
1 tsp Jaggery (optional)
0.5 cup Whisked yogurt
Besan

Equipment

PeelerGraterMuslin clothStrainerTawaSpatulaPanBlenderSieveLadleFoil

Tips

Do not throw away the lauki peels; make a lauki peel thecha from them. The recipe is pinned below.

Lauki Kofta

Serves 4

instagram.com

Lauki Kofta

instagram.com

Serves 4

Directions

1Peel and grate the lauki.
2Add the grated lauki into a cloth and squeeze out all the water.
3Add grated paneer to the squeezed lauki and mix well.
4Add chopped coriander, crushed nuts, spices (chilli powder, coriander powder, roasted besan for binding), and salt to the lauki and paneer mixture.
5Mix everything thoroughly to form a dough.
6Shape the mixture into oval-shaped koftas.
7Cook the koftas on a tawa with ghee over medium flame until they are crisp and golden.
8For the gravy, sauté dry red chili, coriander stems, tomato, and cashew in a pan.
9Grind the sautéed ingredients into a paste and sieve it.
10In the same pan, add ghee and mustard oil, then add whole spices and dry masalas.
11Add the tomato mixture to the spices and cook well.
12Whisk curd with a little bit of besan and add it to the gravy.
13Add the cooked koftas to the gravy, cover, and cook until the oil is released.
14Smoke the gravy, garnish it, and plate it up.