Indian cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Lauki Kofta

Dumplings of grated bottle gourd and gram flour, fried and served in a tomato-yogurt sauce.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g bottle gourd (lauki, or substitute zucchini)
• 120 g gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 1 green chili
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 onions
• 4 tomatoes
• 200 g yogurt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 bunch coriander
• Oil for frying

Instructions

1. Peel the bottle gourd, grate finely, mix with 1 tsp salt, let sit for 10 minutes and then squeeze out firmly — the collected juice will later be used for the sauce.
2. Knead the grated gourd with gram flour, finely chopped chili, the ginger and 1/2 tsp turmeric into a moldable mass, and shape into 16 walnut-sized dumplings.
3. Heat the oil to 170°C and fry the kofta in batches for 4–5 minutes until golden-brown and firm all over; drain on paper towels.
4. Put 3 tbsp of the frying oil into a wide pot, fry the finely chopped onions for 6 minutes until golden, toast the remaining turmeric and ground coriander for 20 seconds, and reduce the diced tomatoes for 8 minutes.
5. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the smoothly whisked yogurt, pour in the gourd juice and 200 ml water, season with salt and simmer gently for 8 minutes until the sauce thickens.
6. Add the kofta only 5 minutes before serving so they don't fall apart, season to taste with garam masala and chopped coriander, and serve immediately.