12 June, 2018

BOTTLE GOURD/LAUKI KOFTA CURRY…. non deep fried version ಸೋರೇಕಾಯಿ ಕೊಫ಼್ತ ಕರ್ರಿ

Bottle gourd or lauki or ghiya or sorekayi is that vegetable which everyone wants to skip eating. So many people doesn’t like this vegetable because of its bland taste. But what if you add some spices to it and make something interesting ! recently I made lauki kofta curry and nobody could even make out. I also make Kootu, lauki – lobia huli (sorekayi – alasande kalu huli), Paldya (kadi), rotti, steamed dumplings, matawadi palya etc using bottle gourd/Lauki. It is available in plenty now in this summer season, it has more water content so it is helpful to deal with the heat and prevents exhaustion in this hot weather. I have also added maize flour along with gram flour & rice flour to make koftas. And added some yoghurt, which a healthier option to the gravy to make it thick/rich rather than adding cashew paste or cream. And also used beetroot paste in the gravy, which gives a nice colour to the gravy and thus one more way to use beetroot in our diet. I made the koftas in Guntapongalu Pan (appe pan) with few drops of oil. Actually, I have put two drops of oil for the first round of roasting and no oil for successive rounds. So it is a healthy preparation using very very less oil.

Please click here to read the recipe of lachha Parantha

Ingredients :

For the Koftas :

Grated lauki/bottle gourd – 1&1/2 cups (kept along with its water)
Maize flour/makai flour – 3 tbsp
Gram flour/besan – 3 tbsp
Rice flour – 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Green chilli – 1 tsp
Ginger paste/grated – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For the curry/gravy :

Oil – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 big
Tomato – 2 big
Beetroot paste – 1/2 cup (optional)
Almonds – 12 nos.,
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1/2 tbsp
Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1/4 tsp
Curd – 1/2 cup
Water – up to 1 cup
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp

PROCEDURE :

Gather everything listed below the heading ‘for the koftas’ in a bowl and mix them up well, without any lumps without using water (the water content in the lauki itself is enough to make koftas)

Heat the pan and put 2 drops of oil in each cavity and drop a lemon sized Kofta mixture in each cavity allow it to cook
Once it becomes roasted turn the Koftas and cook on the other side too

Chop the onion and tomato and grind them into paste separately and powder the almonds
Heat Oil in a pan, add in crushed/powdered/chopped/pasted curry leaves saute for second, then put onion paste and saute well till raw smell vanishes