Louki Kofta

Louki ka Kofta

Louki ka Kofta  is a North Indian gravy based Curry made with Bottlle Gourd.  In India a range of gourds are available such as Bottle Gourd, Ridge Gourd, Ash Gourd, Bitter Gourd, Snake Gourd besides a variety of cucumbers and these are available through-out the year. 

Today I am presenting a curry called Louki ka Kofta,  made with Bottle Gourd. This wonderful gourd is a  healthy vegetable,  looks like a Bottle or even like a mace, when it grows to a huge size in the farm. Known as Calabash (Lagenaria siceraria), it is considered as a endothermic or  cool vegetable and is very easily digestible too.

Louki ka Kofta is a popular curry in Northern Parts of India. It goes  very well with a wide variety of Indian Breads (Rotis). Long time back i  learnt this curry from one of my  friends from Delhi. I reminisce fondly those days....Just within a week after my marriage I had to move from South India to Northern region, almost 2000 km away to a different state.Those days i didn't know ABCs of cooking. Luckily for me, my husband got ourselves placed in the  Campus quarters of the company where he was working and, i used to go and spend my time with my wonderful neighbor friends, and get adjusted to the new locale, people and culture. Those were the times when i was introduced to north Indian dishes and i learn this dish -  Louki ki Koftaat that time. It is a  simple and delicious curry which goes well with steamed rice also besides breads or Rotis.

Ingredients:

1. Tender Fresh Bottle Gourd 1 small one around 500g
2. Cumin seeds                  1 tea spoon
3. Besan (Bengal Gram flour)   200g (one can use Corn flour as an alternative)
4. Salt                          1 tea spoon
5. Green chilli paste      1 tea spoon
6. Ginger paste             1 tea spoon
7. Vegetable Oil for frying Koftas 2 cups

Ingredients for Gravy:

1. Tomatoes                        2 medium size(cut into small pieces)
2. Onion                             1 (cut into small pieces)
3. Ginger paste                   1 tea spoon
4. Red chilli powder           1 tea spoon
5. Cumin powder               1 tea spoon
6. Salt                               1 tea spoon
7. Turmeric powder          1/2 tea spoon
8. Garam masala               1 tea spoon
9. Yoghurt                         1 cup
10. Bengal Gram flour (besan) 1 table spoons (or corn flour) 
11. Water                          1 cup
12. Vegetable oil               1 table spoon

Method for making Koftas:

1. Peel the skin of Louki (Bottle Gourd) and grate the vegetable with a Cheese Grater; squeeze the water from grated Louki, and keep it in a wide bowl.
2. Now add Besan(Gram flour),salt,cumin powder,Green chilli,Ginger Paste  to the grated  louki and mix well to form a dough that can be made into small balls. If the grated vegetable is not squeezed well to remove water from the vegetable, when mixed with flour and other ingredients, it will tend to get soggy and one may not be in a position to knead into make balls..
3. And divide this dough mix into 10 to 12 portions to make them into Koftas  - flat balls of the shape of small cutlets.
4. Heat Vegetable oil in a medium  Pan or Kadai, and deep fry Koftas till golden brown;.remove and place in an  oil absorbent paper, keep aside.

Method for making Gravy:

1. Heat oil in a Pan for 1 minute in medium heat; add onion pieces and shallow fry for one more minute; add ginger paste, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and fry for 2-3 minutes, till they release all moisture, but not burnt.
2. Then  add Tomato pieces and fry for 2 min.in medium flame till oil has come out. reduce the flame to low flame and let it simmer.
3. In the meanwhile,   take yoghurt and besan in a bowl,   mix well with a spoon or use a beater; add red chilli powder, salt, garam masala - mix well and add this mixture into the pan where tomatoes and onion are simmering. Turn to high flame and fry for 2 min.and bring the flame into low flame. If the gravy is too thick,  add 1/2 a cup of water and cook for few minutes more. 
4. Once the contents in the pan start fluttering due to high heat and batter becoming well cooked, add the Koftas already made and kept aside, in to this gravy, stir them delicately without breaking the Koftas. slowly reduce and turn off the flame of the stove.
5. Garnish the dish with coriander leaves.
6. Serve hot with any Indian Breads or steamed rice.