Ingredients:
For making the koftas:
• 2 cups grated lauki or ghia/bottle gourd or opo squash
• 31/2 to 4 tbsp besan/gram flour
• ¼ tsp garam masala powder
• ¼ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
• 1 green chili/hari mirch, finely chopped
• salt as required
• oil for deep or shallow frying the koftas
For making the masala paste:
• 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium sized onion, roughly chopped
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 1 inch ginger/adrak, chopped
• 4-5 garlic/lahsun, chopped
• 2 tbsp broken cashews/kaju
Rest of the ingredients:
• 1 tsp cumin/jeera
• ¼ or ½ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• 1 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
• ¼ or ½ tsp punjabi garam masala powder or garam masala powder
• 1 cup water or as required
• 1.5 or 2 tbsp oil if using fresh oil
• salt as required
• sugar as required and optional
Instructions:
1. rinse and peel the lauki/bottle gourd. grate it.
2. squeeze the grated lauki and collect the juice in a bowl or mug. keep the juice aside.
3. mix all the ingredients for making the koftas with the grated lauki except oi.
4. make small round shaped balls or patties and shallow or deep fry in oil till golden brown. drain on paper tissues.
5. blend all the ingredients mentioned under masala paste with little or no water to a smooth paste. don’t add too much water as then the whole mixture splutters while frying.
6. remove extra oil from the frying pan in which the koftas were fried. keep about 1.5 or 2 tbsp oil.
7. heat the oil and first fry the cumin. then add the masala paste.
8. fry for 8-10 mins and then add all the spice powders.
9. stir and continue to fry the masala paste till it starts leaving oil from the sides.
10. add the juice and about 1 cup water to the paste. stir and simmer for 10-12 minutes. lastly add the fried lauki kofta.
11. switch off the fire and let them be in the lauki curry for a few minutes.
12. garnish with coriander leaves and serve lauki kofta hot with rotis, naan or jeera rice.