This vegetarian lauki kofta recipe will completely change your mind about bottle gourd and make you fall in love with it.
- What is Lauki Kofta?
- Ingredients Required For Kofta
- How To Make Lauki Kofta
- Ingredients Required For Curry
- How To Make Curry
- My Tried and True Tips
- Lauki Kofta Curry Recipe
What is Lauki Kofta?
Lauki is the Hindi term for bottle gourd. It is also known as doodhi or ghiya in many regions of Northern India. Bottle Gourd is a thick, fleshy vegetable vine that grows in tropical countries. It belongs to the squash family.
In India, it is creatively used to make a variety of sabzi , kofta, mithai, or kheer .
Lauki Kofta is a vegetarian, gluten-free, fried fritter (kofta) made with a grated bottle gourd. At the same time, the curry is made with a simple tomato and onion masala. Lauki Kofta Curry is an easy and less indulgent alternative for rich and creamy paneer kofta curry .
It is a perfect curry for everyday Indian meal when you need something comforting with fewer calories and fuss.
Ingredients Required For Kofta
- Bottle Gourd: A sign of a healthy, young gourd is pale green, smooth skin that is quite firm and blemish-free.
- Gram Flour: It helps in binding the fritters (kofta). If you prefer, add a tablespoon of corn starch or rice flour.
- Seasoning: Salt, Red Chili Powder, Ginger Garlic Paste , Turmeric Powder, Carom Seeds, Cumin Powder
- Other Ingredients: Finely chopped green chilli and onion
How To Make Lauki Kofta
Step 1) Remove the bottle gourd’s outer skin and white seeds/flesh.
Step 2) Grate the bottle gourd using a food processor or manual grater with bigger holes. Season grated bottle gourd with salt, mix nicely, cover and set aside for 10 minutes for squash to release all the water ( images 1 & 2 ).
Step 3) Squeeze out all the excess water from the grated bottle gourd. I use a muslin cloth to tie the grated bottle gourd and squeeze out all the water ( images 3 & 4 ).
Step 4) Transfer bottle gourd to a bowl add gram flour, onion, chili, salt, and spices. Combine well to form a thick batter for the koftas. Do not add water.
Step 5) Heat oil in a deep-frying pan over medium flame. Take a spoonful of kofta mixture and shape it into a small ball. Gently and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Similarly, shape and slide all the kofta into the hot oil. Fry over low to medium heat till crisp, golden, and cooked from inside.
Transfer fried kofta to an oil absorbent paper and set aside while you prepare the curry.
Ingredients Required For Curry
- Onion Paste: Blend two onions using ⅛ cup of water to a fine paste in a blender.
- Tomato Paste: Blend two chopped tomatoes to a fine paste.
- Oil : I use flavourless refined oil to fry kofta and to make curry. You can use mustard oil, ghee, or vegetable oil.
- Spices: Bay Leaf, Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala , Kasuri Methi
- Other Ingredients: Salt, Water, Ginger Garlic Paste, and Fresh Coriander
How To Make Curry
Step 1) To prepare the kofta curry, heat the oil in a kadhai over medium heat. Add bay leaf and onion paste. Fry the masala over low heat till it becomes light brown.
Step 2) Add ginger garlic paste, tomato paste, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and mix nicely. Saute the masala over medium heat till oil separates or starts oozing from the sides of the masala. This might take 8 – 10 minutes.
Step 3) Add water to make the curry, kasuri methi, and garam masala. Stir to combine. Bring kofta curry to a boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes or until the curry thickens. At this stage, you can add cream. Mix it nicely and cook.
Step 4) Once you are ready to serve the curry, add the koftas to the curry and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes over low heat.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
My Tried and True Tips
- Make sure to squeeze out all the liquid from the grated bottle gourd before making kofta else, they will not hold shape.
- Always fry kofta over low-medium heat so it is fully cooked from the inside and perfectly brown from the outside.
- Allow the kofta to cool down a bit before adding in the gravy.
- Add the kofta to the gravy and simmer the curry for 5 – 10 minutes over low heat. The heat will help kofta absorb the curry’s flavour and become even more delicious.
- You can add a cooking cream or milk to make the curry richer and creamier.
Serving Suggestion
Lauki Kofta Curry is a vegetarian Indian main course dish from North India. Serve it with chapati, paratha, jeera rice , or plain basmati rice for lunch or dinner.
For a complete Indian thali meal, serve kofta curry with side dishes like mint raita , shahi dal , chapati, and kachumber salad .
More Indian Curry Recipes
- Paneer Curry
- Veg Keema Curry
- Soya Chaap Curry
- Dahi Potato Curry
- Shahi Soya Curry
- Chana Saag Curry
- Lobia Masala Curry
Ingredients
Ingredients For Kofta:
- ▢ 2 Cup grated bottle gourd
- ▢ ¼ Cup gram flour (besan)
- ▢ ¼ Cup finely chopped onion
- ▢ 2 green chili chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste ( get recipe )
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ▢ 1 Cup refined oil for deep frying
Ingredients For Curry:
- ▢ 4 tablespoon refined oil
- ▢ 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- ▢ 2 medium size onion
- ▢ 2 medium size tomato
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ 1 ¼ Cup water
- ▢ 2 tablespoon fresh cream
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (get recipe here )
- ▢ 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
How To Make Kofta:
- To prepare the lauki kofta, remove the bottle gourd’s outer skin and white seeds/flesh. Grate the bottle gourd using a food processor or manual grater with bigger holes.
- Season grated bottle gourd with salt, mix nicely, cover and set aside for 10 minutes for squash to release all the water. Squeeze out all the excess water from the grated bottle gourd. I use a muslin cloth to tie the grated bottle gourd and squeeze out all the water.
- Transfer bottle gourd to a bowl add gram flour, onion, chili, salt, and spices. Combine well to form a thick batter for the koftas. Do not add water.
- Heat oil in a deep-frying pan over medium flame. Take a spoonful of kofta mixture and shape it into a small ball. Gently and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Similarly, shape and slide all the kofta into the hot oil. Fry over low to medium heat till crisp, golden, and cooked from inside. Transfer to an oil absorbent paper and set aside while you prepare the curry.
How To Make Curry:
- Blend two onions using ⅛ cup of water to a fine paste in a blender. Transfer to a bowl. Similarly, blend two chopped tomatoes to a fine paste. Transfer to a bowl and keep them aside.
- To prepare the kofta curry, heat the oil in a kadhai over medium flame. Add bay leaf and onion paste. Fry the masala over low heat till it becomes light brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste, tomato paste, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and mix nicely. Saute the masala over medium heat till oil separates or starts oozing from the sides of the masala. This might take 8 – 10 minutes.
- Add water to make the curry, kasuri methi, and garam masala. Stir to combine. Bring kofta curry to a boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes or until the curry thickens. At this stage, you can add cream. Mix it nicely and cook.
- Once you are ready to serve the curry, add the koftas to the curry and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes over low heat.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve Lauki Kofta Curry warm along with chapati or steamed rice.
Recipe Notes:
- If you are making a vegan version, use cashew cream/paste to make the curry rich and thick.
- Instead of deep frying, you can air fry lauki kofta or cook them in an appe pan (paniyaram pan).
- If bottle gourd is not available, use zucchini to make the kofta. It tastes equally delicious.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Lauki Kofta Curry Recipe
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
- Mixing Bowl
- Grater
Ingredients
Ingredients For Kofta:
- 2 Cup grated bottle gourd
- ¼ Cup gram flour (besan)
- ¼ Cup finely chopped onion
- 2 green chili chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste ( get recipe )
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 Cup refined oil for deep frying
Ingredients For Curry:
- 4 tablespoon refined oil
- 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- 2 medium size onion
- 2 medium size tomato
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 ¼ Cup water
- 2 tablespoon fresh cream
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (get recipe here )
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
How To Make Kofta:
- To prepare the lauki kofta, remove the bottle gourd’s outer skin and white seeds/flesh. Grate the bottle gourd using a food processor or manual grater with bigger holes.
- Season grated bottle gourd with salt, mix nicely, cover and set aside for 10 minutes for squash to release all the water. Squeeze out all the excess water from the grated bottle gourd. I use a muslin cloth to tie the grated bottle gourd and squeeze out all the water.
- Transfer bottle gourd to a bowl add gram flour, onion, chili, salt, and spices. Combine well to form a thick batter for the koftas. Do not add water.
- Heat oil in a deep-frying pan over medium flame. Take a spoonful of kofta mixture and shape it into a small ball. Gently and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Similarly, shape and slide all the kofta into the hot oil. Fry over low to medium heat till crisp, golden, and cooked from inside. Transfer to an oil absorbent paper and set aside while you prepare the curry.
How To Make Curry:
- Blend two onions using ⅛ cup of water to a fine paste in a blender. Transfer to a bowl. Similarly, blend two chopped tomatoes to a fine paste. Transfer to a bowl and keep them aside.
- To prepare the kofta curry, heat the oil in a kadhai over medium flame. Add bay leaf and onion paste. Fry the masala over low heat till it becomes light brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste, tomato paste, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and mix nicely. Saute the masala over medium heat till oil separates or starts oozing from the sides of the masala. This might take 8 – 10 minutes.
- Add water to make the curry, kasuri methi, and garam masala. Stir to combine. Bring kofta curry to a boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes or until the curry thickens. At this stage, you can add cream. Mix it nicely and cook.
- Once you are ready to serve the curry, add the koftas to the curry and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes over low heat.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve Lauki Kofta Curry warm along with chapati or steamed rice.
Notes
- If you are making a vegan version, use cashew cream/paste to make the curry rich and thick.
- Instead of deep frying, you can air fry lauki kofta or cook them in an appe pan (paniyaram pan).
- If bottle gourd is not available, use zucchini to make the kofta. It tastes equally delicious.
Nutrition
Aam ki Launji, also known as sweet and spicy mango chutney, is a popular summer relish across North India. It is made using raw mangoes, jaggery, and spices, and can easily stored for 2 – 3 months.
- About Launji
- Ingredients Required
- How To Make Launji
- Serving Suggestion
- More Green Mango Recipes
- Sweet Spicy Aam Ki Launji
About Launji
A traditional North Indian condiment, aam ki launji tantalizes the taste buds with its harmonious blend of sweet, and spicy flavour. The combination of tart raw mangoes and sweet jaggery, infused with earthy spices, is truly delectable. It is one of the best ways to use green, unripe mangoes during the summer season.
When the market is loaded with the abundant produce of kaccha aam (raw mango) the wise house ladies like my mother, slice them and make launji to preserve them.
It is very similar to Gujarati aam chundo , the only difference is mangoes are sliced and not grated for launji along with that it has a strong taste of spices.
Aam Ki Launji is a – vegan, gluten-free , one-pot recipe.
Ingredients Required
- Mango: Use unripe, raw, or green mango, also known as Kairi or kaccha aam in India. Discard the stone and skin. Use only the pulp.
- Jaggery is the sweetener used in launji. You can use jaggery powder also. Or substitute it with brown or coconut sugar.
- Spices: Cumin Seeds (jeera), Black Mustard Seeds (rai), Fenugreek Seeds (methi dana), Fennel Seeds (saunf), Nigella Seeds (kalonji)
- Seasoning: Salt, Red Chilli Powder, Asafoetida (hing)
- Use neutral flavour refined oil to cool launji.
How To Make Launji
Prepping the Mangoes: Start by washing, drying, peeling the raw mangoes and slicing them. Ensure that the mangoes are firm and underripe, as they lend a tangy flavour to the launji.
Tempering:
- In a kadhai, heat oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add cumin, nigella, mustard, fennel, and fenugreek seeds. Let them splutter.
- Allow the spices to sizzle for a few seconds, releasing their aroma and flavours into the oil.
Cook Mangoes:
- Carefully add the sliced mangoes to the kadhai along with salt and red chilli powder, stirring gently to coat them with the spices.
- Add water, stir to combine, cover and let the mangoes cook until they soften slightly.
Add Jaggery :
- Then, add grated or chopped jaggery (or sugar) to the pan. Stir gently to dissolve it.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the launji simmer gently, allowing the flavours to meld together. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook until the mangoes are soft and the jaggery has dissolved, creating a thick and glossy consistency.
Storing:
- Allow the launji to cool slightly before transferring it to a clean, airtight container.
- Store it in the refrigerator, and the flavours intensify over time.
Serving Suggestion
Serve aam launji as a chutney alongside roti, paratha , poori , or rice dishes, or enjoy it as a flavorful accompaniment to any meal.
With its perfect balance of sweet, sour, and spicy notes, this traditional mango relish is sure to elevate everyday Indian meals.
More Green Mango Recipes
- Aam Panna
- Instant Aam Chunda
- Instant Mango Pickle
- Punjabi Aam Ka Achaar
Get all my Mango Recipes here
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 large size unripe, green mango (kaccha aam)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon refined oil
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon nigella seeds ( kalonji)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ▢ 100 gram jaggery, chopped
- ▢ 1 Cup water
Instructions
- Start by washing, drying, peeling the raw mangoes and slicing them. Ensure mangoes are firm and underripe, as they lend a tangy flavour to the launji.
- In a kadhai, heat oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add cumin, nigella, mustard, fennel, and fenugreek seeds. Let them splutter. Allow the spices to sizzle for a few seconds, releasing their aroma and flavours into the oil.
- Carefully add the sliced mangoes to the kadhai along with salt and red chilli powder, stirring gently to coat them with the spices.
- Add water, stir to combine, cover and let the mangoes cook until they soften slightly. This takes 15 minutes over low heat.
- Add grated or chopped jaggery (or sugar) to the pan. Stir gently to dissolve it.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the launji simmer gently, allowing the flavours to meld together. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook until the mangoes are soft and the jaggery has dissolved, creating a thick, glossy, and slightly sticky consistency. Taste, and if required add more salt, chilli powder or jaggery.
- Allow the launji to cool slightly before transferring it to a clean, airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator, and the flavours intensify over time.
Recipe Notes:
- Add jaggery only after the mangoes are 60% cooked. Do not add sweeteners in the beginning.
- Ensure not to overcook the mangoes. Mango slices should hold their shape but should be easy to break apart. Launji should never be mushy.
- Use medium sour mangoes for best results otherwise you have to add too much of jaggery or sweetener to balance the sourness of mangoes.
- Do not add too much water while cooking the mangoes otherwise you will never get that sticky consistency.
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