Lauki Kofta Curry

for the kofta: (pakora or fried dumpling)

2 cups grated lauki(bottle gourd)

It is almost equal to one medium sized bottle gourd/lauki. But its better to write the measurement in cups as the size of the vegetable varies largely when you travel from northern to southern India. In Rajasthan I saw lauki half the size of an english cucumber where as in Bangalore its bigger than a feet. so guys wherever you stay try to find tender lauki regardless of the size. However When in Armenia I used to use green zucchini to make this curry. The taste was same.

2 green chilies chopped
1 inch piece ginger grated
3/4 cup gram flour/besan
2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
2 tsp oil
salt
oil for deep frying

1. Sqeeze out the juice from the lauki and keep the liquid aside(we can use it for the gravy)
2. Add all the ingredients for the kofta and mix lightly. The quantity of the flour may vary depending on the moisture in the lauki mixture. I usually prefer thick batter cum dough like consistency, the shape may not come perfect with this but the koftas come out very soft. But if you want perfect shape than use more flour to get a dough like consistancy.
3. Heat oil. make small balls out of the mixture using a little oil in your palm, if it is too sticky to shape you can drop small portions in hot oil using a spoon. Deep Fry the koftas until golden brown.
Drain on an absorbent paper. Take out the extra oil from the pan leaving approx 4 tbsp which we are going to use for the gravy.

for the gravy:

2 medium sized onions finely chopped
4 tomatoes pureed
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste(optional)
1/2 cup beaten yogurt
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
4 tbsp oil
salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves

1. Saute the onions in the oil until golden brown.
2. Add ginger garlic paste saute again for a min and add tomato puree. cover and cook until tomatoes are cooked.
3. Add chilli powder, coriander powder and cook covered until oil separates.
4. Add the squeezed lauki juice along with some water and bring it to a boil. If you are going to consume the curry later than add more water as the koftas will absorb the gravy.
5. Add the koftas, garam masala, cumin powder, salt and simmer for 5 min.
6. Switch off the gas, slightly cool and mix in the beaten curds.
7.Garnish with corriander leaves and serve with chapatis or rice.