Healthy Lauki Kofta Curry (Without Deep-Frying) Let’s give the classic lauki kofta curry a nutritious upgrade by skipping the deep-frying step altogether. Instead of submerging the koftas in oil, we use a paniyaram (appe) pan or air fryer to cook them to perfection with just a few drops of oil. This technique ensures the koftas remain light on the stomach, with a delicately crisp outer layer and a tender, airy center that simply melts in the mouth.
Made using grated bottle gourd (lauki), gram flour (besan), and mild spices, the koftas are gently cooked until golden, then simmered in a rich and flavorful gravy. The curry base is a wholesome blend of sautéed onions, ripe tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and cooling yogurt. The yogurt not only lends a creamy texture but also balances the warmth of the spices with its subtle tang.
The final dish is hearty yet light, indulgent yet nourishing — a perfect example of how comfort food can also be healthy. Serve it hot with soft chapatis, jeera rice, or even millet rotis for a wholesome Indian meal that doesn’t compromise on taste or wellness.
My Version Of Lauki Kofta
Usually, lauki kofta curry requires very a bit of prep work, so at whatever point I make it I make beyond any doubt to plan a expansive clump of kofta and solidify them for afterward. So I fair have to make the sauce, include a few koftas from my freezer stash and it’s ready.
When making in bulk, grinding bottle gourd requires a parcel of arm work. To diminish that I prescribe utilizing a food processor with a grinding circle. The grinding portion gets done in fair 5 minutes. Isn’t it fast?
Sometimes, I utilize my solidified onion-tomato masala to make this lauki kofta curry. So my dinner comes together in fair 15 minutes. I fair have to warm the sauce and include kofta along with whisked yogurt, kasoori methi, and garam masala. Such feast prepares are handy when you’re in a surge or not in the temperament to cook.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a snapshot of all the essential ingredients you’ll need to craft flavorful and healthy lauki koftas at home. For the rich, aromatic curry base, you’ll require a combination of onion, tomatoes, fresh ginger, garlic cloves, green chilies, creamy yogurt, and a medley of basic Indian spice powders.
- Lauki (Bottle Gourd, also known as Ghiya or Dudhi): This humble vegetable is the star of the dish. It’s commonly available in most Indian grocery stores and is known for its cooling properties and high water content. When buying, make sure to pick a young and tender lauki—these are lighter in weight, have a firm skin, and contain fewer seeds, making them ideal for grating and binding into koftas.
- Besan (Gram Flour): Besan works as the natural binding agent in the kofta mixture. It helps absorb the excess moisture from the grated lauki and gives structure, holding the koftas together during cooking.
- Spices for Kofta: The seasoning is kept minimal yet effective—just a touch of red chili powder for heat and coriander-cumin powder for warmth and depth. This lets the fresh taste of lauki shine through without overpowering it.
- Green Chilies: These add a touch of sharpness and can be adjusted to your taste preferences. You can finely chop or grind them into the mix depending on how spicy you want your koftas to be.
- Cilantro (Fresh Coriander Leaves): Don’t skip this! Chopped cilantro brings an earthy brightness and fresh herbal aroma to the koftas, enhancing their flavor and giving them a burst of color.
These ingredients come together to create a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth kofta that’s both nourishing and satisfying. Once simmered in a rich, tangy, spiced yogurt-based gravy, the dish becomes a complete, comforting meal that’s perfect for serving with warm roti or steamed rice.
Step By Step With Tips
1) Smash Ginger, Green Chili & Cilantro
Add ginger, green chili, and cilantro in a nourishment processor and run it until it gets to be coarsely ground. Evacuate it in a bowl. In the same nourishment processor, we will grind the lauki.
Note: I am making kofta in a huge amount that’s why I am utilizing a nourishment processor. Something else, utilize a little processor or chop them finely utilizing a knife.
2) Grind Lauki & Press Out Water
- Peel the bottle gourd, cut it into half vertically, and make 6-7 inches long pieces. If your lauki has develop seeds at that point dispose of those something else it’s ok.
- Use a grinding circle with a nourishment processor, keep the processor running, and press the pieces of lauki from the tube and grate.
- Then utilizing a clean man’s cloth or a muslin cloth, squeeze as much water as conceivable from the ground lauki and include to the same bowl with chili-cilantro mixture.
- Save this water and include it to sauce later.
Squeezing out all the conceivable water from lauki is exceptionally imperative. Something else, the kofta blend might require more besan and since of more besan, kofta may come out crude from the center
3) Make a kofta Mixture
- Add flavor powders (red chili and cumin-coriander powder), salt, and besan.
- Mix with a light hand and it comes together like a thick, sticky batter blend.
4) Shallow Fry Lauki Kofta
Shallow sear kofta utilizing a paniyaram pan on low-medium warm. Do cover with a top whereas cooking, so it gets cooked from the center.
I like to utilize a little cookie/ice cream scoop to shape kofta to keep my hands clean and to do other kitchen tasks.
TIP: Be quiet, one clump of lauki kofta requires around 5-6 minutes for each side (so a add up to of 10-12 minutes). So cook on moo to medium warm something else kofta will turn brown rapidly around the edges but it remains crude from the center.
Air Broil Kofta: It is a must to line your air fryer with material liner and air sear at 350 F for 20 minutes.
Deep Broil Kofta:
- This is the fastest strategy, but it is tall in calories. So I dodge it most of the time.
- I incline toward shallow broiling in a paniyaram pan since it gives a marginally comparable taste to a deep-fried one.
5) Make Gravy & Add Kofta
- You’ll require to make a commonplace North Indian fashion onion tomato sauce with flavors. Nitty gritty informational are in the recipe card below.
- Add whisked yogurt to the sauce and mix promptly to maintain a strategic distance from curdling.
- Keep the sauce somewhat on the more slender side as kofta will assimilate a few moisture.
- Add lauki kofta and stew for 2 minutes.
- Lastly, include garam masala, kasoori methi, and cilantro.
Tips:
– To dodge souring yogurt, lower the warm and blend at the same time whereas including yogurt.
– Continuously pulverize kasoori methi between your palms some time recently including it to the sauce. This way it discharges its flavor and smell to the max.
– Do not stew for more than 2 minutes after including kofta something else, kofta may gotten to be super delicate and fragile.
Storage & Freezing Lauki Kofta
- Refrigeration If you have leftover lauki kofta curry, it stays fresh and safe to eat for over to 2 days when stored in the refrigerator. Make sure it’s placed in an watertight vessel to maintain its flavor and help it from absorbing any odors from the fridge.
- Making Ahead Planning to serve the dish the coming day? This prevents the koftas from getting soppy. At the time of serving, simply overheat the gravy until hot, gently add the koftas, poach for a many twinkles so they absorb the flavors, trim with lately diced cilantro( coriander leaves), and serve hot.
- indurating Lauki Kofta To indurate braised koftas, first place them on a charger lined with diploma or adulation paper, icing they do n’t touch each other. indurate until they’re firm. Once solid, transfer the koftas into a freezer-safe ziplock bag or watertight vessel. Marker with the date and store in the freezer. They keep well for over to 3 months without losing texture or taste.
- Thawing & Reheating When ready to use, remove only the number of koftas demanded. Allow them to thaw naturally at room temperature for a many hours, or if you are in a hurry, use the microwave oven’s defrost setting to snappily thaw them. After deliquescing, warm them gently in hot gravy before serving, icing they’re unevenly hotted throughout.
Notes
- Squeezing out all the conceivable water from lauki is exceptionally critical. Something else, the kofta blend might require more besan and since of more besan, kofta may come out crude from the center.
- I like to utilize a little cookie scoop to shape & drop kofta to keep my hand clean to do other kitchen tasks.
- Be understanding, one group of kofta in paniyaram skillet requires around 5-6 minutes for each side (so a add up to of 10-12 minutes). So cook on moo to medium warm something else kofta will turn brown rapidly around the edges but it remains crude from the center.
- To maintain a strategic distance from turning sour yogurt, lower the warm and blend at the same time whereas including yogurt.
- Do not stew for more than 2 minutes after including kofta something else, kofta may gotten to be super delicate and fragile.