Name: Lauki Kofta
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 8 pieces tamarind with seeds (see Note); 1 quart (800 ml) vegetable oil; 1½ tablespoons ground coriander; ¾ teaspoon table salt; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; ½ teaspoon garam masala (spice mix); 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 medium red onions, chopped; 3½ tablespoons besan (chickpea/gram flour); ¼ teaspoon red chile powder; ½ teaspoon table salt; 5 medium tomatoes, puréed; ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1½ small lauki (bottle gourd; see Note); ¾ teaspoon red chile powder

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

How to Cook Indian

By Sanjeev Kapoor

Published 2011

About

I grew up in a very Punjabi atmosphere where koftas were cooked at least once a week. This is one of my favorite dishes from childhood. I remember being excited by the surprising tamarind filling inside.

Ingredients

For the kofta

1½ small lauki (bottle gourd; see Note)
3½ tablespoons besan (chickpea/gram flour)

Method

Make the koftas: Peel the bottle gourd and then grate coarsely. Squeeze to remove the excess water. Put in a large bowl, add the besan, chile powder, and salt, and combine well. It will be sticky but manageable. Divide into 8 portions.
Stuff one piece of tamarind into each portion and shape into balls.
Place a nonstick wok over high heat