Lauki Kofta Curry

In a pressure cooker, add the tomatoes along with onions. To that add peanuts and cashews. Put in the cardamom, bay leaf, black cardamom, cloves and some fennel seeds in the pressure cooker. Add some red chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powdered. Now add ginger, garlic, salt and butter. Add a dash of water, close the lid and cook on high flame till one whistle and then lower the heat and give two more whistles to it.

Check on the gravy, once it is ready, cool it down completely, remove the bay leaf and grind it in a mixer grinder. Heat up a pan and add butter to melt, while it’s melting, add ginger and green chillies. Sieve the gravy and add it to the pan, stir this well. Cook on simmer for about 10-12 minutes.

4. While the gravy is boiling add kasoori methi, slit green chilli and a pinch of sugar. Mix well and keep this aside.

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Peel the lauki, cut into manageable pieces and grate the lauki. After grating, immediately add it to a saucepan with hot water. To this add some salt and let it boil. Sieve the lauki strands and put them into cold water to cool them down. Now squeeze out the water completely.

To the lauki, add grated/mashed paneer, green chillies, ginger, roasted cumin, coriander, onion, roasted besan and salt. The roasted besan will provide the binding.
Shape this mixture into small balls and keep aside. Fry the koftas on low to medium heat till a light brown colour is achieved. Remove the koftas and reserve over paper towel to remove excess oil.

Finish the gravy with some cream and fresh coriander, turn the gas off. In a serving platter, pour the curry and then place the koftas on them. Then pour some more curry on top of the koftas. Garnish with some cream and coriander sprigs.