Ghiya Ke Kofte

Bottle gourd or more fondly known as ghiya, is one such vegetable which doesn’t have many followers. They would be only a few people who are fond of it. It is equally disliked by kids and adults alike, but the health benefits of bottle gourd are hard to ignore. It is packed with vitamins and minerals such as, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin A, C and folate. It helps in better digestion and also has a cooling effect. The list is endless. Coming back to the recipe, this one is something that I have learnt from my Mom. The beauty lies in its simplicity. No heavy cashew or cream gravy. Easy to digest and equally enjoyed with rice or roti.

Ingredients:

For kofte

500 gms peeled and grated bottle gourd

½ tsp ajwain

Salt to taste

2 tbsp besan

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp chilli powder

10-12 raisins/almonds

Oil for deep frying

For gravy:

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp zeera

1 pinch hing

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 big onion chopped

1 big tomato chopped

Salt to taste

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp haldi

½ tsp red chilli powder

2-3 tbsp fresh cream/ ½ cup milk

Kasoori methi for garnishing

Method for Kofte:

1.       Strain the peeled and grated bottle gourd from a strainer. We do not need excess liquid in it.

2.       Keep the water from the strained bottle gourd aside. We will use it in our gravy.

3.       Mix together the bottle gourd and all the dry spices along with besan.

4.       The batter will still be a little watery but do not add more besan as the koftas would come out hard.

5.       Shape the mixture into balls.

6.       Make a hollow centre and fill in raisins/almonds.

7.       Heat oil in a kadai, slide one kofta at a time ensuring they do not stick to one another.

8.       Fry till golden brown. Keep aside.

Method for Gravy:

1.       Heat the oil in a heavy based pan.

2.       Add hing and zeera. Let it crackle.

3.       Now add the chopped onions. Sauté till the onions become golden brown.

4.       Follow by adding chopped tomatoes.

5.       Now add the ginger garlic paste along with the dry soices.

6.       Cook till the oil seperates.

7.       At this stage, add the leftover bottle gourd juice or water.

8.       Milk can be added now and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.

9.       Gently put the koftas in the gravy and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.

10.   Garnish with kasoori methi and serve.