Lauki Kofta In Tomato Gravy, 1 Tablespoon Oil Subji

What’s there in a name?? Lauki, ghiya, doodhi or bottle gourd whatever you name it, the fact that it is a very healthy vegetable and no name can change this feature.  Digestion problems, want to lose weight, need good skin and hair consume bottle gourd-period!! So once a week no matter what I make use of lauki, be it lauki theplas, or dahi vali lauki ki subji or lauki muffins. 

Today’s post is lauki kofta in tomato gravy. Just a week back I posted low fat lauki kofta recipe, the same koftas are used dunked in tomato curry. This curry is very Punjabi and north Indian style as this contains lot of spices, ginger and garlic. All these spices are cooked on low heat with onion and ginger garlic paste, and finally tomato is added followed by handful of Indian spices-the result is rich and flavorful curry.

Also, it has just 1 tablespoon of oil in this recipe, I mean why use more oil when you are actually are making use low fat zero oil koftas. So indeed this is a healthy curry, with no compromise in texture and taste.

Before I move ahead and share the recipe, please see the low fat lauki kofta recipe.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion chopped

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

1 large tomato chopped

1 tablespoon oil

Pinch asafoetida/hing

1 bay leaf/tej patta

1 black cardamom/badi elaychi

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

1/4 teaspoon garam massala powder

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Heat oil in wok/kadai. When hot add in cumin seeds, asafoetida, bay leaf and black cardamom.

Then add ginger garlic paste and chopped onion. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook on medium heat till onions are cooked.

Add chopped tomatoes and all the spices. Add another 1/2 cup of water and turn down heat to low. Cook covered for 10 minutes or till tomatoes are done.

Let this cool down. In the grinder add 1/2 cup of water and above mixture and blend everything together into smooth gravy.

Heat the wok again and boil the gravy. Add more water if needed. Finally mix in chopped coriander leaves.

Add koftas just before serving.

Notes:

I used less oil and thus I kept adding water, you can use more oil and less water :)

If the gravy is not thick enough, dilute 1/2 teaspoon of corn flour in 1 tablespoon of water and add when you boil the gravy.

You can use the same gravy for paneer koftas or cabbage koftas.

Garam massala is available in any Indian grocery store, if you want the recipe, see here.

Serving suggestions.

Serve with any Indian bread-parathas, puri or theplas.

Serve as a side with rice, biryani or pulav.

You can make the complete Punjabi thali, add  in with-  dal makhani, jeera rice and kulchas.

For rajasthani thali pair it with  marwadi lehsun ki chutney and marwadi methi daal.

For gujarati thali, serve it with aloo tamatar nu shaak, khamman dhokla and keri nu ras.