Dudhi Kofta nu Shaak

I learnt this Gujarati kofta curry from my MIL. Deep frying the koftas enhances the taste but I steam the koftas like muthiya or shallow fry them in the Appe pan.

Dudhi Kofta nu Shaak
Bottlegourd Balls curry
Ingredients
For Koftas -

• 1 small bottlegourd/dudhi, peeled, seeded & grated; approx = 1 1/2 cup
• 1 cup besan/chickpea flour (or as needed)
• 1/4 cup bajra flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp ajwain or owa or ajmo
• 1/2 tsp Gujarati garam masala
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp chili-ginger paste
• 2 tsp kasoori methi

For Gravy

• 2 medium onions, peeled & finely chopped, approx = 1 1/2 cup
• 2 small tomatoes, approx = 3/4 cup
• 1 tbsp Gujarati garam masala
• 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Tempering

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida

Garnish

• 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
• Sev, as needed
• Lemon wedges

Method
1. Grate bottlegourd. Squeeze and take the water out. Add all the ingredients for Koftas. Mix well to make a dough. Add more chickpea flour if necessary. Make balls (koftas) of equal size and deep fry or shallow fry or steam and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add turmeric powder and asafoetida. Now add onions. Saute till it is soft.
3. Add tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste and Gujarati garam masala. Saute for 10 more minutes, sprinkling water in between if necessary.
4. Add 1 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Add salt and sugar.
5. When you are ready to serve, bring gravy to boil. Place koftas gently. Let it simmer. Add more water so the koftas are nicely immersed in the gravy. Simmer till a thick gravy is obtained. 6. Garnish with cilantro and sev, just before serving. Serve with lemon wedges on side.

Note -
1. Deep fried koftas taste better.
2. Bottlegourd has lots of water in it. So you can bind the dough without adding any water.
3. Sprinkle sev on the individual servings.
4. Make sure that onions and tomatoes are very finely chopped.
5. If you do not have Gujarati garam masala, use any kind of garam masala.