Lau Er Kofta Curry Recipe (Bengali Style Doodhi Dumplings In Tomato Based Gravy)

A Bengali delicacy, Lau Er Kofta Curry Recipe are the Doodhi Dumplings In a spicy Tomato Based Gravy. I have baked the koftas instead of deep frying them. I choose to bake or grill over frying in my day to day cooking because they are healthy and best alternative without compromising much on the taste of the dish. Bottle gourd is one of best summer vegetable that we have and it is a must to include them in your diet. There are so many ways we can make this otherwise bland vegetable into an absolute delight! And one such dish is Lau Er Kofta Curry Recipe. The tomato puree is flavoured with shahi jeera, garlic and ginger, and has a sauteed onions that give a yummy taste to the curry. Serve Lau Er Kofta Curry Recipe (Bengali Style Doodhi Dumplings In Tomato Based Gravy) as a side dish with a Bengali meal of rice, Luchi Recipe or Garlic Naan Without Yeast Recipe and Cholar Dal Recipe. You can serve Fish Sukka Recipe on the sides as well, for a meal treat to your family. Course : Side Dish Ingridients : For the koftas 1 Bottle gourd (lauki) , grated 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste 1/2 teaspoon Panch Phoran Masala 1 Green Chilli , finely chopped 1/3 cup Gram flour (besan) , (adjust as needed) Salt , to taste For the gravy 1 teaspoon Ajwain (Carom seeds) 1 Bay leaf (tej patta) 1 Onion , chopped 2 Tomato , chopped  1 inch Ginger , peeled 5 cloves Garlic 2 Green Chillies 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera) ,   1 tablespoon Coriander Powder (Dhania) Sugar , a pinch Salt , to taste Oil , to cook Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , a few sprigs, chopped Instructions To begin making Lau Er Kofta Curry Recipe, grate the bottle gourd first. With your palms, squeeze out the water as much as you can. Reserve the juice which can be used in the gravy.Microwave the grated bottle gourd on high for 3 minutes. Allow it to cool and squeeze again if required.To the grated bottle gourd add ginger paste, garlic paste, chilies, salt, garam masala and gram flour. Mix everything well to form koftas. Gram flour is used for binding so add it little by little and just enough to form the koftas.Meanwhile preheat the oven at 200 degrees for a few minutes.Grease a baking dish, place the koftas on the dish. Drizzle a bit of oil/brush with oil and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes and grill for 10 minutes.Meanwhile in a mixer grinder, grind the tomatoes along with ginger, garlic and green chillies.For making the gravy, in a kadai (preferably non-stick), heat a little oil and temper with shahi jeera. Once they sizzle, add bay leaf and saute for a few seconds. Add the chopped onions. Saute well till they turn translucent.When the onions turns translucent, add the pureed mix of tomatoes, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and sugar. Stir well to combine everything.Saute the masalas till it comes together from the sides of the pan. Then add required amount of water to form a gravy. You might want to make it a bit more runny since the water is also absorbed by the koftas and the gravy thicken once the koftas are added.Let the gravy simmer for 4-5 minutes on a low heat, check the seasoning and adjust salt & spices if required.Add the koftas and let the gravy simmer for another 2-3 minutes.Finish it by adding the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves. Turn off the flame and keep it covered for the flavors to combine before serving.Serve Lau Er Kofta Curry Recipe (Bengali Style Doodhi Dumplings In Tomato Based Gravy) as a side dish with a Bengali meal of rice, Luchi Recipe or Garlic Naan Without Yeast Recipe and Cholar Dal Recipe. You can serve Fish Sukka Recipe on the sides as well, for a meal treat to your family.