Lauki Kadhi - Bottle gourd curry

I got to know from my readers that they didn't know the benefits of Bottle gourd until they read in my previous post on this veggie. So I am posting yet another recipe using this veggie.

I remember eating this Punjabi dish called Kadhi Pakodi long back in 2010 in Ista restaurant, Bangalore. It is essentially fried onion pakodas dipped in yogurt curry. My recipe is similar to this version, at least the curry part of it.

Instead of deep frying the pakodas in oil, I am shallow frying patties made out of grated bottle gourd.
These patties are so good, I swear I have no idea how much i ate before making curry sauce. So if you ever feel like making an appetizer, stop at the lauki patty.

The curry tend to get thick after becoming cold. Just add hot water before eating and it will still taste yummy. You can eat it with roti, rice or just like that :)

Serves: 3-4

Preparation Time: 15 mins to make Bottle Gourd patties + 15 mins for curry

Ingredients for Patties:

• 1 grated Bottle Gourd
• 1/2 cup Besan or gram flour
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 tbsp oil

Ingredients for Curry:

• 1 tsp lime juice (optional)
• 1 tbsp mustard oil
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt as needed
• 1/2 cup besan or gram flour
• Water as needed
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 green chili
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves

Method for Patties:

• Mix all the ingredients except oil in a mixing bowl.
• Make lemon sized balls and press with both the palms to make flat patties.
• In a flat pan add oil and let it heat. Once hot add all the patties equally spaced next to one another and roast until golden brown.
• Cut each patties into four equal pieces.

Method:

• In a bowl add curd and beat it until smooth.
• To this add chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt and mix it well.
• Add lime juice in case the curd is not sour.
• To this mixture add gram flour and gently fold it in the curd mixture so that no lumps are formed.
• Add water to this to get the curry consistency as much needed. I added about 2 cups.
• In a sauce pan, add oil and heat it. Once hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let it crackle.
• Now add the green chilies, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste and fry until there is no raw smell.
• To this add the yogurt and gram flour mixture and bring it to boil.
• Once you see bubbles, check for salt and taste. Now switch off the stove, add the patties in the curry and garnish with coriander leaves.