Lauki Kofta

Ingredients

• 1 large lauki, grated
• 3/4 cup besan
• 1 tsp ginger-chilli paste
• For gravy: 2 onions, 3 tomatoes, 10 cashews, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Oil to fry

Method

1. Squeeze the grated lauki bone dry with your hands. Keep the juice for the gravy.
2. Mix with besan, ginger-chilli paste and salt. Just enough besan to bind — too much makes them heavy.
3. Roll tight balls and fry on medium till golden. Drain.
4. Gravy: blend onion, then tomato with cashews. Fry the onion paste 10 minutes, then ginger-garlic, then tomato-cashew paste till the oil separates.
5. Add the lauki juice plus water, salt, powders. Simmer 10 minutes.
6. Add the koftas at the table, not before — they turn to mush if they sit in gravy.