Ghiye ka Kofta |
There are times
when most of the vegetable market is
flooded with ghiya or lauki—Bottle gourd
in English and shorakkai is Tamil. That
is the best time to enjoy making and eating dishes out of the vegetable that can be bottle shaped or
even round .
Bottle Gourd(picture from the net) |
On the death anniversary of my grand father, my Perima who
is no more served a delicious halwa on the yelai—the banana leaf – as we sat on
the floor for a ritualistic meal.
How did you make it? I asked, many, many years ago. She told
me she would tell me later as she was busy.
Behind closed doors a while later, the ladywho had
travelled the world many times, said it was made of shorakkai, and swore me
into secrecy. Why, I asked. She told me the reason, a very discriminatory one,
which I am not going to narrate here.
For cultural
reasons that are very difficult to get people to drop, this vegetable is never cooked in my
parents’ home—or those of my grandparents , both paternal and maternal.
But my Punjabi mother-in-law made raita and kofta with
ghiya, and both are popular dishes in north India.
I made ghiye ka kofta the other day. Here goes the receipe.
Ingredients |
Ghiya-Besan mix |
Gravy simmers as Koftas are fried |
Partly microwaved koftas |
For the Koftas:
Ghiya, grated –2 cups
Besan—a huge ladel ful
Salt to taste
Chilli power- half a teaspoon
Ajwain-half a teaspoon
Hing –a pinch
Cooking soda-a pinch
Oil to deep fry(I used refined sunflower)
For the gravy:
Tomatoes-3 medium sized
Onions-2 medium sized
Ginger- a one inch pinch
Garlic(optional)
For garnish
Coarse powder of roasted dhania and jeera, Fresh green
coriander
Do not squeeze the water out of the grated ghiya, it is loaded
with stuff beneficial to your health. Mix all the ingredients for the kofta,
without any water.
Make balls, never mind if they are flat, and deep fry, drain
oil.
Chop the onions, tomatoes, and add the ginger,garlic, into
the jar of a mixer, and make a puree out of them.
In a frying pan, add a teaspoon of oil.When it gets hot, pour the puree, add a spoon
of chilli powder and salt to taste. Add
water if necessary. Let it cook for ten minutes on low flame, till the gravy
thickens.
Pour the gravy over the koftas. Garnish with the
dhania-jeera power and fresh coriander.
PS: Since I like it to be Ghiye ka kofta rather than Besan
ka kofta, I add minimum besan. If the ghiya is very watery, I
pour out ladels of the “batter” onto a plate, microwave them for a couple of
minutes, so that they bind. Then deep fry them.
But I have a health-freak friend who simply microwaves or steams the Koftas in idli moulds!
These koftas work just as well as pakoras in Kadhi!
Serve with rice or roti/paranthas.
Photos by Pramod Pushkarna/Images India
Photos by Pramod Pushkarna/Images India
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