Punjabi Lauki Kofta Curry (Air fryer Recipe) Dairy and Grain free

There are several types of kofta curries popular in the Mediterranean, Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Koftas are balls of meat or veggies or cheese. They are mostly served in a curry. The richer variety of kofta usually has cheese (in this case paneer), lotus root/stem or meat in the balls and the curry is cream based. The everyday kofta curry versions are vegetable based and can have veggies like cabbage, carrots, potatoes, beans, spinach, cauliflower etc. The koftas are normally fried like fritters but I have gone for the Air fryer version for healthier results and bringing you Lauki kofta curry. It’s a quite popular punjabi kofta curry, and is widely enjoyed by one and all.

If you have been keeping up with my air fryer recipes, you know that I have been trying all kinds of delicious foods in my air fryer, So far, I have made low carb kukuri bhindi (okra), airfryer chicken nuggets, torta caprese, eggplant and mushroom meatballs , carrot quinoa cake,  chapli kebab and now these Air Fryer Lauki Koftas in curry. You will not find this kofta curry in a restaurant but you can make it at home following my easy recipe.

Lauki is a summer vegetable. It goes by many names; Calabash, opo, bottle gourd and also  Ghiya or Doodhi in some parts of India.  You can find this pale green bowling pin like squash in Chinese, Indian and Canadian  grocery stores. If you cannot find it, zucchini makes an excellent substitute. Unlike zucchini, Lauki needs to be peeled and seeded before it is used in koftas.

Making kofta curry does take a bit of prep work, but not so much that you have to save it for a weekend.  The process looks a little long, but once you start doing it, you will find it very easy. Don’t give up if your first attempt on koftas are not a complete success. it just needs a little bit of effort and some practice. So here’s how you make it.

• First, peel the lauki, and place it on a chopping board. Cut it into two halves. Now place the vegetable grater on the cutting board, hold it with one hand and the lauki in the other. Starting from the top end of the grater, place it on the blade and push it downwards to get thickly grated bottle gourd.
• Add a pinch of salt to grated lauki to help it release its water, Let stand for about 10-15 minutes. After that squeeze out as much liquid as you can using your hands. Mind you the gourd contains over 90% of water. Preserve the liquid that you press out, it will be used while we make the gravy.
• To the grated lauki, add gram flour, salt, chopped green chili and ginger, stir to combine (Do not add any water, if required use a tsp of lauki juiice). The mixture might look a little loose, but once hot air hits, the koftas will crisp up nicely. If the batter is thick, the koftas will cook from outside and not from inside. So make the batter slightly loose so that it just gives a light and crisp coating.
• Use your fingers to form round or oblong shape and place it on plastic wrap or cutting board. Spritz with oil on top ( Spraying oil on the food instead of the basket keeps the machine clean).
• Preheat the Air fryer for 5 minutes at 350.
• When 5 minutes expire, take out air fryer basket and gently place the lauki balls in it with sprayed side down (alternately you spray oil in the basket where you are going to place the koftas, not all over). You can also line the basket with a piece of foil and arrange the lauki balls over top. If you choose to use, make sure the foil does not stick out beyond the basket edge. I prefer not to use foil because to cook the food well, air needs to flow through the basket. If you cover the bottom of the basket, this reduces the airflow.
• Set air fryer time for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
• After 10 minutes, pause the air fryer, remove basket and tilt to one side. You’ll see some of the batter from kofta stuck in the holes. Scrape with a spatula to help loosen it from the basket.
• Arrange the lauki balls to the other side. Spray and cook for another 8-10 minutes.

You can always make the koftas ahead of time like a day before. Let them cool completely and then store them in a Ziploc bag in refrigerator. If you don’t plan to use it within the next day or two then transfer these to freezer safe bag and freeze. You can make the gravy on the day you plan to serve this dish and keep it ready. When it’s time to serve you can add the thawed koftas to the gravy and give it a quick boil about 5 minutes.

If you don’t have an air fryer just follow the same directions except fry them in oil. The recipe is vegan, dairy free, gluten-free, and perfect for busy weeknights or brunches.

I hope you give this lauki kofta curry recipe a try and if  you do make sure to leave a comment. You are welcome to take a picture and share with me on Facebook or Instagram with hashtag #simpleglutenfreekitchen