• Peel and grate lauki or bottle gourd and keep aside. You need 2 cups for this recipe. Use zucchini or summer squash in its place. Add ½ tsp. Salt to release water.
• After 10 minutes squeeze out all the water and save it. Try to make the grated lauki as dry as you can.
• Add besan or chickpea flour to it along with the spices and minced ginger garlic. You will get a sticky dough.
• If you dough is very wet, then add some more of chickpea flour depending upon how much wetter it is. You can use upto 2 tbsp. more adding slowing and mixing.
• Add 1 tsp. Oil to the dough is air frying. For deep frying skip this.
• Using your hand make round balls. I got 8 kofte here.

For Deep Frying

• Heat 1 cup oil in a wok to medium hot. Don’t make it very hot or your kofta will get browned quickly but will be raw inside.
• Now add 4-5 kofta at one time and cook on medium flame till golden brown and well cooked inside. Take out with a slotted spoon and keep on absorbent paper. Your lauki kofta are ready.

Air frying

• Preheat air fryer at 180C or 360F for 5 minutes.
• Line air fryer basket with parchment paper with holes. Lay the kofte or vegan balls in one layer.
• Air fry at 180C or 360F for 8-12 minutes till they are browned outside and well cooked inside.
• Take them out and keep aside.

For making the curry

• Take 2 tsp. Oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp. Cumin seeds and allow to sputter.
• Add 1 chopped onion and fry for 3-4 minutes.
• Add ½ inch chopped ginger, 1 green chilli optional and 4 cloves garlic and fry some more.
• Add 2 chopped tomatoes and fry till every thing is mushy.
• Add ¼ tsp. Turmeric powder to it.
• Cool this down and make a smooth paste in the blender. Put it back into the wok and heat it.
• Add ½ cup whipped Greek yogurt or curd while on slow flame and mix well. Add 1 cup of the saved lauki water to the curry. Mix well.
• Now add ½tsp. Garam masala and ½ tsp. Cayenne along with ½ tsp. salt. Remember that the lauki water added already has some salt in it. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add the prepared kofte to the curry and cook for a couple of minutes more.
• Serve hot after garnishing with cilantro leaves or kasuri methi. Your delicious lauki kofte are ready to serve.
• Easy to make and delicious. You can keep in the fridge for upto 2-3 days but the kofte do tend to get mushier.
• You can also fry or air fry kofte and keep separately while keeping the curry separately so that you can store for upto 5 days in the fridge.