Kofta Curry (IP recipe) Bottle Gourd & Zuchhini dumplings in a rich and aromatic Gravy.

How do you all plan a menu for guests? Do you make multiple dishes? Like 2 gravy based vegetables, 2 dry, roti and puri, pulav and dessert to follow.

Or, do you plan a simple and manageable menu?

I am the latter type. I plan a manageable list of things I can cook without getting frazzled. IMHO, I also like to keep it simple because too many items on the menu may mean that the guest may not be able to do justice to it all or not sample something at all. 

It all ends up in too many leftovers which, honestly, no one likes to eat again. 

There was also another discussion, on a FB Food group, where a member asked how we plan a menu. By cuisine, she meant.

When I thought about it, I found myself thinking, if I have guests from the North of India, or East or even from Maharashtra, I go ahead and plan a South Indian menu. 

And a North Indian menu is of course welcomed by almost everyone.

Do you step out of your comfort zone and try something new? 

Contrary to what I have been taught, namely, 'when you have guests, make what you are confident about, this is not time to experiment', I go right ahead and try something new. 

How do you plan a menu for your guests? Please share your tips and tricks, I'd love to hear from you.

A few weeks ago, we invited M's friend and his family for dinner. I made this kofta curry and our guests loved it. 

The best part is, it was an easy curry to make! These days I find myself reaching out for my #EPC (Electric Pressure Cooker) all the time. To those of you who use either #InstantPot or a similar EPC will know exactly what I mean. I start my day with setting up my Tea, before I drop off S to school and come home to a perfectly brewed cuppa.

Or , set the EPC to cook a batch of Pav Bhaji as I drop him off to Taekwondo and pick up something from the grocery store that I forgot over the weekend.

Let us however get back to this kofta curry. 

To make the Koftas:

I used this recipe from an old post.

The variation was that I added 1 zucchini to the bottle gourd and used my appe pan / abelskiver pan to sallow fry them instead of deep frying.

Important: * Grate the zucchini and bottle gourd, sprinkle a little salt and let it sit for 15 mins or so. The salt will draw out the excess water from the vegetables. Squeeze it all out and then use the grated vegetables.

Failure to do this will only make the fritter kofta batter runny and will not taste good. 

Shredded Bottle Gourd (Lauki/ Dudhi) and Zuchhini

Using the Appe Pan / Abelskiver Pan to make the koftas

These koftas freeze very well.

I found this gravy recipe here. I modified it slightly to suit my requirement and also based on what I had in my pantry.

Here is how I made the gravy:

6-7 Tomatoes, chopped

1 large Onion ( I used Red Onion), Chopped 

8 fat cloves of Garlic ( if you have smaller cloves, use about 12), peeled

1 inch Ginger, peeled and sliced

1 stick Butter

Fistful Cashew nuts

2 Tbsp. Kashmiri Red chilies powder 

Alternatively, add 1 Tbsp Kashmiri red chilies powder and 1 tsp Regular (hot) chilies powder for a spicier gravy

1 scant tsp Turmeric powder

1 heaped Tbsp Sugar ( I used granulated white sugar) 

2 Tbsp Kasuri Methi ( dry Fenugreek leaves)

Salt to taste

1/2 cup Water

The Spice Pouch

 Spice Pouch:

1 x 1 inch Cinnamon stick

1 tsp Cardamom (green)

1 number, Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi)

1 tsp Cloves / Laung / Lavang

1 Star Anise

To Begin:

 Prepare the spice pouch. I used the pouch shown in the picture, it is the 'water filter' pouch one easily gets in India. Alternatively, use cheesecloth (cut it into a square, layer 2-4 square pieces on top of one another) place the spices on the cheesecloth and pull the sides closed and secure with a piece of string. The spices should not spill out. Set aside.

To the inner steel pot of your Electric Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot add

The peeled and chopped onion, just big pieces.

Chop the tomato (quarters). Pitch them in.

Add all the ingredients listed under the gravy list ( from tomato to Water)

Add the spice pouch

Close the cooker and seal the lid ('whistle' set to Sealing mode)

Use the 'Manual' mode and set it for 15 minutes.

Let the cycle complete and the pressure release naturally (NPR)

Open the lid, carefully remove the 'spice pouch'

Using an *immersion blender, blend the gravy till smooth

Add the kotas to the gravy

Switch to the Sear / Saute mode and let the gravy come to a gentle boil and the koftas absorb the gravy.

*If you do not have an immersion blender, let the gravy cool and then blend it in the regular blender till smooth. Transfer the blended gravy to the steel inner pot, you can later add the koftas to it and heat the gravy to let the koftas absorb all the flavor on the 'Sear' / 'Saute' Mode

Garnish with chopped cilantro and a swirl of cream if you wish to. 

NOTES:

- Instead of koftas, add cubed Paneer to the gravy ( Paneer Butter Masala)

- The original recipe calls for Honey, I used sugar instead and used just 1 tbsp. If you like sweetness to the gravy, use more. 

- The original recipe calls for milk to be added to the gravy with the other ingredients, I did not. The cashews did a great job of adding richness to the gravy and I was very happy with just that.

- Use Kashmiri red chilies powder for a deeper red colored gravy. I had the spicy variety on hand and so had to use half the quantity.
- The gravy freezes well, as do the koftas. Just make sure that they are frozen separately. Thaw the gravy  and koftas in the fridge overnight and then heat them (medium-high heat) together. 

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Dudhi Kofta Curry

I was in the mood to cook (as always) but the weekend was different, we have this cloudy days with a slight mist rolling in, in the evenings weather and that makes it perfect for eating something warm, comforting and deep fried! Making fritters was not on my mind however, I had mentally bookmarked 'Doodhi Kofta Curry' a few months ago and finally got down to making it this weekend.  After I had gotten over my 'Aloo Palak' and 'Chana Masala' ordering days I was open to most vegetables(except baingan anything) and then came the 'kofta' phase. I fell in love with vegetable balls, as I called them, covered with a tomato-ey gravy. A kofta disguises the vegetables so cleverly.. makes it a bhajji /fritter I used to tell myself, so who wouldn't want to eat  something as yummy as this? But this does not get made at home much. it does involve a lot of work and most importantly a lot of deep frying, which all of us tend to shy away from.

I have recently moved to a new apartment and  while there are good things with this apartment, the only minus was , it has an electric stove. I had given up my gas stove and settled for this vastly inferior coil stove. Oh well, you win some .....  yada, yada.

I have now learnt to use it well ( pat myself on the back) and find that I need not grumble over it as much, except  on those occasions when the tea boils over and spatters over the surface and smells like the California wildfires and emits as much smoke. I feel justified in using a few of the juiciest and choicest swear words and mopping up the remains and getting on with it.

To move on to the star feature of this post... Dudhi/Lauki / Bottle gourd/Opo squash takes on a completely different avatar in this curry and transforms into crisp dumplings which absorb the flavors of the gravy and make every bite a delight and leave you (and your guests, if you make this when you invite some one over) wanting more and asking for the exact recipe. I know my friends did! 

For the Dumplings:

2 lbs. Bottle Gourd / Doodhi

2 tsp.  kosher /sea salt

1 small Red Onion, coarsely chopped

2 Tbs, raw Cashew nuts

4 large cloves Garlic

4 lengthwise slices , Fresh Ginger (2" l x1" W x 1/2 " t)

4 fresh Green Thai  or Serrano chiles

1/4 cup Chickpea Flour / Besan

2 Tbs. Rice Flour

2 Tbs. finely chopped Cilantro

Oil, to deep fry

For the Sauce:

2 Tbs. Ghee or Canola oil

1 tsp. Cumin / Jeera seeds

1 small Red Onion, coarsely chopped

4 fresh Green Thai  or Serrano chiles

1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes

2 Tbs. EACH Raw cashew nuts and Golden Raisins

1 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Turmeric

1/2 cup Half and Half

1 tsp. Punjabi Garam Masala

2 Tbs. Finely chopped Fresh Cilantro

To make the dumplings: cut and discard the stem and heel ends of the  squash. Peel the squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the  seeds and spongy mass leaving being firm pale green 'boats'.

Shred the squash using a food processor or box grater. collect the shreds in a medium size bowl and mix in the salt. Allow the squash mixture yo stand for about 30 minutes to release its liquid.

Meanwhile, place the onion, cashews, garlic, ginger and chiles in a food processor and pulse to form a slightly chunky blend

Grab a handful of the shredded squash and squeeze tightly between the palms of your hand to drain the liquid completely. Transfer the squeezed squash to another bowl and  repeat this for the remaining squash. Discard the drained liquid.

At this stage I usually start with heating the oil ( on medium eat) to deep fry the dumplings. 

Add the minced onion mixture and sprinkle in the two flours and cilantro.Combine quickly to make a slightly wet batter. Take a Tbsp. of the batter and  condense it in the palm of your hand to form balls. You should get about 25 rounds. (the longer you let the batter rest the more liquid the squash will continue to leach making it impossible to handle. If you add more flour, it will make it manageable but also will make the dumplings dense).

Line a cookie sheet with  3-4 sheets of paper towels. Once the oil is ready, gently slide in the dumplings into the wok, without over crowding the pan. 

Fry turning occasionally until they are honey brown and crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on the paper towels. Repeat for the remaining dumplings

To make the sauce: Heat Ghee in a large sauce pan / wok over medium - high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle. Immediately add the onions, cashews, chiles and raisins. Stir-fry until the onions are dark brown, the chiles pungent and the cashews have turned honey brown and the raisins have swelled and darkened, about 5 mins. 

Add the Tomatoes, salt and turmeric to the sauce, stirring once or twice.

Then transfer the mixture to a blender jar and puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed to make a smooth and spicy red sauce,Pour this back into the wok / pan. Pour 1/2 cup of water in the blender jar and swish it around to wash it out.  Add this to the pan. Stir in the half and half and garam masala.

Gently add the dumplings to the sauce, making sure they do not break apart. Heat the curry over medium- high  until the sauce starts to bubble. Then lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer until the dumplings are warmed through and have absorbed some of the sauce, about 5 mins. 

Do NOT stir the sauce, for fear of breaking the dumplings) Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

*The koftas and the sauce can be made a day in advance and kept separate. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Heat the sauce  over med- high heat and  then add dumplings as in the step above, to serve.

*Zucchini can be used in place of bottle gourd. it does not need peeling or seed removal, just cut the stem and heel and grate.

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