Humble Yet Stylish: Lauki ke Kabab
(Above): Lauki ke Kabab (Siliconeer)
The goodness of bottle gourd gets pepped up with the taste of kabab. Here is a tandoori twist to the ever-humble bottle gourd, by Sudha Gupta.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chana dal (washed, soaked in water)
- 1 bottle gourd (opu or lauki) cut into pieces – 1 cup
- 2 potatoes (boiled, mashed)
- ½ cup green onion (finely chopped)
- ½ cup spinach (finely chopped)
- I/4 cup cilantro
- 1 tsp. green chili (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp. ginger (grated)
- 2 tbsp. sooji
- salt to taste
- 1tsp. black pepper
- 3 tbsp. chaat masala
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup milk (optional)
- 2 tbsp. clarified butter (ghee)
Method:
- Grind the chana dal and make a thick paste.
- Take bottle gourd, add ½ cup water, make a fine paste.
- Add sooji in grinder, mix ½ cup milk or water and grind.
- Put a nonstick frying pan on stove on medium flame. Add 2 tbsp. ghee. Add chana dal paste and roast for 3-4 minutes. Add bottle gourd paste, spinach, green onions, green chili and ginger.
- Mix sooji paste with bottle gourd and chana dal paste.
- Roast till mixture becomes a thick dough. Close stove and allow mixture to cool.
- Mix mashed potatoes and salt to taste.
- Take a baking tray, grease with oil.
- Spread the entire mixture on the greased tray.
- Make ½ inch thick squares of the mixture, press the squared by hand.
- Spread breadcrumbs on top, add butter on square mixture cakes.
- Preheat oven 300°F for 30 minutes and bake.
- Cut the baked cake into triangular pieces and serve with salsa.
- Garnish with red and yellow bell peppers with some coriander.