Doodi ka kofta - lesson 2

Lesson 2: Doodi ka kofta!! (Bottle Gourd meatballs (just the balls :D )

my mom's best cooked dish.. took this up just by watching mom.. who says eves dropping and staring is wrong... :D 

Ingredients:
Bottle Gourd (Doodi)
gram flour (besan)
tomatoes 
onions
ginger
green chillies
salt
garam masala (garam masala - indian spice)
coriander powder
oil to fry

the usual is MANDATORY
khali pet (empty stomach)
some roomies  to experiment on... :D 

How to make:
Step 1: get all the ingredients in place so that they are handy when u making the dish. 

there are 2 steps to this recipe - 
1) making the Bottle Gourd meatballs. 
2) the gravy where the meatballs will float.. 

Step 2: making the bottle gourd meatballs 
1. the bottle gourd or doodi needs to be grated. choose a piece that's long and straight and firm. this will give the perfect taste to the dish. 
2. peal the skin of the doodi
3. use a grate to fine grate the whole doodi
4. add salt to the mixture which will make the stored water from the bottle gourd to release. 
5. squeeze and remove all the water. make it as dry as it can be by tightly squeezing the grated mixture.
6. to the dry mix add the gram flour enough to cover the grated doodi. this is only for binding. 
5. pour sufficient amount of oil (vegetable or olive) in to a pan to deep fry. 
6. roll the mixture into small sized balls and deep fry in hot oil. 
7. let the balls get nice and golden brown. 
8. remove the fried balls onto a tissue paper to help soak the excess oil. the balls are ready. 

these are ready, keep them aside to cool!! :D 

Step 3: gravy
this is the most common and simplest gravy to make... (i dont know how to make it) 
1. grind garlic, ginger to a good paste
2. grind tomatoes and onions to a good paste
3. take a little oil in a pan and roast the pasted garlic and ginger. 
4. add the tomatoes and onion paste to it and roast it. 
5. add water to make it a thick gravy. 
6. add the spices and salt to taste. 

step 4: add the fried meatballs to the gravy and get it to a boil so that the gravy soaks into the meatballs. 

ready to eat!! :) 

a few basic things to remember:
1. havent tried baking this dish to make it healthy. if someone tries it, pls let me know if it worked!! :D 
2. make sure the oil is nice and hot, else the balls will break when you drop it to fry in the pan. 
3. pls donot use your fingers to test the temp of the oil. word of caution, that burns really bad. my moms tactic is to test it with a smallest amount of the mix. it should rise immediately and sizzle. thats the right temperature. :) 
4. these fried bottle gourd meatballs can be served just like that also with ketchup or green chutney. :D interesting and amazing snack. 
5. this dish is a test of judgement when it comes to spices and cooking process. as this is moms recipe and no google reference, the measures are judgement. happy cooking!! :)