Gheea Koftey

Scent is the strongest link to memory. It has been scientifically proven that scent triggers seratonin & endorphins in the brain and when people smell things they are linked immediately and unconsciously to the memory of the past. Aha! so that's what happens inside this brain of mine when I inhale the aroma of Gheea (bottle gourd) Koftey.
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Endorphins or not, I know that there are certain foods which make me happy, very happy and this one is particularly close to my heart. It was a ritual of sorts in our family to have this atleast once a week. After getting fresh gheea(bottle gourd) from the market, it was grated. A few spices were added to make a batter with chickpea flour and then deep fried. The aroma wafting through the house was unmistakable and we knew we were in for a treat. These kofta's are then served over a gravy of onion & tomatoes. Before my mom could put them in the gravy, me and my sister would gobble up more than half of them. It is so delicious as is. Many a times my mom had to "hide" them from us, so that some would be left for the gravy. It is one of the first dishes that my mom makes when I visit back home and I still savour a lot of the kofta's pre-gravy.
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I try to make this recipe whenever possible, would make it more often if I had a sous-chef ;-) .

The "other" sister of this kofta, Malai Kofta is much more popular in restaurants, where they serve it with some kind of creamy gravy??? I n fact I've never seen this one on any of the restaurant menu's. This is the kind of food that is cooked at home and served ever so lovingly.
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Kofta ingredients:
1 gheea grated
4 tbsp chickpea flour (use as per the size of gheea to bind the batter)
salt as per atste
1/2 tsp chilli powder (add as per your taste)
1 tsp corriander powder

Sqeeze the liquid from gheea and collect in a bowl. It should still be moist. Add chickpea flour, salt, chilli powder (if using) and coriander powder. Make a thick batter. Heat oil and deep fry spoonfuls of batter till light brown and cooked through. See picture.

Gravy ingredients:
2 onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes
1" ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 big green chilli (add as per taste)
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder (home made only, the mass produced ones do not work for me)
2 tbsp ghee (can substitute with oil if calorie conscious)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 pinches Hing (Asafoetida)


Heat ghee, add jeera, let splutter. Add hing and saute a few seconds. Add onion and saute till brown, keep stirring in between to avoid sticking. Puree tomatoes with green chilli. Grate or make a paste of ginger & garlic. Add this paste & tomato puree to the onions. Cook till oil separates. Add turmeric, coriander powder, salt and the liquid squeezed from gheea. Add 1/2 cup water to the gravy & simmer till required consistency is reached. Add garam masala. Please adjust consistency as per your liking.

Serving:
Just before serving add kofta to the gravy and garnish with coriander leaves.

Enjoy Gheea kofta with rice or roti.

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I would like to contribute this for the 'Nostalgia is Bittersweet' event organized by Ellie of Kitchen Wench - http://www.insanitytheory.net/kitchenwench/2007/02/24/this-nostalgia-tastes-bittersweet-a-once-off-event/