Vegetable Kofta Curry is a very popular dish in India. This is my easy take on a classic which comes together in one pot. This opa squash and chickpea dumplings is simmered in a smooth sauce to make a delicious and delectable curry. Weeknight meal made easier.
Weeknight meals can be interesting, but not the most appealing looking at times. But, it was real. More often than not, the meals we get to share with family and friends do not take on the convivial, alluring nature we see promoted across blogs and boutique media. It’s easy to set a beautifully-styled farm table and encourage meaningful, open-hearted dialogue and then CONVENIENTLY disregard that meaningful, open-hearted dialogue is, by nature of our human-ness, a mess most of the time. The mess doesn’t sell.
It happens in a rush. Everyone’s got lots to do and you feel the need for extra couple of hours in a day….then comes the spicy yummy meal craving. One pot meals at his time does come in handy.
Here’s one I absolutely love.
Everyone loves a good kofta curry. But, it does take some time and mostly it’s a weekend meal, or a special meal for guests. This dumpling/ vegetable kofta curry is a take on the traditional but quite different.
Opa Squash Dumplings/Vegetable Kofta Curry
The interesting thing about this method is the opa squash is mixed in with some chickpea flour and simmered in a smooth sauce. Use any vegetable you like and try this method out, you’ll the love it. Make sure the dumpling is not too hard or too watery. It has to hold it’s shape when you drop it in the sauce. First, the ease of having a kofta-kinda-curry. Secondly, the dumplings are way more flavorful when it’s cooked in sauce.
A simple, healthy and easy Indian curry which goes perfect with some flatbread(rotis).
- ½ medium OPA SQUASH or BOTTLE GOURD
- ½ cup of chickpea flour
- ½ tsp chilly powder
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp finely chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
- 2 tomatoes finely diced
- 1 tsp chilly powder
- 1 tsp curry powder(optional)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup coconut water(optional)or plain water
- 1 cup water
- Prepare the squash by peeling it, cutting the core off and grating it. Put it in a cheese cloth and take out all the water. If you do not want to discard the water, leave it and mix in more chickpea flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the squash, chickpea flour, and the other ingredients for the dumpling. The mixture should be a stiff one, you should be able to make dumplings. Adjust the chickpea flour accordingly. It should not be too stiff either, then the dumplings will not be moist.
- In a cast iron pan or any non-stick pan. Add 2 tsp of olive oil. Add the very finely chopped onions and let it brown for a minute.
- Add the ginger/garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears. Add the tomatoes and all the other ingredients for the curry with coconut water and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Make small portions of the dumpling and add it to the curry while it is simmering. Put a lid on the pan and let cook for another 15 minutes on simmer. Check for water every 5 minutes, the curry has to be liquid and not too dry.
- SErve hot with some buttered rotis or Naan.
If you make this Vegetable Kofta Curry/Opa Squash Dumpling Curry, make sure to tag me on social media @ #foodfashionparty.
So true about the Mess, Ash… I see the perfect on pages of magazines and social and even in our beautifully styled photography. It has it’s place, yes, but isn’t it a relief to know beyond those pages is a mess? And I know my front porch doesn’t have to look like Better Homes and Gardens 😀 This Kofta looks absolutely delicious! I’ve never made a kofta curry here. I love how you’ve used chickpea flour.. would gluten flour normally be used? Thank you for sharing Ash! xo