Pumpkin Kofta Savory (कद्दू के कोफ्ते की सब्ज़ी)

Kaddu Kofta Sabzi

Koftas are a variety of fritters. Koftas can be made from different vegetables and Paneer (Cottage cheese. The technique of making koftas varies for different vegetables.  Vegetable which have high amount of juices (water content) need slightly more gram flour (Besan) and paneer, methi, etc. which have less water content require less besan. I do not squeeze the juice from grated vegetables because the juices of the vegetables are high in nutrient. Since juices of vegetables is not squeezed and discarded thus addition of water while making the batter for koftas (Fritters) is not required. Vegetables like lauki (Bottle gourd),gajar(carrots), Patta Gobhi (cabbage), Kaddu(Pumpkin) can be introduced into meals of children who are picky about these vegetables , by making koftas. Koftas can be had as snacks as well as they can be used to make sabzi by making yummy gravy and dunking these koftas in the gravy. You will be surprised how all family members including children will enjoy the kofta sabzi (Fritters savory) with hot chapati/paratha.

Always read Tips and Alternate suggestion. They are very helpful.

    Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

    Cooking Time:

               To make Kofta 15 minutes

               To make gravy: 10 minutes

    Servings: 

              15 koftas

              5 Medium servings of sabzi

    Nutritional Value  of Kaddu Kofta Sabzi made from given amount of ingredients:

• Energy: 255 calories
• Fats: 50 gm
• Protein: 1.0 gm
• Fibers: 2.0 gm
• Sugars: 1.5 gm
• Carbs: 6.5gm
• Sodium: 3mg
• Potassium: 440mg
• A,D,Iron

Ingredients Required For Making Koftas:

• 150 gm Unripe Green Kaddu (Unripe green pumpkin)
• 5 tablespoon Besan (Chickpea flour)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt (Or to taste)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ajwain (Carom seeds)
• 1-2 Green Chilies
• 5-6 Sprigs of green coriander
• 1 Pinch of Turmeric powder
• Oil for frying

Direction For Making Kaddu/Pumpkin Koftas:

• Remove the seed part of the pumpkin discard the seeds and the fibrous mass holding them.
•  Do not peel the pumpkin. Grate the pumpkin along with the peel.

Grated Green Pumpkin 

• Slit the green chilies and remove the seeds. Chop the cleaned green chilies.
• Chop coriander.
• Take the grated pumpkin in a bowl and add:
• Besan
• Salt
• Ajwain (Carom)
• Chopped green chilies
• Chopped coriander
• 1 Teaspoon oil
• 1 pinch of Cooking Soda

Mixture for Kofta Batter

• Mix nicely.
• As pumpkin has enough water thus addition of water is not required to mix all the ingredients and make batter.

Kofta batter

• Heat cooking oil in a wok, the oil should be hot but not smoking. Once the oil is hot enough lower the heat.

Batter being add to hot oil for making Kofta

• Drop dollops of mixture to the hot oil and fry them on low heat till golden brown. The amount of batter you put in oil for frying depends on the size of koftas you want. I use I table spoon (Approx.) batter. From the above mixture I got 12 Koftas.

Koftas frying

• These koftas can be used immediately for savory or can be stored in fridge to be used later. The taste and texture of koftas is maintained even after a week  in the fridge.

Soft fluffy Kaddu Koftas

Ingredients Required For Making  Kofta Savory:

• 75 gm Onion 
• 100 gm Tomato
• 5-6 Cloves of Garlic
• 2-3 cm Piece of Ginger
• 2-3 Cloves
• 3-4 Pepper
• 1cm stick of Cinnamon
• 1 Green Cardamom
•  Nutmeg (A small pinch grated)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 2 tsp Salt or to taste
• 1/2tsp Red chili powder
• 1/2tspoon garam masala
• 3-4 Sprigs of fresh coriander leaves
• 2ml. Oil

Direction for Making Kofta Sabzi (Pumpkin fritters sabzi):

• Peel and chop onion to fine pieces.
• Chop tomato roughly and grind it to fine paste.
• Peel garlic and ginger and grate them.
• Coarsely crush cloves and black pepper, green cardamon and cinnamon.
• Heat oil in thick bottom wok and when the oil is hot enough (not smoking hot) lower the heat and add cumin seeds. Once the seeds start spluttering add :
• Cloves
• Pepper
• Nutmeg
• Green cardamom
• Cinnamon

Spices in hot oil 

• Cook for 4-5 sec. then add grated garlic and ginger.  Cook for 10-15 seconds. Garlic pieces will start turning light golden in color. Immediately add finely chopped onions and cook on low heat with constant stirring for 2-3 minutes. Onion pieces will turn translucent.
• Add tomato paste and cook on low heat with constant stirring till tomatoes get cooked completely. The mixture in the wok will start leaving the edges and oil will start separating. At this stage tomatoes are cooked completely.
• Add:

• Red chili powder
• Coriander powder
• Salt
• Cook on low flame for 30-40 second

All spices added to Onion Tomatoe mixture

• Add koftas in the cooked mixture in the wok. Mix with gentle hand such that the mixture covers all koftas. Cook on low flame for 2-3 minutes . Stir once flipping the koftas.

Koftas cooking in Curry paste

• Add 200 ml. water and bring the heat to high. Give one boil.

After adding water and giving one boil

• Switch off the heat.
• Add 20 ml cream and garam masala and mix nicely.

After adding cream and Garam masala

• Cover and let the spices of garam masala seep into koftas.
• Kaddu Kofta sabzi is ready.
• Remove the kofta sabzi (Kofta savory) in a serving bowl, garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Kaddu Kofta Sabzi

• Kaddu kofta sabzi (Pumpkin fritters savory) is ready to be served with Roti/parantha/ steamed rice.
• https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/roti-indian-bread-no-oil-dry-so-low-on.html?m=0

Tips:

• Chop the onion very fine or make paste then cook. If onion pieces will not be fine, then the gravy will not come out good.
• Do not allow the onion to brown, if onion become brown then the color and taste of gravy will not be good.
• Always taste the chili powder for its hotness and use accordingly.
• Once kofta are added then mix very gently and do not cook except for giving a boil. Else koftas will break in the gravy making the sabzi a big mish mash thing. I forgot to switch off the heat and remembered after 2-3 minutes and the result was a wok full of tasty kofta Mash.

Suggested Variations:

• 1 Teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder can be added to impart red color and flavor of chili to gravy.
• I always make the gravy paste and freeze in ice trays. They are easier to use and big time and effort saver.
• https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2020/04/oil-less-indian-curry-paste-onion.html?m=0

Frozen curry paste

• Take required number /amount of frozen gravy paste. Thaw it or direcly add it to the tempered oil. Cook on low heat till it starts leaving the edges and the oil starts separating.

Frozen curry apste cooking in tempered oil

Gravy base is ready 

• Add
• Chili powder
• Coriander powder
• Salt Turmeric and cook
• Cook on low flame for 30-40 seconds
• Gravy can be made separately. Koftas and gravy can be stored in firdge for later use to make sabzi as and when required.
• Add 250 ml water and bring the heat to high. Once the mixture stars boiling then lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add 20 ml cream and mix nicely.
• Gravy for kofta is ready.
• Let it cool and store in container. Boil the gravy and add the koftas. Cover and allow the koftas to soak in the gravy. 

• Ginger and garlic can be replaced by Ginger and garlic paste in 1:1 proportion.
• Koftas can be made in Appe pan, this will reduce the oil content in sabzi as well as the calorific value also.

Floral Drink of Rose-Jasmine and Basil (गुलाब मोगरा और तुलसी का शर्बत)

Rose-Jasmine-Basil Cooling Drink

In my garden I had plentyful bloom of fragrant red roses, Indian basil and Mogra. Once I thought of making good use of all these and experimented to make a drink out of them. This unfermented drink was too tasty, cooling and full of fragrance. The goodness of flowers and basil added to the look and flavor of the drink. It was instant hit with my children. 

Now both my children are grwonup, having their families. Few days back the rose, mogra bloomed aplenty and basil(Tulsi) was flourishing in my pot plants. It brought the nostalgic memerois back and I decided to make the floral drink with rose, mogra and basil. 

I share this recipe with all sweet memories of good old days with my kids.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Making Time: 2 hrs (Soaking time)

Servings: Makes 6 glasses of cold drink

Ingredients Required For making Floral Drink:

• Rose Petals (Of fragrant rose, I use American Rose): 50 gm
• Leaves of Indian Basil: 25 gm.
• Jasmine Flower (Mogra Flower): 20-25
• Sugar/Honey as sweetener;2 teaspoon /glass of juice or as per taste
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice: 1 Teaspoon /glass of juice

Directions for Making Floral Drink:

• Take freshly plucked rose remove the stalk, sepals, ovary and leaves. Save the petals and rest flower part. Basically all green part should be removed and rest flower parts should be kept for making the drink.
• Remove Green aprt (Sepals and stalk) from Jasmine flower (mogra flower) and give good wash in flowing water. Mix these washed flowers with cleaned roses.
• Remove the leaves of basil from stalk and wash them nicely.
• Mix the basil leaves with rose flower petals in a deep bowl or french press. 
• Boil 250 ml. water and pour it over the mixture of rose and basil. Cover and let it soak for 2 hours. The colour of water will start turning pink. If the basil leaves are of dark colour rather than green then the colur of water will look more like green tea extract.

Flowers and Basil Soaking In Boiling water

After two hours of soaking

• Decant all liquid and discard the solid.

Left over after draining liquid 

Store this decoction in fridge. It stay without spoiling for months together in fridge.

Bottled extract of Rose-Jasmin-Basil 

• Take ghalf glass of the decoction add:
• Chilled water
• 1 Teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Sweetner (sugar/honey) as per taste
• Mix well and enjoy the cooling chilled floral drink.
• Once the lemon juice is added the color of decocotion changes to beautiful pink.

Floral drink after and before adding lemon juice

After adding lemon juice and honey 

• The heavenly smell, taste and cooling effect will force you to make it again and again.

Tips:

• Make sure the water is boiling when it is being added to flower-basil mixture.
• Cover the container in which flower-basil mixture is being soaked tightly to ensure the aroma of flowers and basil is seeped in water nicely.

Alternate Suggestions;

• For those who use sugar as sweetner:
• Boil 300 ml. water. Add 50-60 gm sugar and dissolvesugar in water.
• Give one boil to the sugar water solution and pour it over flower-basil mixture and allow to soak.
• This will give the stweetned concoction only lemon juice will need to be added when you want to have this amazing aromatic floral drink.