Bottle gourd, better known as lauki, tends to get a collective eye-roll the moment it shows up on the dinner table, especially from children. Yet it happens to be one of the more useful vegetables around: it is low in calories, keeps the body hydrated and digests easily, which is why it is often recommended for people recovering from illness, the elderly and young kids. The trouble is purely about taste, most children simply will not touch a plate of plain lauki curry.
Turning A Skipped Vegetable Into A Family Favourite
Cooked differently, though, the same vegetable can win everyone over. Grated bottle gourd combined with paneer and shaped into a high-protein tikki comes out crisp on the outside and soft inside, and it needs only a small amount of oil to cook, which makes it a good fit for anyone watching their weight or following a fitness-focused diet. The shape and crunch also tend to appeal to children who would otherwise refuse the vegetable outright.
What You'll Need
- 2 cups grated bottle gourd, with the excess water squeezed out
- 200 grams grated low-fat paneer
- Finely chopped onion
- Gram flour (besan)
- Soy flour
- Salt, red chilli powder and cumin powder, to taste
- Finely chopped green chilli
- White sesame seeds
- Chopped capsicum and coriander leaves
How To Make It
Start by putting the grated bottle gourd into a large bowl. Add the paneer, onion, soy flour, gram flour, cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt, chopped green chilli and white sesame seeds, then mix and knead everything together by hand until it forms an even mixture.
Next, fold in the chopped capsicum and coriander leaves. These two ingredients bring a light crunch to the tikki and keep its flavour fresh. Once combined, shape the mixture into tikkis of whatever size and form you prefer.
Heat a non-stick pan and spread a little oil across the surface. Place the tikkis on it and cook on medium heat, flipping them so both sides turn golden and crisp. Once they are cooked through, lift them off the pan onto a plate.
Serving Ideas
Serve the bottle gourd and paneer tikki hot with green chutney, curd or any dip of your choice. In households where children refuse to touch lauki as a curry, these tikkis can work well as an evening snack or a light dinner option. Along with the taste, the added protein makes it a wholesome choice for people of every age.
