{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "This Crispy Paneer Tikki Could Finally Get Fussy Kids To Eat Their Bottle Gourd",
  "summary": "Bottle gourd rarely makes it to a child's plate willingly, but turned into a high-protein paneer tikki cooked in minimal oil, it becomes a crispy, healthy snack the whole family can enjoy.",
  "content": "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.\n\nTurning A Skipped Vegetable Into A Family Favourite\nCooked 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.\n\nWhat You'll Need\n• 2 cups grated bottle gourd, with the excess water squeezed out\n• 200 grams grated low-fat paneer\n• Finely chopped onion\n• Gram flour (besan)\n• Soy flour\n• Salt, red chilli powder and cumin powder, to taste\n• Finely chopped green chilli\n• White sesame seeds\n• Chopped capsicum and coriander leaves\n\nHow To Make It\nStart 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.\n\nNext, 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.\n\nHeat 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.\n\nServing Ideas\nServe 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.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThe biggest practical takeaway here is a simple way to get a nutritious vegetable onto plates that usually reject it.\n\n• For parents: Anyone struggling to get children to eat green vegetables can turn the same lauki into a crispy tikki that looks and feels like a snack, making it far easier for kids to accept without a fuss.\n• For fitness-focused eaters: The recipe uses very little oil, which suits anyone trying to cut calories or manage weight, while the added paneer boosts the protein content of the dish.\n• For household budgets: The dish relies on everyday kitchen staples like bottle gourd, onion, besan and paneer, so no expensive or hard-to-find ingredients are needed.\n• For the elderly or those recovering from illness: Since bottle gourd digests easily, this tikki offers a lighter, easy-to-digest option for people who cannot handle heavier meals.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. What are the main ingredients needed for lauki paneer tikki?\nYou need 2 cups grated bottle gourd, 200 grams low-fat paneer, onion, gram flour, soy flour, spices, green chilli, white sesame seeds, capsicum and coriander leaves.\n\n2. What must be done to the bottle gourd before making the tikkis?\nAfter grating the bottle gourd, its excess water must be squeezed out thoroughly.\n\n3. Is this recipe healthy and fitness-friendly?\nYes, it uses very little oil and the paneer adds protein, making it a good option for those focused on fitness.\n\n4. What can the tikki be served with?\nThe hot tikkis can be served with green chutney, curd or any dip of your choice.\n\n5. What is the benefit of adding capsicum and coriander leaves?\nBoth ingredients add a light crunch to the tikki and keep its flavour and aroma fresh.\n\n6. How should the tikkis be cooked on the pan?\nThey should be cooked on a lightly oiled non-stick pan over medium heat, flipped until golden and crisp on both sides.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/food/jina-bachchon-ko-lauki-se-chirha-hai-ve-bhi-shauka-se-khaenge-yaha-krispi-panira-tikki-28325",
  "category": "Food",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-05",
  "tags": [
    "Lauki Tikki",
    "High Protein Recipe",
    "Paneer Tikki",
    "Healthy Snack",
    "Bottle Gourd Recipe",
    "Fitness Diet Recipe"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}