My Kitchen

A very famous Rajasthani dish had read in one of Nita Mehta's special edition of Rajasthani recipes...
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
300 gms lauki (will be half of a medium sized lauki)
3-4 tbsp oil for frying
Filling
½ cup paneer grated
½ medium sized onion-chopped finely
1-2 green chillies chopped finely
2tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
½ tsp each salt, amchoor powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder
¼” piece ginger- chopped finely
1/4 cup finely chopped mixed dry fruits (cashewnuts, kishmish, almonds etc.)
Sauce
3 tomatoes & ½” piece ginger-ground together
1 ½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
½-1 tsp salt or according to taste
1 tsp dhania powder
½ tsp garam masala
1-2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
2” cinnamon
5-6 cloves
Method
1. Peel lauki. Place in a cooker with 1 cup of water and ½ tsp salt. Give 1 whistle. Cool. Remove lauki and & scoop out the inside pulp taking care that the sides do not break.
2. Mix all the ingredients well, given under filling and stuff into the hollow lauki shell.
3. Heat 3-4 tbsp oil in a saucepan and shallow fry the lauki, turning so that it is evenly browned on all sides. Remove and keep aside.
4. To prepare the sauce, grind together tomatoes and ginger to a very fine puree.
Heat 2 tbsp oil, add cinnamon and cloves. Fry for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add tomato puree and all the seasonings under sauce. Simmer on low flame till dry and oil separates. Add ¼ cup water. Give 2-3 boils.
6. To serve, cut fried lauki into ½” pieces (rounds) and place in the serving dish. Boil sauce and pour over the lauki pieces. Garnish with green coriander and garam masala.
Relish it with plain or jeera rice and paratha....