Lauki pakodi- crisp delicious Bottle gourd fritters
Lauki Pakodi- Bottle gourd /lauki/doodhi is a summer special vegetable,according to Ayurveda lauki is very cooling in nature, a good diuretic,easy to digest and is anti-bilious. As it has a good amount of water in it so combat excessive thirst in diabetic patients and balance electrolyte in the body
So its advised to use bottlegourd/lauki on everyday basis through out the summer. lauki is very mild and blend in taste so I have seen many people avoid eating lauki due to this reason ,but there are so many ways to include it in your diet.you can make sweets ,snacks ,curry ,snacks with this healthy humble vegetable.
Today I am posting a simple but delicious snack made with lauki- lauki pakoda. This is very easy and quick snack which you can make any time and is a nice recipe to feed your fussy kids who refuse to eat lauki, and you can also make these fritters for your kids lunch box. You will need a small deep fryer for this recipe but they’re not very expensive and are well worth the expense!
the dipping better is made with gram flour/besan and few indian spices like we made for most of the fritters/pakora,then peeled and slices bottle gourd pieces are dipped in the batter and deep fried in hot oil.
I have posted – Lauki moong daal subzi , Lauki tamatar ki subzi both are very mild and is cooked with the use of minimal fat but taste very good , Doodhi yakhni is a specialty from kashmir and is a rich curry to serve for a special occasion and a simple and delicious dessert – Lauki ka halwa , Lauki ki kheer and a cooling dip lauki ka raita
These lauki pakoda are best served with Mint chutney and Date tamarind chutney
How to make Lauki pakora, Bottle Gourd Fritters
Ingredients
- 5 inch long Bottle Gourd / Lauki
- 1 cup Gram flour / Besan
- to taste Salt / Namak
- 1 tsp Red Chilli powder / Laal mirch powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder / Haldi Powder
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida / Hing powder
- 2 tbs Fresh Coriander / Cilantro / Hara Dhaniya chopped
- 2 tsp Cooking Oil to add in batter
- To deep fry Cooking Oil to deep fry
- 1/4 tsp Carom Seeds / Ajwain
Instructions
- Wash the bottle gourd/ lauki and then wipe it
- With the help of a knife or a vegetable slicer make equal size thin round slices from the bottle gourd
- In a bowl add gram flour ,chopped coriander and all the dry spices.
- Add just enough water in the gram flour mixture and mix to make a medium thick batter of pouring consistency.
- Whisk the batter well so the fritters puff up nicely while frying.
- Now add 2 tsps of hot oil in the batter ,it helps to make the fritters crisp
- Heat enough oil in a heavy and broad pan to deep fry the fritters
- Dip the sliced bottle gourd/ lauki in the gram flour batter ,coat the slices well with the batter and then gently drop in hot oil.
- Add few slices at a time,don't crowd the pan else they may stick with each other and neither become crisp nor they puff up properly
- Deep fry on medium heat and turn side few times while frying.
- Fry till they become golden from both the sides.
- When done ,remove on a paper napkin to absorb all the excess oil
- Serve hot with mint chutney and date tamarind chutney
Notes
- Try to choose small or medium thick, seedless and tender bottle gourd /lauki to make pakoras.
- Batter should neither be thick nor too thin, it should be of coating consistency.
- Deep fry on medium heat ,as if you deep fry on high heat then the bottle gourd slices may remain uncooked from inside and on low heat fritters may absorb excess oil.
Christine says
I love these! They’re so cute! I bet they’re absolutely delicious, too. Thanks for sharing with #SaucySaturdays!
Jennifer Stewart says
Thanks for linking up to #SaucySaturdays! These look amazing! I can’t find bottle gourd but I might try these with zucchini!
Mridula says
Its a perfect tea time snack for this tainy season , it looks yum just like my mom used to make …..
veena says
perfect snack…. looks yum!