Children often turn up their noses at bottle gourd (lauki) dishes, but you can make *kachoris* out of it—and they taste absolutely delicious.

These *kachoris* are perfectly crispy on the outside while remaining soft and spicy on the inside. You can prepare them for evening tea or for special occasions. Let’s learn the recipe for making Lauki Kachori.

Lauki Kachori Recipe

Total time: 35 mins
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Course: Snacks
Calories:
Servings: 2 people
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients for Lauki Kachori:
Wheat flour: 2 cups
Semolina (sooji): 1/2 cup
Oil or ghee (for shortening/moyan): 3 to 4 tablespoons
Carom seeds (ajwain): 1/2 teaspoon
Salt: To taste
Grated bottle gourd (lauki): 1.5 cups
Gram flour (besan): 2 to 3 tablespoons
Green chilies: 2
Ginger: 1 inch piece
Cumin seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Fennel seeds (saunf): 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
Red chili powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Dry mango powder (amchur) or lemon juice: 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala: 1/4 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves: 2 tablespoons
Oil: 2 tablespoons
Oil: For frying

Method for making Lauki Kachori:

First, combine the wheat flour, semolina, carom seeds, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 3–4 tablespoons of oil or ghee and mix well using your hands.

Now, knead the dough by gradually adding lukewarm water. The dough should be neither too soft nor too hard. After this, cover the dough and let it rest for 15–20 minutes.

Next, grate the bottle gourd (lauki) and squeeze out the excess water using your hands.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan; add cumin seeds, green chilies, and grated ginger, and sauté for a few seconds.

Add the gram flour (besan) and roast lightly over a low flame. Then, mix in the fennel powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala, and dry mango powder (amchur).

Add the grated bottle gourd and salt, then cook over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring continuously, until the moisture evaporates and the filling is ready.

Finally, mix in finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and set the filling aside to cool.

Knead the rested dough once more until smooth and divide it into small, equal-sized balls.

Take a dough ball and roll it out into a small *puri* (flat disc), keeping the edges thinner than the center. Place 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of the prepared bottle gourd filling in the middle.

Gather the edges of the dough towards the center and seal them tightly to ensure the filling does not spill out during frying.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add 3–4 *kachoris* at a time.

Once the *kachoris* start floating to the surface, flip them over and fry over medium-low heat until they turn golden brown and crispy on both sides.

Remove the fried *kachoris* and place them on tissue paper to drain any excess oil.

Your hot, crispy *kachoris* are ready. Serve them with green coriander chutney.

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