Potoler Dolma | Bengali Style Stuffed Pointed Gourd Curry| Potoler Dolma Recipe with Stepwise Pictures | Gluten Free and Vegan Recipe

Hi Supermoms,

I always wanted to explore, learn and  cook  the traditional dishes from various parts of our country and the world. I have been trying out some exquisite , tasty and traditional Bengali dishes like the Mochar Ghonto, Fulkopir Paturi, Choto Aloo Dum .  Today, I am sharing yet another interesting recipe from Bengali Cuisine with you all. 

Pointed Gourd/Parwal is called 'Potol' in Bengali and 'Dolma/Dorma' means a stuffed vegetable. This Bengali delicacy is usually made using prawns or fish. But in this vegetarian and low calorie version of the Potoler Dolma, the potol/parwal is stuffed with Indian Cottage Cheese and dry fruits.  The stuffed potol is shallow fried instead of deep frying and is tossed in a tangy and spicy tomato-cashewnut  gravy. A whole some and delicious dish that can be served along with phulkas or rotis. They can be also served with hot rice . Add a dollop of ghee to rice and enjoy this dish.

Potoler Dolma ( Bengali Style Stuffed Pointed Gourd Curry):

Preparation time : 15 minutes

Cooking time : 45 minutes

Serves : 4

1 cup = 250 ml cup

Ingredients:

6-7 pointed gourd/potol/parwal shells ( peeled and slit on the side and deseeded)

15 cashewnuts ( soak in warm water for 15 minutes and grind to make a thick paste)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon all spice powder or garam masala

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons mustard oil

salt to taste

For the filling ;

100 gms fresh cottage cheese or 1/2 cup paneer ( grated or crumbled)

2 figs ( finely chopped)

2 dates ( finely chopped)

5 almonds ( blanched, peeled and chopped)

5 pistachios ( finely chopped)

10 raisins /kismis

1 teaspoon sugar

pinch of salt

For the gravy  ( to be chopped and processed):

2 onions

2 tomatoes

2 green chillies

1/2" ginger piece

For garnish :

chopped cilantro leaves

Method :

1. Heat 2 cups of water and when it starts to boil, add  the peeled and deseeded parwal. 

2. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes only.

3. Drain the water and pat dry the par boiled parwal and set it aside.

4. Grind all the ingredients given under ' for the gravy' into a puree and set it aside.

5. In a bowl, add the crumbled paneer, dry fruits, sugar, salt and mix well.

6. Stuff  all the parboiled parwal carefully without breaking it .

7. Heat oil in a wide pan and shallow fry the stuffed parwal over low flame till they are uniformly browned on all sides.

8. Remove them and set it aside.

9. Heat the same pan with the remaining oil ( residue) and temper with cumin seeds.

10. Add the ground tomato onion puree , salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, all spice powder and cook over low flame till the oil separates on the sides of the pan.

11.Stir in the cashew nut paste and mix well.

12.Now, add the shallow fried stuffed parwal and cook covered for just 2-3 minutes and switch off.

13. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve with rice or roti. Simply delicious !!

Chef Tips:

1. You can also chop the top and the bottom part of the parwal and scoop out the seeds.

2. The parwal used here had mature seeds that were hard, so did not use them. The parwal variety is different in different states and so depending upon the variety you can decide whether to peel the skin or not  and also whether to  use the seeds in the gravy.

3. You can tie the stuffed parwal with a thread if you are going to deep fry them.

Happy Cooking !

With love,

Masterchefmom