A Bong's Kitchen

In Bengali cuisine, a Dalna means a main course dish where in the gravy is thicker and richer. That differentiates a dalna from a jhol where the gravy is soupy and watery, otherwise their preparation methods are basically the same and so also often their ingredients as well. Thus for evey jhol dish, there is an equivalent Dalna dish. So if someone makes a Alu Potol er Jhol, there can be an equivalent Alu Potol er dalna as well.

Potol or Parwal (in Hindi) or Pointed Gourd (English) is a prime summer vegetable along with the bitter gourds and ladys finger. It is one of my favourites too. Normally our family prefers to have something of a non-veg item on Sundays but for a change, we had Alu Potol er Dalna today and no body actually missed the fish curry! Well, Alu Potol er Jhol or Dalna, both can give a fish curry or a chicken curry a run for their money, if they are cooked the proper way. It goes very well with both steamed rice as well as with chapatis.

Ingredients :

Potol or Parwal or Pointed Gourd - about 8-10 pieces
Potatoes - 2 medium sized
Tomatoes - 2
Onion - 1, chopped finely
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon, Black Cardamom, Green Cardamom, Cloves, Bay Leaf
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar - a pinch
Refined Oil

Method :

Boil two medium sized potatoes and after peeling off their skin, cut them into small cubes and keep them aside. Cut off the ends of the potol pieces and so also scrape their skin. Then cut them into halves and also into one inch long pieces. Then heating the refined oil in a deep bottomed pan, fry the potol pieces to semi-crisp state after adding some salt and turmeric power. Take them out onto paper napkins.
Now heat some more oil in the pan and add a small cinnamon stick, a bay leaf, a few green cardamom, one black cardamom, a few cloves and saute them over low flame for a few seconds till their aroma starts emanating. Then add the chopped onions, saute for a while, again add a tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, fry the masala for a few more seconds. Follow this step with some chopped tomatoes and stir in nicely till they become soft and mushy. Now add the boiled potato cubes and add turmeric powder as well and let the gravy cook with the potatoes over medium heat. This will take about 5-6 minutes. Now add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and very little amount of water and fry the mixture for about 2 minutes more or till the oil starts to separate from the gravy. Now add some more water as per the thickness that you want for the gravy, salt and also the fried potol pieces and adding a pinch of sugar, cover the pan with a lid and let it to cook for a few minutes, untilthe gravy becomes thick. Garnish with garam masala and chopped coriander leaves. Alu Potol er Dalna is ready to be eaten.