Curries & Stories: potol

28 July

Potol is my favorite most vegetable. If they were available whole year I could have survived just on them, that is how much I love them! Fried, curried, steamed, boiled - it gets better for me with every version. I know potol haters would shiver at this line I wrote but I have an undying love for Potol what so ever.

In fact I will talk about an incident which happened way back in class 1 or 2. My mom enrolled me into a dancing class as all my known friends were enrolled there. On the very first day, I faced a kind of ragging session by the kids of the dancing class ( I was the youngest in the lot). Some girl asked me what did I have for breakfast, while 30 pairs of eyes were focused on me. I had innocently said - Luchi and Potol bhaja ( fried Pointed gourd) and the whole class erupted into laughter. I still cant figure out what was so funny in that ( its a staple breakfast combo in Bengal) but my little ego got terribly hurt and I felt pretty insulted - not only they laughed on me but also on my choice of food and that too potol which I was in love with. The result - it was the end of my dancing endeavor. No amount of persuasion from my mom or dad could make me go back to the tribe which had made fun of my food choices!

Back at home in Kolkata Potol would be a staple during the warm months of summer. A light potol curry or a dry fry would light up any meal for me. But now a days being in Maharashtra, the cycle of getting potol starts post the summer months. Its already rainy season and now we are getting Potol in abundance. The only gripe is that the potols we get here are not of organic quality which grown on the roof of village houses. The organic potols have a little rough skin texture and they taste absolute awesome. The seeds are not that hard and its more juicy. Every time I would return to Pune form Kolkata, the day before my flight, I would go to the local produce market to get at least 1 or 2 kg of fresh organic potols to bring back to Pune.

There was a time when potol diye Magur macher jhol ( catfish in pointed gourd curry) was a staple at my Pune home. Catfish pairs up brilliantly with Potol. You can check out the recipe link below for fish curry with pointed gourd. But post pandemic I do not get good catfish near my area nor are they available in the online meat portals. So I have to satisfy myself with the regular fish like Rohu or Catla paired up with Pointed gourd.

The recipe I am talking about today is Dudh Potol, which is a traditional Bengali recipe where shallow fried whole pointed gourds are simmered to perfection in a mildly spiced rich gravy of milk. You can even replace the full fat milk with coconut milk to create a vegan version of this recipe.

Here are few pointed gourd (parwal/ potol) recipe that you can try form my blog.

Potol Alu Posto
Potol Posto Aam Diye ( Pointed gourd with raw mangoes)
Kacha Potoler Macher Jhol (Fish curry with pointed gourd)
Doi Potol

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Marination Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients :

Potol (Pointed Gourd) - 10-12
Full Fat Milk- 1 cup (you can also use coconut milk)
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Bengali Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
Green Chilli - 2 to 3

Ginger - 1/2 inch
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1 tsp
Sugar - as per taste
Refined Oil for frying

For paste:

Cashew - 6
Almonds - 6
Poppy Seeds - 2 tsp

For tempering:

Dried Red Chilli - 1
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cardamom - 3
Clove - 2
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

For Marination:

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste

Equipment:

Kadhai/ Wok

Method

1. Wash and peel the pointed gourd skin in alternate lines. Make some shallow slits with knife or prick the peeled part with a fork. Marinate the peeled pointed gourd with little salt and turmeric and keep it aside for 10 minutes.

2. Heat refined oil in a kadhai. When the oil becomes hot, add the peeled parwals and fry them turning sides till it is golden brown on all sides. Keep aside.

Tip: Use fresh pointed gourd for this recipe.

3. Grind to a fine paste all the ingredients mentioned under paste.

Note: Make sure you de-skin the almonds before grinding. You can soak them in warm water for 1 hour or soak them in normal water overnight and the skin will come out easily

4. Add more oil to the same kadai. On medium heat, once the oil is hot, temper it with cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf, dried red chilli.

5. Once the spices are fragrant, add grated ginger and sauté for few seconds till the raw smell is gone.

6. Add the ground paste now and on medium heat fry the masala until oil is released.

7. Prepare a paste of cumin powder, turmeric powder and 2 tsp of water. Add this paste, salt and sugar, fold in and cook for a minute.

8. Now add the warm milk and give it a good stir.

Tip : If you have cold milk, then you can put the milk in a microwave safe bowl and warm it for a minute to get it ready to be added to the preparation.

9. Now one by one add the fried parwals into the masala and simmer until the parwal is cooked through.

Tip: If you want to preserve the green color of the parwals, cook it uncovered on medium flame.

10. Now add the garam masala powder and cook it for about a minute. Finally add the ghee, mix it and take off the heat.

Serve it hot with rice or any flatbread.

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Day 37 of Unlock 1.0

A storm is raging outside as I type this recipe now. The weather is really really windy outside and occasional bursts of rain. Doesn't quite feel like monsoon still. Everything is a little weird this year. So no doubt the weather is also playing games with us.

If someone had told me even a few days ago that a vegetable preparation can be made by combining parwal and raw mangoes I would have not believed. They sound too much of a mismatch to go together. One is a tender vegetable without any significant flavor profile and another having a signature aroma and strong taste of its own.

So it happened I came across a recipe posted by Moumita from experiencesofagastronomad and read about a recipe she posted on parwal with raw mango. I got really inquisitive about it though some of the elements she used in her recipe didn't quite strike a chord with my taste buds. I played along with the idea in my mind. Now the first obstacle was to procure parwal. So I am talking about a couple of weeks back when I was not getting any parwal in my area or any of the online stores due to lockdown. I am such a huge parwal lover that I can have parwal in any form and shape all round the year - boiled, sauteed, in subzi, fish curry - you name it and I love it. At times my mom jokes and asks me how did I pick up on this crazy love for this vegetable. Even I do not know the answer but that is how it is.

So coming back to the topic. As I was deliberating with the combination of parwal and aam, I saw parwal showing up on the list of vegetables in bigbasket. Without a moments delay I ordered them. Now the second thing was bouncing off this idea with my most credible recipe critic - my mom. When I explained the recipe to her, she didn't sound too impressed. In fact she suggested that this sounded like a very weird combination. So I was back to the drawing board. The idea was still ringing in my mind. So after much deliberation I decided not to follow the recipe mentioned in her blog but to innovate and align the flavors as per my taste.

I was still not sure of what I am doing or how the end result was going to be. But the moment I added the grated raw mangoes in the oil which was tempered with fenugreek seeds, i loved the aroma it gave off. And that is where I felt I was doing something right.

At the end I am pretty happy with the result. And when I posted about this in my facebook groups, I saw many folks getting excited about this combo and asking me to share the recipe. So for all of them and also for you dear readers who might have stumbled on my blog, the recipe is given below. Adjust the level of mango as per your liking. I wanted the end result to be a little sour, sweet and savory and with a whole lot of bold flavors.

For non-bengali folks who are at time apprehensive of adding mustard paste in their food, let me tell you, in this recipe it is not at all overpowering, but in fact it compliments the comfort of poppy seeds.

Modification: Modified the recipe a bit to add a note about adding fresh coconut. My bad, I had forgot to mention it earlier. So if anyone of you had referred to it earlier make a note of this change.

Soaking Time : 30 min to 1 hour
Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes approx

Serving : 4-5 people

Ingredients :

Potol/Parwal/ Pointed Gourd - 1/2 kg (10-12, tender ones)
Potato (*Optional) - 2 medium or 1 big
Raw Mango - 1/2
Fresh Coconut - 1/4th cup, cut into medium pieces
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 3 - 4, slitted
Dry Red Chilli - 2
Poppy seeds - 3 tbsp
Black Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Sugar - 2 tsp minimum
Mustard Oil - as required
Water - 1 cup approx

1. In a grinder take the poppy seeds, mustard seeds, fresh coconut pieces, red chilli, 1 green chilli and add about 5 tbsp of water. The intention is to soak the poppy seeds so that they can be ground into a fine paste. Adjust the level of the water so that the poppy seeds are wet but not submerged. Let it rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Tip: The addition of fresh coconut to any kind of Poshto, gives it an added texture and flavour. And it goes amazingly well. Now i add a little fresh coconut everytime I make any kind of poshto. So please do not skip this if possible.

2. In the meantime, scrape the skin of the parwal in alternate bands and cut them into halves longitudinally. Cut the potato in a similar shape.

Note: Adding potato is totally optional here. But I love potatoes in Poshto hence I added it.

3. Take a wok and heat some mustard oil. When the oil is hot fry the parwals and potatoes in batches. We need to shallow fry them till they get a soft browning around the edges. Take out with a slotted spoon and keep aside.

4. Now it is time to prepare the poppy-mustard paste. Grind the soaked seeds into a fine paste. Do a test by taking some paste between your fingers and you should not feel any particles. If its not smooth yet, add a little more water till it becomes a nice, smooth and thick paste like consistency.

Note: You can also use sil-batta for the same. It gives better results and smoothness if sil-batta is used. But I cannot handle a sil batta hence I use grinder and pulse it multiple times to get the texture.

5. Take half a raw mango and peel off the skin. Grate the mango finely using a grater and keep it aside.

Note: you can increase the amount of mangoes if you want more tanginess, but for me half a mango worked fine.

5. Now in the same wok, add some more mustard oil. When the oil is hot, add the fenugreek seeds. Once fragrant, tip in the grated mango. Keep the flame low while you stir the mango in the oil. Add a little salt to help the mangoes breakdown faster. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

6. The mango will start releasing its aroma, add the poppy-mustard paste at this point. Add the sugar, salt and turmeric. Give it a nice stir and keep frying in the oil. Add a little water and cook till the paste looses all its water and starts to get dry.

Note: Make sure you are stirring frequently, otherwise the poshto paste might stick to teh wok and get burnt.

Tip: frying the poshto paste for a while in oil helps getting rid of the raw smell.

7. At this point, add the fried parwals and potato and green chilli. Fold everything in. The masala should now stick to the vegetables. Add about 1/2 cup water and give it a nice stir. Cook on medium flame for about 5-10 minutes, till the parwal and potato gets soft. Add more water if required. Finally the consistency should be such that the masala is sticking to the vegetables and without any runniness of water.

Tip: Try not to cover and cook, so that the parwal retains its green color.

Once done serve it with steamed rice and dal of your choice. Usually urad daal or bhaja moong daal are the favorite choices to go with Poshto.

Do try this out and tag me (@curriesnstories07) on Instagram on your photos whenever you try the recipe and I will give a shout out to you.

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Day 1 of Lock-down

It's Gudi padwa in Maharashtra today, the ushering of a brand new year.

Yesterday, I was thinking about the Covid situation and wondering that what kind of Padwa will the people of Maharashtra usher in this time? Everywhere there were news of distress, increasing count, increasing fear, careless people and helpless strays. Wherever I looked be it media, or social media nothing could spell misery in more capital letters. A major part of Maharashtra was already under lock-down so we were already aware that there is chances of the situation getting extended. And in the evening our PM declared a 21 day lock down. Much needed and very much anticipated move. The moment I heard it, I told myself this is it. Either this will consume you or you consume these 21 days to make a better version of yourself.

I thought of ordering some essentials from the popular delivery apps only to realize all the online market suppliers were cancelling the orders. There was an acute panic as more people realized this. And then there was news that the society was being put under lock-down as well – no exit, no entry beyond stipulated hours. There was panic and we went out to check if anything was open.

This was the first time I came out of home in a week. And the look of my area had changed. It looked like a dead town- the one we see in apocalypse movies. The sun beating down, a few police on the road, a few bikes and even few essential stores open. One realizes the proportion of the situation only after looking at these empty streets. I came back with two bags of essentials, exhausted, derailed, still panicked thinking what will happen if I don’t get food or essentials later on. I had decided in the morning that I am going to cut down on the amount of food consumed, be aware of how much water I am using, unnecessary electricity usage to be cut and so on. When I was out on the road to get some medicine, a young shopkeeper at the store told me, “we now need to eat one less chapati than we did, eat less portion of rice than we did. In Italy people are already eating food once a day”. I couldn’t agree more with him while thinking if this guy who is not highly educated understands the need of the hour, what part of it does the higher educated class not understand? His words touched me.

The meal was already planned for today. I had parwal at home which had to be cooked. And with the onset of the hot days a light meal would be good. Especially after running around for the essentials under the fiery sun, the exhaustion was evident. So made potol posto which is light on the tummy and is a feel good factor for me.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 4

Cuisine: Bengali

Ingredients:

Parwal - 250 gm
Potato - 2 medium
Poshto (Poppy seed) - 50 gm
Methi (Fenugreek) seeds- 1/4th tsp
Fresh Coconut - 1/4th cup
Green chilli - 2
Mustard Oil
Salt and Sugar as per taste

Procedure:

1. Wash and dry the Parwals. Scrape off the skin in alternating lines. Cut it in halves as the picture. Cut the potato also in similar shape.

2. Soak the Poshto in a little warm water to prep it up for grinding. Keep it for about 30 minutes to soak.

3. Fry the parwal and the potato till they are 3/4th cooked.

Tip: If you don't cover and fry the parwal, it will retain its color.

4. In a mixer grinder, grind the poshto with one green chilli and coconut chunks.

Tip: Adding coconut to the poshto paste gives the overall dish a very classic taste. It doesnt overpower poshto's flavor but adds more body and taste.

5. Take a wok and heat mustard oil till its smoking. Temper it with Methi seeds.

Tip: Traditionally in Bengal Poshto is prepared with kalonji. But I accidentally one day started using Methi instead of kalonji and the flavors it gave was far more robust than kalonji. Also, the combination of coconut and Methi is an absolute out of the world pairing.

6. Add the poshto paste to the wok. Add turmeric, salt and sugar. It should be a balance of salt and sugar in the recipe. Keep stirring the poshto and cook it till it becomes a bit dry and the raw smell goes off.

7. Add the fried potato and parwal to it and fold in everything.

8. Lower the flame and cook it till the vegetables are totally cooked. If you feel the poshto is sticking to the wok sprinkle a little water now and then, but not too much. The consistency should be just as shown in the pictures.

Serve it with steamed rice and urad (biuli) daal, the classic combination.

After coming home I had this for my lunch. Though this was supposed to be the consumed in one time, I decided lets be a bit sparce and save some for another meal. And for the first time it automatically came to my mind how grateful I was to have food on my plate. I cherished the meal like never before and even though the portion was small it left me fulfilled. Hard times teaches us to be more stronger than ever. Let us hope all this gets over soon.

And once again happy Gudi Padwa to all my Maharashtrian readers.

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