Pointed Gourd, known as ‘Patol’ in Bengali, is one of my favourite summer vegetables. We prepare various curries with this vegetable. Often mustard seed paste, poppy seed paste, curd etc. are used to elevate the taste of the curry. However today I am sharing with you is perhaps the simplest one, Patol Aloor Dalna. It is a very common preparation in Bengali households either over lunch with rice or at dinner with roti. As the summer is approaching, pointed gourds are getting more visible in the market and so I couldn’t resist myself having the very known taste of ‘Patol Aloor Dalna’.

Ingredients to serve 4-5 :

1. Pointed Gourd – 500 gm.
2. Potato – 3
3. Tomato (chopped) – 1 (small)
4. Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
5. Slit green chilli – 2
6. Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
7. Whole garam masala (optional, cinnamon – ½ inch stick, clove – 2, green cardamom – 2)
8. Bay leaf – 1-2
9. Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
10. Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
11. Red chilli powder – ¼ teaspoon
12. Salt & sugar to taste
13. Mustard oil – 4-5 tbspoon
14. Ghee/clarified butter – 1  teaspoon

Procedure :

Rinse the vegetables well with water.

Peel and cut the potatoes into medium size cubes.

Cut small parts from top and bottom of the pointed gourds. Peel them and cut into medium pieces.

Heat oil in a frying pan or kadai over medium heat.

Add pointed gourd pieces and fry till they get golden in colour. Also add salt and little turmeric powder while frying. Remove them from oil and keep aside.

Now add remaining oil in the pan and let it become hot.

Add whole garam masala, cumin seeds and bay leaf in the remaining oil. Saute till get a nice aroma out of them.

Now add potato cubes, salt and remaining turmeric powder. Fry the potatoes till they get half-cooked.

Add chopped tomato, ginger paste and green chillies and cook till tomato turns mushy.

Add cumin powder and red chilli powder, cook till their raw flavour disappears. Add little water if spices seem to be burnt.

Add fried pointed gourds and mix well with the potato mixture.

As oil starts separating from the mixture add 2 small cups of water and let it boil.

Add sugar and check for salt.

Cover the pan and let it cook over low-medium flame.

Put the flame off as the vegetables get cooked and gravy thicken as per your desire.

Sprinkle ghee/clarified butter over the curry and stir well.

Again cover the pan for couple of minutes.

Serve with roti, paratha or rice.