Earlier I have posted a recipe with pointed gourd, Patol Aloor Dalna, which was perhaps one of its simplest. Today I am sharing with you a bit delicate recipe known as Patoler Dolma or Dorma. Here the big fat belly of pointed gourd is cleaned to get stuffed with cottage cheese. The filling can although be of minced meat or even different fishes. As Durga puja is around the corner and many of us are used to experiment with vegetarian foods and willing to dish out something special, it could be a perfect choice for your puja menu 🙂

Ingredients to serve 3-4 :

1. Pointed gourd/Patol/Parwal – 12
2. Potato (cut into medium sized cubes) – 1 large (optional)
3. Oil – ½ cup
4. Ghee – 1½ tbspoon

For Stuffing :

1. Indian cottage cheese or chena (Out of 1 lit. milk)
2. Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
3. Coriander powder – ½ teaspoon
4. Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
5. Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon
6. Red chili powder – ¼ teaspoon
7. Salt & sugar to taste

For Gravy :

1. Tomato – 1
2. Ginger – ½ inch piece
3. Green chili – 2-3
4. Cashew nut – 6 (optional)
5. Yogurt – 2 tbspoon
6. Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
7. Bay leaf – 1
8. Cumin powder – ¼ teaspoon
9. Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
10. Red chili powder – ¼ teaspoon
11. Milk – ½ cup (optional)
12. Garam masala powder – ¼ teaspoon
13. Salt & sugar to taste

Procedure :

Rinse the point gourd , cut small parts from top and bottom and then peel them. Roll them between your palms to soften a bit. With the back of a spoon scoop out the seeds inside the pointed gourd. Keep them aside.

Make a fine paste with tomato, ginger, green chili and cashew nuts.

Knead the cottage cheese or chena over a flat surface for 1 minute. Then melt ½ tbspoon ghee in a kadai over low flame. Cook the chena for few minutes till its raw flavour disappear. Dry roast the spices under the heading “For Stuffing” and then mix well with the chena followed by adding salt and sugar. Now cool this filling and stuff the pointed gourd with it.

Now heat oil in a kadai over medium flame. Fry potato cubes with little salt and turmeric powder, keep them aside.

Fry the stuffed pointed gourds in the remaining oil till golden brown and keep aside.

Add 1 tbspoon ghee in the remaining oil. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf, saute for a while. Then add the paste of tomato, ginger, green chilli & cashew nuts and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Cook until the raw flavour of the ingredients disappear. Then add yogurt and cook for another 2 minutes. Add milk, 2 small cups of water and sugar. As the gravy starts boiling add stuffed and fried pointed gourds and potatoes into it. Cover the pan and let it cook over low-medium flame for 4-5 minutes. As the gravy thickens to your desired consistency put off the flame and sprinkle over the garam masala powder, mix it well. Again cover the pan for couple of minutes.

Serve with rice or roti or paratha.