Niramish Potol er Dolma/Stuffed Pointed Gourds with Paneer

Potol er Dolma is an age-old Bengali delicacy. Some people make the vegetarian version by filling the pointed gourds/potol with potato or paneer stuffing. And others just use the fish mixture, keema or prawn-potato mixture as filling. Nevertheless to say different variations of Potol er Dolma has their own unique taste.

This version is made with a filling of cottage cheese as the main ingredient followed by other different ingredients.  Later cooked in whole spices infused cashew-coconut milk based curry, this is a delight for vegetarians. Made without onion-garlic, this is the best vegetarian version of Potol er Dolma I’ve ever cooked. I hope you’ll enjoy cooking it too and don’t forget to share your experience with me. 🙂

Niramish Potol er Dolma/Stuffed Pointed Gourds with Cottage Cheese

Serves: 6-7

Ingredients

Potol/Parwal/Pointed Gourd- 14

For stuffing the Potol/Pointed gourds

• Milk (I used full-fat milk) – 1 litre
• Lemon juice of 1½ lemons
• Poppy seeds paste- 2 tbsp
• Salt- ½ tsp
• Raisins- 1½ tbsp
• Fresh grated coconut- ¼ cup
• Sugar- 1 tsp
• Green chilli- 1
• Roasted cumin seeds powder- 2 tsp (Dry fry the cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant. Care should be taken not to burn them. Grind using a food processor.)
• Vegetable oil

For making the gravy

• Thick coconut milk- 1 cup
• Water- ½ cup
• Poppy seeds paste- 3 tbsp
• Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
• Kashmiri mirch powder- ½ tsp
• Cumin powder- 1 tsp
• Coriander powder- 1 tsp
• Green chillies- 2-3 (slitted)
• Powdered cashew nuts- 2 tbsp
• Ginger paste- 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar- 2 tsp
• Garam masala powder– ¼ tsp
• Mustard oil- 2 tbsp
• Ghee/Clarified butter- 1 tsp

For tempering

• Cinnamon- 1” (3 pieces)
• Green cardamom- 3 (lightly crushed)
• Cloves- 3
• Bay leaf- 2
• Whole dry red chilli- 2

Method

Preparing the stuffing for potol/pointed gourds

Cut small portions off from both the ends of potol. Scrape the skin very lightly using the reverse side of the knife. Check my small video here to know how to scrape pointed gourd perfectly. Wash the pointed gourds after scraping off the skin. With the handle of a metal spoon, scoop out the seeds of pointed gourds from inside. Care should be taken not to break them. Keep the seeds aside for later use.

Making the chana/paneer/cottage cheese

You can skip this stage of chana making by using 125 grams store brought paneer. But I prefer to use fresh homemade chana for this recipe.

In a deep bottomed pan Add milk. Let it boil over high heat, once boiled, lower the heat. Add lemon juice. Stir well; the milk will begin to curdle. Cottage cheese/chana/chena and whey will start to separate at this stage. Add some water (1/2 cup) immediately. Higher the heat, give this a quick boil. Again lower the heat. This way all the milk fat will separate nicely from the whey. And at the end, you will get to see clear whey. Line a big bowl with muslin cloth/cheese cloth. Drain the whole cheese+whey mixture on this. Discard the whey or you can store this for 2-3 days in the refrigerator to use in your curries, gravies or dal. It gives a nice lemony flavor into any dish.

Now tie the loose ends of the cheesecloth and place it under running water to wash away the lemony smell. Squeeze it well to discard the extra water from chana/cottage cheese. Care should be taken not to dry the chana completely, it should be little moist. Keep aside.

Making the poppy seeds paste

Wash and grind poppy seeds in a food processor with 1 green chilli and water. The paste will be thick, not watery. So, stop the processor in between and keep adding little amount of water. Finally, it will form a smooth thick paste, keep aside.

Making of the Stuffing mixture

Add grated coconut, 1 green chilli and seeds of pointed gourds in the food processor. Grind until coarse paste forms. Take out this into a bowl, add 2 tbsp poppy seeds paste and mashed cottage cheese into it. Mix well. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add this mixture. Next to add roasted cumin seeds powder, raisins, salt and sugar. Over medium heat mix and stir this stuffing mixture until it leaves the sides of the pan (it will take 2-3 minutes approx.).

Stuffing the potol/pointed gourds

Heat ¼ cup mustard oil in a deep frying pan/kadai. Over medium heat fry the pointed gourds/potol until they start to turn light brown in color. Remove and keep aside. Let the pointed gourds cool a bit.

Fill the pointed gourds with the stuffing mixture by using your fingers, keep them aside.

Preparing the gravy/curry

Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a deep frying pan/kadai. Temper with dry red chillies, bay leaves, cinnamon, green cardamom, and cloves. Next to add 1 tsp of ginger paste, turmeric powder, kashmiri mirch powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix well and fry until the masala starts leaving the oil (it will take 1-minute approx.). Add coconut milk+water into this. Mix and give this a quick boil over high heat. Reduce the heat; add powdered cashew nuts, poppy seeds paste and sugar. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes. Next to add garam masala powder and ghee. Mix and add the stuffed pointed gourds into this curry. Stir gently, and cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer Potol er Dolma to a serving bowl.

Serve hot with steamed rice. Enjoy!

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Niramish Potol er Dolma/Stuffed pointed Gourds with Cottage Cheese

Stuffed with a cottage cheese mixture and later cooked in a garam masala spiced coconut milk based curry, this vegetarian version of Potol er Dolma tastes divine with steamed rice.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword curry

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 7 People

Author Chandrima

Ingredients

• 14 Potol/Parwal/Pointed Gourd

For stuffing the Potol/Pointed gourds

• 1 litre- Milk (I used full-fat milk)
• 1½ Lemons (use the lemon juice)
• 2 tbsp- Poppy seeds paste
• ½ tsp- Salt
• 1½ tbsp- Raisins
• ¼ cup- Fresh grated coconut
• 1 tsp- Sugar
• 1 Green chilli
• 2 tsp- Roasted cumin seeds powder (Dry fry the cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant. Care should be taken not to burn them. Grind using a food processor.)
• Vegetable oil

For making the gravy

• 1 cup- Thick coconut milk
• ½ cup- Water
• 3 tbsp- Poppy seeds paste
• 1/4 tsp- Turmeric powder
• ½ tsp- Kashmiri mirch powder
• 1 tsp- Cumin powder
• 1 tsp- Coriander powder
• 2-3- Green chillies (slitted)
• 2 tbsp- Powdered cashew nuts
• 1 tsp- Ginger paste
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp- Sugar
• ¼ tsp- Garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp- Mustard oil
• 1 tsp- Ghee/Clarified butter

For tempering

• 1”- Cinnamon (3 pieces)
• 3- Green cardamom (lightly crushed)
• 3- Cloves
• 2- Bay leaf
• 2- Whole dry red chilli

Instructions

Preparing the stuffing for potol/pointed gourds

1. Cut small portions off from both the ends of potol. Scrape the skin very lightly using the reverse side of the knife. Check my small video to know how to scrape pointed gourd perfectly. 
   

2. Wash the pointed gourds after scraping off the skin. With the handle of a metal spoon, scoop out the seeds of pointed gourds from inside. Care should be taken not to break them. Keep the seeds aside for later use.

Making the chana/paneer/cottage cheese

1. You can skip this stage of chana making by using 125g store brought paneer. But I prefer to use fresh homemade chana for this recipe.

2. In a deep bottomed pan Add milk. Let it boil over high heat, once boiled, lower the heat. Add lemon juice. Stir well; the milk will begin to curdle. Cottage cheese/chana/chena and whey will start to separate at this stage. Add some water (½ cup) immediately. Higher the heat, give this a quick boil. Again lower the heat. This way all the milk fat will separate nicely from the whey. And at the end, you will get to see clear whey. 

3. Line a big bowl with muslin cloth/cheese cloth. Drain the whole cheese+whey mixture on this. Discard the whey or you can store this for 2-3 days in the refrigerator to use in your curries, gravies or dal. It gives a nice lemony flavor into any dish. 

4. Now tie the loose ends of the cheesecloth and place it under running water to wash away the lemony smell. Squeeze it well to discard the extra water from chana/cottage cheese. Care should be taken not to dry the chana completely, it should be little moist, keep aside.

Making the poppy seeds paste

1. Wash and grind poppy seeds in a food processor with 1 green chilli and water. The paste will be thick, not watery. So, stop the processor in between and keep adding little amount of water. Finally, it will form a smooth thick paste, keep aside.

Making of the stuffing mixture

1. Add grated coconut, 1 green chilli and seeds of pointed gourds in the food processor. Grind until coarse paste forms. Take out this into a bowl, add 2 tbsp poppy seeds paste and mashed cottage cheese into it. Mix well. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add this mixture. Next to add roasted cumin seeds powder, raisins, salt and sugar. Over medium heat mix and stir this stuffing mixture until it leaves the sides of the pan (it will take 2-3 minutes approx.).

Stuffing the potol/pointed gourds

1. Heat ¼ cup mustard oil in a deep frying pan/kadai. Over medium heat fry the pointed gourds/potol until they start to turn light brown in color. Remove and keep aside. Let the pointed gourds cool a bit.

2. Fill the pointed gourds with the stuffing mixture by using your fingers, keep them aside.

Preparing the gravy/curry

1. Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a deep frying pan/kadai. Temper with dry red chillies, bay leaves, cinnamon, green cardamom, and cloves. 

2. Next to add 1 tsp of ginger paste, turmeric powder, kashmiri mirch powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix well and fry until the masala starts leaving the oil (it will take 1-minute approx.). 

3.  Add coconut milk+water into this. Mix and give this a quick boil over high heat. Reduce the heat; add powdered cashew nuts, poppy seeds paste and sugar. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes. Next to add garam masala powder and ghee. Mix and add the stuffed pointed gourds into this curry. 

4. Stir gently, and cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer Potol er Dolma to a serving bowl.

5. Serve hot with steamed rice. Enjoy!