A traditional Bengali preparation, Potol Chingrir Dalna is a tasty, delicious, family-favorite dish of ours. Cooked with prawns, potatoes, and seasonal pointed gourds in a lightly spiced curry base, this tastes great with steamed rice.
Cut off small portions from both of the ends of each potol and peel the skin in stripes (check the picture for reference).
Cut each potol in 2-3 (the number of pieces from each potol depends on the size of the vegetable) thick roundeles. Wash them and keep aside.
Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes, wash and keep aside.
Add ½ tsp turmeric powder and salt to the prawns, mix well and keep aside.
Heat ¼ cup oil in a deep frying pan/kadai. Fry the potol and potato pieces over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until all the vegetables turn light brown in colour. Remove them from the kadai, and keep aside.
Now add some more oil and shallow fry the prawns quickly for 2 minutes, remove and keep aside.
In the rest of the oil temper with all the ingredients mentioned for tempering, sauté for a few seconds.
Add the chopped onions, and sauté until light brown in colour.
Next to add the ginger-garlic paste, sauté quickly for a few seconds.
Add the green chillies, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, kashmiri mirch powder, and salt, mix and cook over medium heat for a few seconds. Now add a few tablespoons of water, and keep stirring the masala until it starts leaving oil. Adding water at this stage prevents the spices from burning, helps to dissolve the masala, and enhances the flavour.
Add the potol and potatoes, mix well, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes over medium heat, keep stirring in-between.
Now add water up to the edges of the vegetables, mix well, cover and cook until the vegetables are done.
Add the prawns towards the end of the cooking, along with sugar and garam masala powder, mix well, and cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and transfer the Potol Chingrir Dalna to a bowl. Serve hot as a side dish with steamed rice, enjoy!