By Potol Posto Narkel (Pointed gourd in Coconut-Poppy Seeds Paste) a classic & traditional Bengali delicacy. In this preparation the potol/ parwal/ pointed gourd is fried whole and cooked in coconut and poppy seeds paste. A no onion and no garlic vegetarian preparation. “Niramish” as we call it in Bengali is perfect during fasts too.
Hello my lovely friends!!!
Back with another Bengali classic dish.
“POTOL POSTO”
Potol stands for parwal/pointed gourd and posto stands for khus khus/poppy seeds. Posto or poppy seeds plays a significant role in Bengali cuisine. It is used in various ways and various preparations.
Potol posto or any kind of posto for that matter makes me nostalgic and takes me down the memory lane. Bengalis make a variety of Postos by the way. Naming a few; aloo(potato) posto, dharosh (lady finger) posto, dim (egg) posto, aloo jhinge (potato-ridge gourd) posto and the list can go on.
But of them all Potol posto is my favourite. These young pointed gourds cooked in poppy seeds and coconut paste absorbs the delicious flavours. Even parwal haters will ask for seconds if they have this once. I am saying this because my sister only eats parwal/potol only if it is prepared in this form. And trust me we Bengalis have many more delectable ways to prepare potol/parwal other than this POTOL POSTO NARKEL.
How is to make potol posto?
The humble parwal/pointed gourd is abundantly available during the summer season. And it is always best to use the fresh green young parwal to make potol posto. Since the young parwal will not have with seeds. The potol/parwal is fried and cooked with a paste of posto/khus khus/white poppy seeds. But here is a twist. I added freshly grated coconut to this dish which adds an additional depth in flavours. It is a dry preparation and the masalas all cling to the potol/parwal. making it uber delicious.
Here are few Potol recipes that you can try.
So hop on to the recipe and check out how to make this quick and easy Bengali vegetarian dish.
Potol Posto Narkel
Ingredients
- 10-12 medium sized Potol/parwal/Pointed Gourd
- 1/2 cup Fresh Grated Coconut
- 1/4 cup Posto/white poppy seeds (soaked in 2 tbsp of warm water for 10 mins)
- 3-4 Green Chilies slit
- 1/4 tsp Nijella seeds/kalo jeera
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder (plus 1/5 tsp extra for marinating the parwal/pointed gourd/potol)
- 4 tbsp Mustard Oil/veg oil (traditionally mustard oil is used to make bengali posto)
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- Wash and dry the potol/parwa. Slightly cut the ends off both sides and carefully scrape the outer peel with a knife or you can also peel the skin in alternative stripes.(I would suggest you not to peel the parwal/potol fully otherwise it will turn too soft and mushy). Make 2 slits with knives on both the sides.
- Now marinate the pointed gourds wit some salt and turmeric powder for 5 mins.
- Meanwhile, let’s make a paste of posto/poppy seeds/khuskhus and fresh grated coconut and 2 green chilies. Put everything in a blender and make a paste. Add a little water a tbsp at a time if required to make the paste
- Now heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a thick bottomed pan. Then add the marinated potol/parwal and sauté them until golden brown and slightly soft. Take it off the heat and set it aside.
- In the same pan add the rest of the oil on medium heat. Once hot add the kalo jeera/nigella seeds and green chillies and fry for few seconds.
- Add in the coconut-posto paste in the oil along with turmeric powder and salt and fry for for 7-8 minutes.
- Once you see oil separating from the paste add in the fried potol/parwal and mix everything well.
- Add 2/3 cup of water and mix well. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the potol is cooked through.
- Dry off the excess water by cooking it on high flame for few minutes.
- Finally finish off with a drizzle of 1 teaspoon of mustard oil and serve it hot with dal and rice.
I hope you enjoy this delicious Potol Posto diye Narkel (Pointed gourd in Coconut Poppy Seeds Paste) as much as we do!
You know what guys I would love to see your wonderful creations. If you have tried this recipe, simply click a picture and tag me @gastronomicbong or #gastronomicbong on Instagram or on Facebook.
Bon Appetit!!!
3 Comments
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