Instead of the usual chana dal or aloo dum, try a vegetarian mouri potol with luchi or rice. The dish is made without onion or garlic, and the scent of fennel and the heat of green chilli lift the pointed gourd. Here are the steps from a recipe in the Kolkata daily Ei Samay.
You will need pointed gourd (potol), salt, turmeric, mustard oil, fennel seeds, ghee, whole garam masala, ginger paste, the paste of one medium tomato, ground cumin and coriander, Kashmiri chilli powder, beaten yogurt, two tablespoons of cashew and poppy seed paste, sugar, slit green chillies and a teaspoon of ghee to finish.
Peel the gourds lightly, leaving a little skin, and slit both ends so the spices can get in. Rub with salt and turmeric and fry in mustard oil until reddish, then set aside. Dry-roast the fennel briefly and grind it coarsely; half goes into the cooking and half is kept for the end.
Add a little ghee to the same oil and temper with whole garam masala and some whole fennel. When fragrant, add ginger paste, tomato paste, turmeric, cumin and coriander and Kashmiri chilli, and cook on medium heat. When the oil separates, add the beaten yogurt and cashew-poppy paste and keep stirring on low heat.
Add the fried gourds with salt, sugar and slit green chillies to taste. Add a little lukewarm water, cover and simmer on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes so the gravy soaks into the gourds.
When the gravy coats the gourds, sprinkle over the roasted fennel and a teaspoon of ghee, mix gently, turn off the heat and leave covered for two minutes. Serve hot with luchi, paratha or plain rice.
Recipe: Ankita Das, Ei Samay
Photo: Engr.Raju / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); pointed gourd
Source: Ei Samay
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