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Stuffed Pointed gourd - traditional Bengali Potoler Dolma

‘Dolma’ is a Turkish word meaning ‘stuffed’ relating to Ottoman cuisine. It is generally made with a filling of meat, seafood, rice, and fruits or combining them together stuffed inside a vegetable or leaf. Historically stuffed vegetable dishes have been part of Middle Eastern cuisine for centuries. But it is unknown how and when this cuisine entered the Bengali kitchen. If we look back at our culinary history, we find its mention in Bengali kitchens much before the independence of India in 1947. ‘Dolma’ in Bengali kitchen is mostly done with the pointed gourd or ‘Potol’ as it is known in Bengali. The ‘Potol’ is scooped out of its inner seeds and contents, keeping the outer layer intact. A filling cooked with prawns or minced meat or fish is stuffed inside. Then it’s cooked into a gravy, which is called in Bengali as ‘Potoler Dolma’. Presented today is the ‘Potoler Dolma’ prepared traditionally in Bengali kitchens. Ingredients: Pointed Gourd ‘Potol’ large ones – 400 g washed an
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Sweet paneer pulao - Bengali chhanar pulao

 


Chhanar pulao - this was a very common sweet dish available in Calcutta or today’s Kolkata. It is mostly available at countless sweet shops in Kolkata and the rest of Bengal even to this day though the standard and taste of the dish differ from shop to shop depending upon the price. Mildly sweet, this has been a popular dessert among Bengalis and non-Bengalis both. I have even found this in five-star hotels complemented by Rabri. In olden times our grandmothers and mothers had the tenacity to make this dish at home. But the result was awesome.

The process is tedious but worth a try.

This sweet is made in two stages. The small paneer balls are prepared separately. Then the pulao is made and finally, both are combined.

 

Ingredients:

For the Paneer Balls - 100 gm paneer

Flour – 2 tsp

Baking powder - 1 pinch.

Ghee or groundnut oil for frying.

For the Pulao - 200 gm paneer

Baking powder – ½ tsp

Ghee or groundnut oil for frying

For the Syrup –

Sugar – 300 gm

Bay leaves - 2

Black cardamom - 1

Cinnamon - 2.5 cm

 

Instructions:

Prepare the syrup first. Boil sugar with a cup of water, bay leaves, black cardamom and cinnamon.

Prepare a syrup of *2-string consistency.

For the Paneer Balls -

Knead the paneer, flour and baking powder together till a smooth dough is formed.

Make pea-sized balls out of it.

Fry these in ghee or oil till brown.

Soak in sugar syrup.

Take out after an hour when enough syrup has penetrated them.

Drain well and keep aside.

For the Pulao -

Knead the paneer and the baking powder, together till well mixed and smooth.

Heat ghee or oil in a skillet. Take off fire when smoking.

Take a perforated ladle. Rub the lump of paneer against it and directly into the skillet. The paneer

will fall into small vermicelli-like pieces.

Do this in batches. Fry as much of the paneer at a time as the skillet will comfortably hold. Work quickly or else the ghee will get cold.

Fry on a slow fire. Do not let the paneer colour. Take out while still off-white.

Put this fried paneer in syrup for half an hour.

Strain.

Add the fried paneer balls to this. Mix well and serve.

 

*One-string consistency is when a single thread is formed (and does not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently. Two-string consistency is when two threads are formed (and do not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently. This stage is also called the soft-ball stage - when a drop of syrup of this consistency is dropped into a bowl of cold water, it forms a soft ball.

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