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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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About

Calcutta - 1970


I am a Bengali and like any average Bengali, I consider myself a gastronome. I was born in Calcutta, not Kolkata, at the fag end of the sixties. I grew up smelling the aroma of 'Chicken Kavirajis' of 'Mitra Cafe' and 'Prawn Cutlets' of Allen's Kitchen. I grew up in Calcutta, where roads were regularly washed early in the morning with water from the hydrants. Electric trams were a regular mode of city traffic from north to south. Yellow cabs were driven by the Punjabi Sardarjis. Park Street was frequented by Anglo-Indians and an affluent class of people. My grandfather and grandmother pampered me. Eventually, both of them were gastronomes and culinary enthusiasts. Grandmother loved cooking, while grandfather loved supplying her with the best of the ingredients, and thus I became a gastronome.

I intend to preserve the traditional Bengali culinary culture for future generations so that they never lose their roots in the Bengali kitchen in their quest to become the 'Global Bong'.

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