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When it comes to eating palatable veggies, bitter gourd and its neutral cousin, the pointed gourd both are less-liked and preferred ones. But Doodh Potol, a Bengali-style cooked parwal or potol sabzi, just exceeds every expectation and imagination from an average potol sabzi. Richly cooked in milk flavoured with cumin, salt and turmeric powder, the peeled and fried soft potols soak up all the flavour. For the trivial amount of effort that goes into making this sabzi, Doodh Potol can go a long way from changing your notion about the taste of potols to becoming your luxury food item.
Nutritional Benefits Of Pointed Gourd
Let's begin by acknowledging the many health benefits of this humble vegetable. The pointed gourds that are high in copper, and rich in vitamin c, iron and magnesium are known to cleanse the blood, and control blood cholesterol, besides curing flu and infection. No wonder, these are often prescribed by doctors to be consumed during jaundice, skin infection and viral diseases. These are also beneficial for weight loss, vision and skincare.
Doodh potol/ youtube
Pointed gourds are known in India by various names including Parwal, Palmal, Palwal and Potol. Some of the delicacies made with this veggie include Hariyali Parwal, Parwal Aloo Ki Sabzi, Parwal Bharwa, Doi Potol, Parwal Dolma, Veggie Peel Pakora and Parwal Ki Mithai. Doodh Potol, a Bengali dish, is a summer speciality, as this is the time when baby potols can be harvested. Other Bengali dishes made with pointed gourds are Bengali Potol Bhaja, Potol Dalna and Bengali Doi Potol.
Ingredients:
1. 500 gm small pointed gourds
2. 20 gm vegetable oil
3. 2 pcs cardamom
4. 2 pcs cloves
5. 1 pc cinnamon
6. ½ tsp cumin powder
7. ¼ tsp turmeric
8. 200 litres of hot milk
9. 6 gm salt
10. 8 gm sugar
11. 5 gm ghee
Method:
1. Start by peeling the skin of the pointed gourd completely. Then make small slits on both ends to enable pointed gourd or potols to soak up the juice nicely.
2. In a pan, heat vegetable oil and fry, the potol on medium-high heat for about 8 minutes or until the potols turn golden. Remove from the oil and keep aside.
3. Temper the same oil with cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. To this add cumin and turmeric powder, and fry these spices for about 15 seconds, while taking care not to burn them.
4. Now add the fried potol to the spices and cook them with the spices on medium heat for about 4 minutes.
5. Then add hot milk to the pan, and stir it well. Add sugar and salt.
6. Cook everything on medium heat for about 7 minutes, until potol are tender, and let it come to a boil.
7. Cook until potols turn soft and juicy, and the milk reduces to a creamy sauce. End by adding ghee.
8. Turn off the heat and rest for 2 minutes before serving.
Use baby pointed gourds that have small seeds as the big ones with overgrown seeds do not taste good in this milk-based curry recipe. Include this extremely simple Doodh Potol sabzi in your long list of heavily-spiced and time-consuming traditional vegetable recipes. Serve it with rotis and surprise everyone around.
