Aloo potoler dalna | Potol dalna recipe | Aloo potoler tarkari | Potoler recipe

Aloo potoler dalna aka aloo potoler tarkari is a luscious, spicy and flavoured Bengali aloo parwal curry which is crazily popular among Bengalis. It is a pure niramish recipe, I mean no onion no garlic recipe, which is perfect for vegetarian and puja days. In this preparation, fried potol aka pointed gourds and potato chunks are cooked in tomato gravy with some specific spices and ghee. This comforting potol dalna recipe is an asset of Bengali cuisine which is frequently prepared in every Bengali household, especially during summer season. It is mostly relished with plain rice and even with luchi, paratha and roti.

Many people think there is nothing called Bengali veg recipe. Few people also have the misconception that Bengalis eat only fish in their meal with some sides like dal, saag etc. But there is a treasure of many rich, delectable and comforting Bengali veg dishes in Bengali cuisine. Aloo posto, doi begun, chanar dalna, niramish aloo dum, aloo phulkopir dalna, aloo potoler dalna are the few finest examples of it.

About the recipe
Health Benefits of pointed Gourd
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Aloo Potoler Dalna (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

Aloo potoler dalna is a pure Bengali delicacy and the name of the recipe itself explains the dish. The word ‘Aloo’ stands for potato and ‘Potol’ means pointed gourd and ‘Dalna’ is basically a Bengali speciality in which the curry is prepared without using onion-garlic and the consistency of the gravy is slightly runny.

Aloo potoler tarkari is mostly prepared in vegetarian way and its ideal for puja days. As this dish is prepared with veggies, hence this fall under a vegetarian category in Bengali cuisine.

Bengalis are scrupulous about their vegetarian food and they have split it into two different parts. One division is called satvik food where onion, garlic and even masoor dal are prohibited along with non-vegetarian items. In another division, normal vegetarian dishes are prepared using onion and garlic. Onion and garlic are considered as rajasik food which produces heat in our body and inflame our passion and incomprehension. This potoler recipe belongs to the satvik food category.

This potol recipe bengali style is bit different from north Indian style aloo parwal ki sabji. The usage of ingredients and proportion of ingredients of both the recipes are different from each other.

Whenever I talk about aloo potoler dalna, it always makes me feel nostalgic. As a bong, I have grown up eating this delicacy and till now never get bored with it. I still remember how my mother used to prepare it during summer days. She used to serve it mostly as a side with rice, dal, aloo bhaja and we used to devour that with immense pleasure. I have learned this traditional Bengali food recipe from her.

Aloo potoler dalna aka aloo potoler tarkari is a very simple and easy recipe. It requires very limited ingredients which are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. It is a pure Bengali delicacy, and you will get the essence of Bengal in it. The best part of the recipe is that you don’t need to drop your tears for slicing onions. It could be a great option for no onion no garlic days.

Aloo potoler dalna with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks below. If you follow each step of my recipe precisely then you will get aloo potoler tarkari with perfect flavour and consistency which will even taste better than the ones in restaurants. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about the recipe and the main ingredient of the recipe – potol aka pointed gourd.

• Pointed gourd acts as blood purifier. It helps to purify our blood.
• It increases the immunity power of our bodies.
• It is easy to digest and good for our digestive system.
• It is low in calorie and contains pretty good fibre which is great for weight loss.

• Marinate the potol aka pointed gourd and potato chunks with salt and turmeric powder before frying them.
• Fry the potatoes and potol separately because both of them have different cooking time.
• Use tomato paste rather than tomato chunks. It gives perfect consistency to the gravy.
• Always use mustard oil to cook aloo potoler dalna bengali recipe. It gives better flavour to the dish.
• Don’t skip the whole spices from the recipe. It induces nice aroma into the oil.
• Don’t skip the Bengali garam masala powder and ghee from the recipe. These are the key ingredients for the authentic flavour of the Bengali dish.

According to me, aloo potoler dalna is a versatile curry. It is mostly accompanied with plain rice, but it can also be accompanied with luchi, paratha aka porota, ruti and even with basanti pulao, Bengali fried rice and bhoger khichuri.

To prepare aloo potoler dalna aka aloo potoler tarkari, first cut and clean the pointed gourds and potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into eight pieces.

Cutting and cleaning pointed gourds aka potol (Parwal) is one of the most important part of the potol recipe. First cut both the edges of all the pointed gourds and then partially peel their skin. Then cut each potol into half.

To prepare the potol dalna recipe, marinate the potatoes and pointed gourds with salt and turmeric powder.

On the other hand, take a jar of a grinder and add tomato chunks, ginger, green chilli and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.

Then put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot. Generally, most of the traditional Bengali food is cooked in mustard oil. It gives an outstanding flavour to the dish.

Add the potato chunk into the pan and then fry them till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.

In the same pan, add pointed gourds and fry them over medium flame for 7-8 minutes until it loses its crunch and brown spots occur. Then strain out the potol aka pointed gourds and keep it aside.

In the same pan, add whole spices bay leaf, dry red chillies, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, cumin seeds and let them crackle.

Add tomato-ginger paste into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook in medium to low flame for 5-6 minutes until it releases oil.

In the meantime, take a bowl and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and some water into it. Make a paste of the spices and add it into the pan. Cook it in low flame for another couple of minutes.

Add the fried potol and potato chunks into the pan and mix it with the masala. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for couple of minutes.

Then add water into the pan and give a nice stir. Add salt, sugar and green chillies, one by one into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and put the flame in high until the gravy starts boiling. Then put the flame in low and cook it for another 5-6 minutes.

The consistency of the aloo potoler dalna gravy is slightly runny. But you can prepare it according to your own preference.

At the final stage of cooking, add bengali garam masala powder (a ground spice mixture which contains equal portion of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves) and ghee (Clarified butter) into the pan. These spices complement the flavour of the dish very well.

Check the salt of the curry and add if required. Simmer the gravy for 10-15 more seconds and then switch off the flame.

Many potol recipe have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check few of them like

Potol posto
Doi potol
Parwal paneer

..And Many more…

1 cup = 250 ml

• 350 grams Potol aka pointed gourd, partially peeled cut into halves
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder

• 3 medium Potatoes, medium pieces
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder

• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• 2 tablespoons Water

• 2 Tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 2 inches Ginger, diced
• 1 green Chilli

• 2-3 green Chillies
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 3 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
• 4 Cloves (Laung)
• 1 inche Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 2 dry red Chillies
• ¾ teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1½ cups Water for gravy (Adjust the amount accordingly)
• ¼ cup Mustard oil for cooking

1. First cut both the edges of all the pointed gourds. Partially peel the skin of the pointed gourds and wash them nicely.
2. Cut them into halves and keep it on a plate. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it evenly so that each potol piece can get coated. Keep it aside.
3. Cut each medium sized potato into eight pieces. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it nicely to coat each potato piece. Keep it aside.
4. On the other hand, take a jar of a grinder and add tomato chunks, 2 inches ginger, 1 green chilli and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
5. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add ¼ cup mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
6. Add the marinated potato chunk into the pan and then fry them evenly over medium to medium high flame for 8-10 minutes till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.
7. In the same pan, add marinated pointed gourds and fry them over medium-to-medium low flame for 7-8 minutes until it loses its crunch and brown spots occur. Then strain the potol pieces out and keep it aside.
8. In the same pan, add whole spices 1 bay leaf, 2 dry red chillies, 4 cloves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.
9. Add the tomato-ginger paste (Step 4) into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it in medium flame for 5-6 minutes until it releases oil.
10. In the meantime, take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder and 2 tablespoons of water into it. Mix it thoroughly and make a smooth paste of the spices.
11. Add the masala paste into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes so that the masala can get cook properly.
12. Add the fried potol and potato chunks into the pan and mix it with the masala. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for couple of minutes.
13. Add 1½ cup water into the pan and give a nice stir.
    Note: The consistency of the aloo potoler dalna gravy is slightly runny. But you can prepare it according to your own preference.
14. Add salt, 1 -2 teaspoons sugar and 3 green chillies, one by one into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and put the flame in high until the gravy starts boiling. Then put the flame in low and cook it for another 5-6 minutes.
15. Add ¾ teaspoon bengali garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon ghee (Clarified butter), one by one into the pan and give a nice mix. Simmer the gravy in high flame for another 10-15 seconds.
16. Check the salt of the gravy before switching off the flame. Add more if required and mix it well. Then switch off the flame.

Transfer the aloo potoler dalna into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the comfort food with steamed Basmati rice and dal or with flat breads like luchi, rotis, phulkas, parathas and enjoy your comfort meal.

Aloo potoler dalna | Potol dalna recipe | Aloo potoler tarkari | Potoler recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 4.0/5

( 2 voted )

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Ingredients

1 cup = 250 ml

To marinate the pointed gourd

• 350 grams Potol aka pointed gourd, partially peeled cut into halves
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder

To marinate the potato

• 3 medium Potatoes, medium pieces
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder

For the spice paste

• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• 2 tablespoons Water

For the tomato paste

• 2 Tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 2 inches Ginger, diced
• 1 green Chilli

Other ingredients for Aloo potoler dalna

• 2-3 green Chillies
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 3 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
• 4 Cloves (Laung)
• 1 inche Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 2 dry red Chillies
• ¾ teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1½ cups Water for gravy (Adjust the amount accordingly)
• ¼ cup Mustard oil for cooking

Instructions

1. First cut both the edges of all the pointed gourds. Partially peel the skin of the pointed gourds and wash them nicely.
2. Cut them into halves and keep it on a plate. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it evenly so that each potol piece can get coated. Keep it aside.
3. Cut each medium sized potato into eight pieces. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it nicely to coat each potato piece. Keep it aside.
4. On the other hand, take a jar of a grinder and add tomato chunks, 2 inches ginger, 1 green chilli and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
5. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add ¼ cup mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
6. Add the marinated potato chunk into the pan and then fry them evenly over medium to medium high flame for 8-10 minutes till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.
7. In the same pan, add marinated pointed gourds and fry them over medium-to-medium low flame for 7-8 minutes until it loses its crunch and brown spots occur. Then strain the potol pieces out and keep it aside.
8. In the same pan, add whole spices 1 bay leaf, 2 dry red chillies, 4 cloves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.
9. Add the tomato-ginger paste (Step 4) into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it in medium flame for 5-6 minutes until it releases oil.
10. In the meantime, take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder and 2 tablespoons of water into it. Mix it thoroughly and make a smooth paste of the spices.
11. Add the masala paste into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes so that the masala can get cook properly.
12. Add the fried potol and potato chunks into the pan and mix it with the masala. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for couple of minutes.
13. Add 1½ cup water into the pan and give a nice stir.

Note: The consistency of the aloo potoler dalna gravy is slightly runny. But you can prepare it according to your own preference.

14. Add salt, 1 -2 teaspoons sugar and 3 green chillies, one by one into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and put the flame in high until the gravy starts boiling. Then put the flame in low and cook it for another 5-6 minutes.
15. Add ¾ teaspoon bengali garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon ghee (Clarified butter), one by one into the pan and give a nice mix. Simmer the gravy in high flame for another 10-15 seconds.
16. Check the salt of the gravy before switching off the flame. Add more if required and mix it well. Then switch off the flame.