Name: Doodh potol recipe | Dudh potol
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Bengali
Ingredients: 1 cup = 250 ml; To marinate the pointed gourd; 12 Potol aka pointed gourd, partially peeled cut into halves; ½ teaspoon Salt; ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder; For the spice paste; 1 teaspoon Ginger paste; 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder; 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder; 1 teaspoon Cumin powder; 2-3 tablespoons Water; Other ingredients for doodh potol; 300 ml Milk; 1 Bay leaf; 2 Cardamoms; 1-inch Cinnamon stick; 3 Cloves; ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds; 1 teaspoon Ghee aka clarified butter; ¼ teaspoon Bengali garam masala; 1 teaspoon Sugar; Salt to taste; 2 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking; 1 teaspoon Atta aka all-purpose flour, for slurry; 3 tablespoons Water, for slurry

Doodh potol recipe aka dudh potol is a comforting traditional Bengali food that is regularly prepared in Bengali houses during summer. It is a super light and healthy dish where tender pointed gourds are cooked in milk with some subtle Bengali spices. This outstanding curry can be relished with rice items like plain rice, pulao or with Indian flat breads like rotis, parathas or pooris.

Table of Contents

About the recipe
Health Benefits of Pointed Gourd
How to make Doodh Potol (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

What is doodh potol?

The recipe name Doodh potol is a Bengali name and the name explains the recipe. Here ‘Doodh’ stands for ‘Milk’ and the word ‘Potol’ stands for ‘Pointed Gourd’. It is an anticipating summer dish that is prepared in many houses when tender aka baby pointed gourds are easily available in the market. Dudh potol is a niramish recipe where no onion no garlic is used.

No onion garlic recipes play a vital role in any Bong house because, in most of the Bong houses, they consider at least a day per week as a no onion garlic day or a veg day. These recipes work absolutely stunning on those days. Doodh potol recipe is a great option for any vegetarian days and puja days.

Many people think there are only a few Bengali veg recipe in Bengali cuisine because Bengalis mostly eat only fish in their meals with some sides like dal, bhaji etc. But there are many traditional, delectable and authentic Bengali veg recipes and every Bong is crazy for those veg food too. Aloo posto, Chanar Dalna, Chanar korma, Alur dom are a few of the finest names for Bengali veg recipe. You can easily get these in most of the reputed Bengali restaurants of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Though these recipes have taken the limelight of Bengali veg cuisine, doodh potol is one of the most delectable and soothing delights during summer which provides comfort and ease.

Bengalis are scrupulous about 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. 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 inflames our passion and incomprehension. Dudh potol belongs to the satvik food.

When I was preparing Doi Potol recipe for the first time after my marriage, my husband was not confident about the dish because it’s a no onion garlic recipe. But his jaw dropped completely after tasting the dish. Now, it’s one of his favourites veg curry recipes.

Dudh potol is a very simple and easy recipe. It gets prepared very quickly without any hassle. In fact, we need a very limited and a handful of ingredients to prepare this delish. All the ingredients are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. The longest part of the recipe is to cut and clean the pointed gourds.

Doodh potol recipe with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the recipe and the key ingredient pointed gourd.

Health benefits of pointed gourd

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

How to make doodh potol?

To prepare the Doi Potol recipe, first cut and clean the pointed gourd (Parwal) nicely. It is one of the most important parts of the recipe.

First cut both the edges of all the pointed gourds and then partially peel their skin. Split the pointed gourds slightly with the help of a knife from the sides. But make sure it should not get cut into pieces. Then wash the potol aka pointed gourds nicely.

Sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder on the washed pointed gourds and rub them evenly on each piece.

On the other hand, take a bowl and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, ginger paste and some water into it. Make a paste of the spices and keep it aside.

Now take a pan and allow it to become completely dry. Then add mustard oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated pointed gourds and fry them evenly till the potol aka pointed gourds get cooked and brown spots occur. Then drain them from the oil and keep them aside on a separate plate.

Now in the same pan, add oil if required and allow it to become hot. Add whole spices – bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, and cumin seeds into the pan and let them crackle.

Add the masala paste into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it on low flame for another couple of minutes.

Add the fried potol into the pan and mix it with the masala. Add salt, sugar and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes.

Add milk into the pan and give a nice stir. Add some green chillies and cover the pan. Cook it in high flame until the gravy simmers. Then turn the flame low and cook it for another 8-10 minutes.

In the meantime, take a bowl and add all-purpose flour to it. Add some water and make smooth lumps free slurry. Take off the lid of the pan and add the slurry into the gravy and mix it well. It helps to thicken the gravy. Cook it for another 1-2 minutes in low flame.

At the final stage of cooking, add bengali garam masala powder and ghee (Clarified butter) into the pan and give a nice mix. 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 a few of them like

Potol posto
Doi potol
Aloo potoler dalna

..And Many more…

Ingredients:

1 cup = 250 ml

To marinate the pointed gourd

12 Potol aka pointed gourd, partially peeled cut into halves
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Turmeric powder

For the spice paste

1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
1 teaspoon Cumin powder
2-3 tablespoons Water

Other ingredients for doodh potol

300 ml Milk
1 Bay leaf
2 Cardamoms
1-inch Cinnamon stick
3 Cloves
¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Ghee aka clarified butter
¼ teaspoon Bengali garam masala
1 teaspoon Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking
1 teaspoon Atta aka all-purpose flour, for slurry
3 tablespoons Water, for slurry

Instructions:

First cut both the edges of all the pointed gourds.
Partially peel the skin of the pointed gourds.
Split the pointed gourds slightly with the help of a knife from the sides. But make sure it should not get cut into pieces and wash them nicely.
Add ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it evenly so that each potol can get coated. Keep it aside.
Take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 2-3 tablespoons of water into it. Mix it thoroughly and make a smooth paste of the spices. Keep it aside.
Now take a pan and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil to it.
Once the oil is hot, add the marinated pointed gourds and fry them evenly over medium flame for 10-12 minutes till the potol aka pointed gourds get soft and brown spots occur. Then drain them from the oil and keep them aside on a separate plate.
Now in the same pan, add oil if required and then add whole spices – 1 bay leaf, 2 cardamoms, 3 cloves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds into the pan and let them crackle.
Add the masala paste (Step 5) into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it on low flame for another couple of minutes.
Add the fried potol (Step 7) into the pan and mix it with the masala.
Add salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
Add 300 ml milk into the pan and give a nice stir.
Add 2-3 green chillies into the pan and cover the pan. Cook it in high flame until the gravy simmers. Then turn the flame low and cook it for another 8-10 minutes.
In the meantime, take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour into it. Add 3 tablespoons of water and make smooth lumps free slurry.
Take off the lid of the pan and add the slurry into the gravy and mix it well. It helps to thicken the gravy. Cook it for another 1-2 minutes on low flame.
At the final stage of cooking, add ¼ teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter) into the pan and give a nice mix.
Check the salt of the curry and add if required. Simmer the gravy for 10-15 more seconds and then switch off the flame.

Serving Instruction

Transfer the doodh potol recipe into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy the best taste. Relish the Bengali delicacy with Rice or Rotis and enjoy your delectably healthy meal.