Potol posto | Potol posto Bengali recipe | How to make potol posto

Potol posto aka potol posto Bengali recipe is a Bengali delicacy and one of the most popular niramish recipes during summer. It is a no onion no garlic recipe which is perfect for niramish aka puja days. This comforting dish is frequently prepared in every bengali house and authentic Bengali restaurants during summer when fresh and tender pointed gourds are easily available. It is a very simple preparation using minimal spices where pointed gourds are cooked with poppy seeds-coconut paste. Potol posto recipe is basically a dry curry which is mostly relished with rice items like plain rice, pulao or with Indian flat breads like rotis, parathas or pooris.

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

The recipe name Potol posto itself explains about the dish. It is a pure Bengali name where the word ‘Potol’ stands for ‘Pointed Gourd’ or ‘Parwal’- in hindi and ‘Posto’ means ‘Poppy seeds’ which is known as ‘khus khus’ in hindi.

Bengalis are scrupulous about vegetarian food and they 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. The traditional potol posto recipe belongs to the satvik where onion-garlic is not 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 from week, other than puja days, as a no onion garlic day or a veg day. These recipes work absolutely stunning on those days. In fact, many other Bengali posto recipes play a vital role during these vegetarian days and puja days.

There is an eternal relation between Posto and Bengali cuisine. Both are incomplete without each other. Though now a day’s price of poppy seeds has become sky high but still bongs are somehow managing to keep it in their food.

There are many salivating vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that are prepared with this magical ingredient. Posto (Poppy Seeds) has a very regular use in Bengali Kitchen. They are used to prepare fritters, stuffing, gravy thickener and as toppings on Bengali sweets.

Aloo Posto, jhinge posto and posto bora, Posto bata, other than potol posto are the few of the most famous names of vegetarian recipes with posto which make the whole nation crazy.

Bengali veg recipes have always attracted me since my childhood. It’s strange but true that I equally love Bengali veg food as the nonveg ones. I still remember how I used to wait for the Saturdays because that is the veg day of the week in our house. My mom used to cook many amazing niramish recipes like jhuri aloo bhaja, narkel diye dal, different types of posto recipes, dalna, chorchori etc.

I have learnt this potol posto recipe from my mom and she got the recipe from her mom, I mean my grandmother. This is not a signature dish and there are no hard and fast rule to prepare it. It is prepared in various ways in different houses according their taste buds. Like many people prefer to add potatoes into the curry and few others make some changes in the poppy seeds paste by adding different elements like mustard seeds or garam masala instead of coconut. Many people use only poppy seeds paste for the recipe.

Potol posto is a very simple and easy recipe and the difficulty level of cooking this dish is low. It could be a perfect option for beginners. The longest part of the recipe is to cut and clean the pointed gourds. Other than this, it gets prepared very quickly without any hassle. All the ingredients to prepare the dish are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. The best part of the recipe is that you don’t need to drop your tears for chopping the onions.

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

To prepare Potol posto recipe, first soak the poppy seeds in warm water for half an hour. It helps to grind them evenly and properly. In early ages, posto paste was done by ‘Shil-Nora’ (Sil-Batta) which is also known as Bengali Pestle & Mortar. But now a days, this job is done using a grinder or a blender.

Stain the water after soaking the poppy seeds and transfer it into the small jar of a grinder. Add some water and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste. Then add green chillies, grated coconut into the jar and pulse it once again for few more seconds. Keep the paste aside.

Cutting and cleaning pointed gourds (Parwal) is one of the most important part 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.

Now take a pan and allow it to become completely dry. Then add mustard oil into it and 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, dry red chillies, nigella seeds into the pan and let them crackle.

Add the poppy seeds-coconut paste into the pan and cook it until the raw smell disappears and oil gets released. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix it well. Cook it in low flame for a minute and then add green chillies into the pan.

Add the fried pointed gourds into the pan and mix with the masala. Add water into the pan and give a nice stir.

Put the flame in high until the gravy starts boiling and then put the flame in low. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 10 minutes. Usually the potol posto Bengali recipe is a dry curry so add the water accordingly.

Add sugar, ghee or mustard oil at the final stage of cooking and give a nice mix. I always prefer to add ghee at this stage for this recipe. It induces an irresistible taste and flavour to the potol posto. Put the flame in high and cook for few seconds and then switch off the.

Many Bengali veg recipes have already been shared in my previous post. You can check few of them like

Aloo Posto
Jhinge aloo posto
Doi Potol
Parwal paneer

..And Many more…

1 cup = 250 ml

• ¼ cup Poppy seeds (Posto or khus khus)
• ¼ cup grated Coconut
• 2 green Chillies
• 2-3 tablespoons Water

• 20 medium sized Pointed Gourds (Potol or Parwal)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder, to marinate the pointed gourds
• ½ teaspoon Salt, to marinate the pointed gourds
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 1 dry red Chilli (Sukhi lal mirch or Shukno lanka)
• ½ teaspoon Nigella seeds (Kalonji or Kalo jeere)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter) or Mustard oil
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• ¾ cup Water for Gravy
• 3 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking

To cut the Pointed gourds (Parwal)
1. Cut both the edges of all the pointed gourds.
2. Partially peel the skin of the pointed gourds as shown in the picture.
3. Split the pointed gourds slightly with the help of a knife from the sides. But make sure it should not get cut into pieces.
4. Wash them nicely and keep them aside.

For the poppy seeds paste
5. Soak ¼ cup poppy seeds in warm water for half an hour. It helps to grind them evenly and properly.
6. Strain the water after soaking the poppy seeds and transfer it into the small jar of a grinder.
7. Add 2-3 tablespoons water and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste.
8. Add 2 green chillies, ¼ cup grated coconut into the jar and close the lid. Pulse it once again for few more seconds. Keep the paste aside.

For the potol posto
9. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder on the washed pointed gourds and rub them evenly on each piece.
10. Now take a pan and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons mustard oil into it.
11. 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.
12. Now in the same pan, add oil if required and then add whole spices 1 bay leaf, 1 dry red chilli, ½ teaspoon nigella seeds into the pan and let them crackle.
13. Add the poppy seeds-coconut paste (Step 8) into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for 5-6 minutes until the raw smell disappears and oil releases from the paste.
14. Add salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in low flame for a minute.
15. Add 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix.
16. Add the fried pointed gourds (Step 11) into the pan and mix with the masala.
17. Add ¾ cup of water into the pan and give a nice stir. Put the flame in high until the gravy starts boiling and then put the flame in low Cover the pan. Cook it in low flame for another 10 minutes until the pointed gourds become soft and juicy.
    Note: Usually the potol posto Bengali recipe is a dry curry so add the water accordingly.
18. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon ghee into the pan and give a nice mix.
    Note: You can even add mustard oil instead of ghee if you like pungent flavour.
19. Put the flame in high and cook for few seconds and then switch off the.

Transfer the potol posto 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.

Potol posto | Potol posto Bengali recipe | How to make potol posto

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

1 cup = 250 ml

For the poppy seeds paste

• ¼ cup Poppy seeds (Posto or khus khus)
• ¼ cup grated Coconut
• 2 green Chillies
• 2-3 tablespoons Water

Other ingredients for Potol posto

• 20 medium sized Pointed Gourds (Potol or Parwal)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder, to marinate the pointed gourds
• ½ teaspoon Salt, to marinate the pointed gourds
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 1 dry red Chilli (Sukhi lal mirch or Shukno lanka)
• ½ teaspoon Nigella seeds (Kalonji or Kalo jeere)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter) or Mustard oil
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• ¾ cup Water for Gravy
• 3 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking

Instructions

To cut the Pointed gourds (Parwal)

1. Cut both the edges of all the pointed gourds.
2. Partially peel the skin of the pointed gourds as shown in the picture.
3. Split the pointed gourds slightly with the help of a knife from the sides. But make sure it should not get cut into pieces.
4. Wash them nicely and keep them aside.

For the poppy seeds paste

5. Soak ¼ cup poppy seeds in warm water for half an hour. It helps to grind them evenly and properly.
6. Strain the water after soaking the poppy seeds and transfer it into the small jar of a grinder.
7. Add 2-3 tablespoons water and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste.
8. Add 2 green chillies, ¼ cup grated coconut into the jar and close the lid. Pulse it once again for few more seconds. Keep the paste aside.

For the potol posto

9. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder on the washed pointed gourds and rub them evenly on each piece.
10. Now take a pan and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons mustard oil into it.
11. 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.
12. Now in the same pan, add oil if required and then add whole spices 1 bay leaf, 1 dry red chilli, ½ teaspoon nigella seeds into the pan and let them crackle.
13. Add the poppy seeds-coconut paste (Step 8) into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for 5-6 minutes until the raw smell disappears and oil releases from the paste.
14. Add salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in low flame for a minute.
15. Add 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix.
16. Add the fried pointed gourds (Step 11) into the pan and mix with the masala.
17. Add ¾ cup of water into the pan and give a nice stir. Put the flame in high until the gravy starts boiling and then put the flame in low Cover the pan. Cook it in low flame for another 10 minutes until the pointed gourds become soft and juicy.

Note: Usually the potol posto Bengali recipe is a dry curry so add the water accordingly.

18. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon ghee into the pan and give a nice mix.

Note: You can even add mustard oil instead of ghee if you like pungent flavour.

19. Put the flame in high and cook for few seconds and then switch off the.