CHINGRI DIYE POTOLER DORMA / PRAWN STUFFED POINTED GOURDS

It has been pretty long time I have not posted an authentic Bengali recipe. I am very much in the kitchen cooking them from dried fish to tetor dal[lentils with fried bitter gourd]. I often travel all the way to the Indian / Bangladeshi shops, fill my trolley with everything Indian / Bengali. Sitting inside a Bangladeshi shop and experiencing that typical feel of my region is truly satisfying. I would suggest my expat friends to visit a  desi market, the very sight of your own kind of veggies and other stuffs would make you happier.... it will give you a feeling that you are among your own. At least I feel that way. The typical Indian / Bengali in me wouldn't die. I will not reserve or preserve it, it is a natural process. The very sight of gondhoraj lebu [a flavourful lemon] in a Bangladeshi shop turns me onto a chirpy little bird.

The other day I got some fresh parwal / potol / pointed gourds. I decided to prepare POTOLER DORMA / PRAWN STUFFTED POINTED GOURDS. The satisfied shopper then went inside a South Indian outlet and had a hearty meal with rawa dosa and chutney. The wanderer in me loves wandering alone, these days loving it more. I am enjoying blogging, reading, music, family time and cooking. I see mistrust, lack of sympathy, empathy, honesty around. It's a personal choice to keep a safe distance from all the nonsense that goes around. Am I trying to prove myself innocent? Nope, but then I follow some principles in life.... I do not back stab people and follow certain ethics in maintaining relationships. People may think why do I need to get philosophical while writing recipes. To that I would say I wish to establish and jot down my point of view on life and people as much as I wish to compile my recipes. Happy to be engaged with some fellow bloggers / virtual world of friends with the common aim of compiling recipes for the rest.

Coming back to Potoler Dorma, I have described the whole process with stepwise pictures so that this lovely recipe be tried in many more kitchens outside of Bengal. You can try with your own combination of spices. Like few others, I have used up the seeds of the pointed gourds, believing nothing should go waste in a middle class family. Let us take a look at the recipe. Maximum families prepare a curry base and add the stuffed vegetable but I skipped the curry part.

INGREDIENTS : [FOR THE STUFFING]

Small Prawns : 150-200 gm
Pointed Gourd : 4-5
Pointed Gourd Seeds : Of as many you are using

Shredded Coconut : 3-4 tbsp

Green Chilli : 1-2
Coriander Powder : 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Seeds : 2pinches
Oil : 4-5 tbsp

METHOD :

Clean, de-shell and wash the prawns, chop them. Peel, take out the seeds and flesh of the pointed gourds, wash them thoroughly. Take a look at the picture below.

Now add salt and turmeric to both the pointed gourds and prawns. Heat the oil and fry the pointed gourds after few minutes. Keep aside, allow to cool.

Temper the heated oil with the cumin seeds and fry the chopped prawns lightly. 

Make a paste with the seeds, flesh of the pointed gourds, green chilli and the shredded coconut, add to the prawns in the wok. 

Add the cumin powder, coriander powder and fold in well. Cook until the mixture dries up and comes out from the wok. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Cristine stuffed the fried pointed gourds with the prawn filling. Many families further cooks a curry and add to the stuffed pointed gourds, we like it without the curry. 

Enjoy with steamed rice.