Bengali Style Potoler Dolma

Potoler Dolma or stuffed pointed gourd is a very popular dish that dates back to the 16th century when Armenians migrated to India. This dish consists of “Dolma” or a stuffed vegetable where the hollow part of the vegetable is filled with delicious stuffings. In this recipe, we have used mutton keema since it is immensely loved by Bengalis. But of course, you can also use different stuffing such as fish stuffing, prawn stuffing, chicken stuffing or even paneers stuffing.

Ingredients :

• 300gm mutton keema
• 10 pointed gourd – well cleaned and peeled
• For the keema – 
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 onion – finely sliced
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp hung curd
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

For the Gravy – 

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp Doctors Choice Refined Sunflower oil
• 4 cardamom 
• 4 cloves
• 4 cinnamon 
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp ginger paste
• 3 tbsp onion paste
• 1 tbsp roasted cumin powder
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tbsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Bengali garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp chopped tomatoes

Method : 

Let us start with making the stuffing where you pour Doctors Choice Refined Sunflower oil into a medium-sized pan. Allow it to heat over a medium flame for a minute. 

Add the onions and caramelise them. Next, add the ginger and garlic paste and stir occasionally till the raw smell disappears. 

Incorporate the mutton keema, chilli powder and give the ingredients a good mix. 

Next, pour in the hung curd and salt. Gently fold the mutton keema into the curd and allow the meat to simmer and soften. Stir the ingredients occasionally till the keema changes into a darker well-cooked shade and the water dries up. 

Sprinkle sugar and garam masala and stir. Keep this aside as you allow it to cool. 

Take the peeled pointed gourd and cut the top on one side. Take the slender knife or a small spoon and scoop out the inside of the pointer gourd such that it is hollow. 

Gently and carefully add the mutton keema into the pointed gourd till it is full. 

Sprinkle salt and turmeric over the pointed gourd and lightly fry it in a pan till it turns golden brown. Do this carefully so that the stuffing does not come out of the pointed gourd. 

Now, let us start with the second part to complete the dish. Take a kadhai and heat it over medium flame and pour in Doctors Choice Refined Sunflower oil. 

Throw in the cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves and allow them to sizzle in the oil as they release the flavours. 

Add in the onion and ginger paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Next, add the tomatoes along with the dry masalas. Mix all the ingredients well till it forms a smooth paste. 

Pour in a little bit of water if the gravy dries up and add salt and sugar as per your taste. Cook for 5 minutes. 

To create the sauce-like consistency, add ½ cup of water and bring the ingredients to a boil. Once the sauce thickens, gently place the dolmas into the gravy and cover the kadhai with a lid. 

Lower the flame and allow the dolmas to soak in the flavours of the gravy. 

Once done, sprinkle garam masala and add in a dollop of ghee. Stir very gently ensuring the stuffing remains inside the dolma. 

Serve with hot rice or fresh paratha.