Potol Bharta is a traditional Bengali dish made by boiling and mashing pointed gourd (potol) and blending it with spices like garlic, onions, red chilis, and aromatic mustard oil.
A dash of raw mustard oil at the end adds an extra punch to its taste. Follow these easy steps to make Potol Bharta or Parwal Bharta!
Key Takeaways
- Potol Bharta blends boiled pointed gourd with garlic, onions, and red chilis, creating a flavorful paste. The addition of raw mustard oil enhances its taste.
- Boil, grind, and spice up the pointed gourd paste with red chilis, nigella seeds, and aromatic spices like turmeric and Kashmiri red chili powder.
- Retain the pointed gourd seeds for texture, adjust spice levels as per preference, and fry the mixture well to intensify flavors.
- Potol Bharta pairs well with steamed white rice, naan, puri, paratha, roti or chapati.
- A few alternatives to this dish can be aloo vorta, roasted and begun vorta, saag vorta, and mashed tomatoes.
The Ingredients:
- Potol or pointed gourd: 500 gm (cut, scaled & cleaned)
- Dry red chili: 6 pieces
- Nigella seeds: ½ tbsp
- Turmeric powder: ½ tbsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder: ½ tbsp
- Garlic: 1 piece (chopped)
- Onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- Green chili: 6 to 7 pieces
- Salt to taste
- Mustard oil: 2 tbsp + few drops for the drizzle at the end
How to Make Potol Bharta (Step by Step with Images)
1. Add 1 cup of water to a wok and heat it. Once the water starts simmering, add the pointed gourds or potol.
2. Add ½ tbsp of salt and cover them. Uncover the lid and stir after a few seconds. Check if the potol or pointed gourds are fully boiled. Turn off the flame and let it cool.
3. Then grind the boiled pointed gourds or potol into a smooth paste without adding additional water.
4. In a nonstick wok, heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil. Once the oil is hot, add six dry red chilis and stir-fry them briefly.
5. Remove three red chilis and leave the rest in the wok. Add the nigella seeds and stir-fry until a pleasant aroma emerges.
6. Stir in the chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes. Now, add the chopped garlic and stir fry it. Gently crush the red chilis with a spatula to release their heat.
7. Introduce the green chilis and continue to stir-fry. Add the potol or pointed gourds paste and sauté for a while.
8. Sprinkle turmeric powder and red chili powder into the mixture. Mix everything thoroughly. The more you fry, the better the taste will be.
(Pro tip: Keep the potol or pointed gourd seeds. Do not discard them.)
9. Add ½ tbsp of salt. Reintroduce the three previously fried red chilis (crushed) into the paste. Drizzle raw mustard oil from above and mix everything very well. The raw mustard oil will enhance the flavor.
(Pro tip: Adjust salt and spices according to your taste.)
10. Your Potol Bharta is now ready. Serve it hot along with steamed white rice, naan, puri, paratha, roti or chapati.
Recipe Card
Potol Bharta | Parwal Bharta | Potol Vorta
Ingredients
- 500 grams Pointed gourd (cut, scaled & cleaned)
- 6 pieces Dry red chili
- ½ tbsp Nigella seed
- ½ tbsp Turmeric powder
- ½ tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 piece Garlic (chopped)
- 1 piece Onion (chopped)
- 7 pieces Green chili:
- 2 tbsp Mustard oil
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of water to a wok and heat it. Once the water starts simmering, add the pointed gourds or potol.
- Add ½ tbsp of salt and cover them. Uncover the lid and stir after a few seconds. Check if the potol or pointed gourds are fully boiled. Turn off the flame and let it cool.
- Then grind the boiled pointed gourds or potol into a smooth paste without adding additional water.
- In a nonstick wok, heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil. Once the oil is hot, add six dry red chilis and stir-fry them briefly.
- Remove three red chilis and leave the rest in the wok. Add the nigella seeds and stir-fry until a pleasant aroma emerges.
- Stir in the chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes. Now, add the chopped garlic and stir fry it. Gently crush the red chilis with a spatula to release their heat.
- Introduce the green chilis and continue to stir-fry. Add the potol or pointed gourds paste and sauté for a while.
- Sprinkle turmeric powder and red chili powder into the mixture. Mix everything thoroughly. The more you fry, the better the taste will be.(Pro tip: Keep the potol or pointed gourd seeds. Do not discard them.)
- Add ½ tbsp of salt. Reintroduce the three previously fried red chilis (crushed) into the paste. Drizzle raw mustard oil from above and mix everything very well. The raw mustard oil will enhance the flavor.(Pro tip: Adjust salt and spices according to your taste.)
- Your Potol Bharta is now ready. Serve it hot along with steamed white rice, naan, puri, paratha, roti or chapati.
Video
Notes
- I don't remove the seeds while cutting the pointed gourd as these will add to the texture and taste of the dish.
- Boling and grinding the pointed gourd is a good practice to achieve a rich texture.
- You can modify the spices according to your taste and heat preference.
- Do not rush the process. Fry the mixture nicely enough to offer the rich flavor and intensify the taste due to proper blending of the spices.
- Do not forget to add a little bit of raw mustard oil to enhance the taste and flavor of the dish.
