Potol Chicken is a delightful Bengali dish that combines tender pointed gourd (potol in Bengali) with succulent pieces of chicken.
The dish features potol, also known as parwal or pointed gourd, when paired with tender chicken pieces, aromatic spices, and a luscious gravy, it creates flavors that will leave your taste buds satisfied.
Here are the recipe steps to follow.
Key Takeaways:
- Potol Chicken is a delightful Bengali dish combining tender pointed gourd and chicken.
- Potol (pointed gourd) has a slightly sweet taste and delicate texture, enhancing the dish.
- Potol Chicken can be served with steamed rice or Indian bread and is a great option for a flavorful and satisfying meal.
- A few alternatives to this dish are potol korma, potol shorshe, mixed vegetable chicken curry, potol chingri, potol bhaja, and potol bharta.
The Ingredients:
- Chicken: 750 gms (rinsed, cleaned & strained)
- Potol or pointed gourd: 500gms (cut into round & longitudinally slit, peeled & cleaned, marinated with salt & turmeric powder)
- Potato: 6 half pieces (cut, peeled & cleaned, optional)
- Onion: 1 big size (cleaned & chopped)
- Green chilis: 4 or 5 pieces
- Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Kashmiri Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: 1 tbsp
- Cumin powder: 1 tbsp
- Garam masala: 1 tbsp
- Cumin seeds: ½ tbsp
- Bay leaves: 2 pieces
- Homemade roasted masala: 1 tbsp
- Salt: as per taste
- Ginger-garlic-onion paste: 1 ½ inch ginger, 1 medium size onion & 10 to 12 garlic cloves
- Mustard oil: 5 tbsp
How to Cook Potol Chicken (Step by Step Images)?
1. Heat the wok and add 3 tbsp of mustard oil. Heat the oil and then add the pointed gourd.
2. Stir the pointed gourd and fry it until it turns reddish in color. Close the lid, then open it and stir again.
3. Close the lid once more. Open the lid. Pointed gourds are now fried. Take those out and set it aside.
4. Fry the potatoes in the same oil. Once they are fried, take them out and set them aside.
5. Add 2 tbsp oil in the same wok and heat it.
6. Once the oil is hot, add the whole spices, bay leaves, and cumin seeds. Sauté them until they release a nice aroma, then add the chopped onions.
(Expert tip: If desired, you can also add other whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, etc.)
7. Sauté the onions lightly until they are fried up, then add the chicken. Stir it for 2 mins.
8. The chicken will release water. Now, add the ginger-garlic-onion paste and stir until the raw smell of the paste disappears.
9. Add 1 tbsp of salt and all the powdered spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chili, Kashmiri red chili, and garam masala, except the homemade roasted masala.
10. Stir-fry using an arm-twisting method until all the raw smells disappear.
11. Close the lid and let the chicken cook in its own moisture.
12. Open the lid; the chicken is almost cooked. Add the fried potatoes and stir until the water is fully absorbed.
13. Stirring is done, and there is no water left in the preparation. Now, add lukewarm water and close the lid.
14. Open the lid and add ½ tbsp of salt and the green chilis. Close the lid again for 5 mins.
15. After 5 mins, open the lid and add all the fried pointed gourds. Stir lightly and close the lid again. Cook until it turns into a semi dry gravy.
16. Open the lid and add the homemade roasted masala. Stir again and close the lid for 1 min before taking it off the flame.
17. Potol chicken or pointed gourd chicken is now ready to be served. Serve it with steamed rice, pulao, naan, roti, and paratha.
Recipe Card:
Potol Chicken (Pointed Gourd Chicken)
Ingredients
- 750 grams Chicken (rinsed, cleaned & strained)
- 500 grams Pointed gourd (cut into round & longitudinally slit, peeled & cleaned, marinated with salt & turmeric powder)
- 6 pieces Potato (cut, peeled & cleaned, optional)
- 1 piece Onion (chopped)
- 5 pieces Green chili
- 1 tablespoon Red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon Garam masala
- 1 tablespoon Homemade roasted masala powder
- ½ tablespoon Cumin seed
- 2 pieces Bay leaves
- 5 tablespoons Mustard oil
- Salt as per taste
Paste
- 1½ inch Ginger (pasted)
- 12 cloves Garlic (pasted)
- 1 piece Onion (pasted)
Instructions
- Heat the wok and add 3 tbsp of mustard oil. Heat the oil and then add the pointed gourd.
- Stir the pointed gourd and fry it until it turns reddish in color. Close the lid, then open it and stir again.
- Close the lid once more. Open the lid. Pointed gourds are now fried. Take those out and set it aside.
- Fry the potatoes in the same oil. Once they are fried, take them out and set them aside.
- Add 2 tbsp oil in the same wok and heat it.
- Once the oil is hot, add the whole spices, bay leaves, and cumin seeds. Sauté them until they release a nice aroma, then add the chopped onions.(Expert tip: If desired, you can also add other whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, etc.)
- Sauté the onions lightly until they are fried up, then add the chicken. Stir it for 2 mins.
- The chicken will release water. Now, add the ginger-garlic-onion paste and stir until the raw smell of the paste disappears.
- Add 1 tbsp of salt and all the powdered spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chili, Kashmiri red chili, and garam masala, except the homemade roasted masala.
- Stir-fry using an arm-twisting method until all the raw smells disappear.
- Close the lid and let the chicken cook in its own moisture.
- Open the lid; the chicken is almost cooked. Add the fried potatoes and stir until the water is fully absorbed.
- Stirring is done, and there is no water left in the preparation. Now, add lukewarm water and close the lid.
- Open the lid and add ½ tbsp of salt and the green chilis. Close the lid again for 5 mins.
- After 5 mins, open the lid and add all the fried pointed gourds. Stir lightly and close the lid again. Cook until it turns into a semi dry gravy.
- Open the lid and add the homemade roasted masala. Stir again and close the lid for 1 min before taking it off the flame.
- Potol chicken or pointed gourd chicken is now ready to be served. Serve it with steamed rice, pulao, naan, roti, and paratha.
