Potol Chingri or pointed gourd with prawn is a common dish in the Bengali kitchen.
It is delicious and easy to make with fresh prawns and parwal or pointed gourd, along with a few simple spices like cumin,m garam masala powder, and others.
The taste of this traditional dish is as rich as its culinary heritage in eastern India and Bangladesh.
Follow my simple step-by-step guide to create this mouthwatering dish quickly.
Key Takeaways:
• Potol Chingri is a traditional and common Bengali cuisine.
• You need simple spices to make it.
• Potol Chingri tastes rich, sweet, savory, juicy, and crunchy.
• Try potol bhaja, chingri macher malaikari, doi maach, aloo potol, and potol posto as alternatives.
The Ingredients:
- Pointed Gourd: 400 gms (peeled & cut into roundels)
- Prawns: 300 gms (cut and cleaned properly)
- Potatoes: 2 medium sized (cut into cubes)
- Onion: 1 (finely sliced)
- Onion-Ginger-Garlic Paste: Made with 1 small sized onion, 1 and 1/2-inch of ginger and 10-12 garlic cloves
- Turmeric Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Red Chili Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Garam Masala Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Bay Leaf: 1
- Cinnamon Stick: 1
- Green Cardamom: 2
- Cumin Seeds: ½ tbl spoon
- Mustard Oil- 4 tbl spoons
- Salt to Taste
How to Cook Potol Chingri (Step by Step Images)?
1. Marinate prawns with salt and turmeric powder. Leave it for 5 minutes.
2. Put a cooking pan on the gas stove and turn on the gas.
3. Pour oil into the pan.
4. Add pointed gourds to smoking oil.
5. Add salt and turmeric powder.
6. After pointed gourds are lightly fried, then take them out and pour cooking oil into the pan.
7. Add potato cubes, salt and turmeric powder. Once the potatoes are lightly fried, take them out on a plate.
8. Add prawns to the oil and shallow fry.
9. Take out lightly fried prawns.
10. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the pan.
11. Add whole spices i.e. bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom and cumin seeds to oil.
12. Give these a good stir for 1 minute.
13. Add finely sliced onion.
14. After the onion turns light brown, add onion-ginger-garlic paste.
15. Sauté the mixture.
16. Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder and red chili powder, ½ tbl spoon of Kashmiri red chili powder.
17. Add a little bit of water and stir continuously.
18. Add ¼ cup of water. After the water comes to a boil, add lightly fried potatoes.
19. Cook potatoes well before adding pointed gourds.
20. Add lightly fried prawns and stir well.
21. Put a lid on the pan and leave for a few minutes.
22. Open the lid and add pointed gourds. Stir well.
23. Add garam masala and mix it well in the pan.
24. Add 1 cup of water to make thick gravy. Sprinkle a little bit of salt.
25. Put a lid on and leave it for 10 minutes.
26. After the gravy turns thick, transfer potol chingri into a bowl. Serve it hot with plain steamed rice, naan, roti, luchi, paratha, or vegetable pulao.
Recipe Card:
Potol Chingri (Pointed Gourd with Prawns)
Ingredients
- 400 grams Pointed Gourd (peeled & cut into rounds)
- 300 grams Prawn (cut and cleaned properly)
- 2 pieces Potato (peeled and cut into cubes)
- 1 piece Onion (finely sliced)
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 tablespoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 piece Bay Leaf
- 1 piece Cinnamon Stick
- 1 piece Green Cardamom
- ½ tablespoon Cumin Seeds
- 4 tablespoons Mustard Oil
- Salt to Taste
For Making Paste
- 1 piece Onion Small
- 1½ inch Ginger
- 10 pieces Garlic Cloves
Instructions
- Marinate prawns with salt and turmeric powder. Leave it for 5 minutes.
- Put a cooking pan on the gas stove and turn on the gas.
- Pour oil into the pan.
- Add pointed gourds to smoking oil.
- Add salt and turmeric powder.
- After pointed gourds are lightly fried, then take them out and pour cooking oil into the pan.
- Add potato cubes, salt and turmeric powder. Once the potatoes are lightly fried, take them out on a plate.
- Add prawns to the oil and shallow fry.
- Take out lightly fried prawns.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the pan.
- Add whole spices i.e. bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom and cumin seeds to oil.
- Give these a good stir for 1 minute.
- Add finely sliced onion.
- After the onion turns light brown, add onion-ginger-garlic paste.
- Sauté the mixture.
- Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder and red chili powder, ½ tbl spoon of Kashmiri red chili powder.
- Add a little bit of water and stir continuously.
- Add ¼ cup of water. After the water comes to a boil, add lightly fried potatoes.
- Cook potatoes well before adding pointed gourds.
- Add lightly fried prawns and stir well.
- Put a lid on the pan and leave for a few minutes.
- Open the lid and add pointed gourds. Stir well.
- Add garam masala and mix it well in the pan.
- Add 1 cup of water to make thick gravy. Sprinkle a little bit of salt.
- Put a lid on and leave it for 10 minutes.
- After the gravy turns thick, transfer potol chingri into a bowl. Serve it hot with plain steamed rice, naan, roti, luchi, paratha, or vegetable pulao.
