Bengali Aloo Potol er Dalna Recipe – A Traditional Vegetable Side Dish

The Aloo Potol er Dalna Recipe is a traditional vegetable side dish from bengal. The parwal also known as the potol is a very native vegetable to the bangalis. This is a traditional Bengali Niramish (pure veg) cuisine and is very easy to cook. Dalna in Bengali Cooking is a thick gravy dish unlike a jhol where the gravy is more liquid, this Dalna is more of a thicker gravy. Course : Dinner Ingridients : 8 Pointed gourd (Parval) , peeled and cut into diced 3 Potatoes (Aloo) , peeled and diced 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 2 Bay leaves (tej patta) , torn 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera) 1 inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) 2 Cloves (Laung) 2 Cardamom (Elaichi) Pods/Seeds 1 inch Ginger , grated 1 Tomato , finely chopped 2 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania) 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder 1 Dry Red Chilli 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing) 1 teaspoon Sugar Salt , to taste Oil , for cooking Instructions To begin making the Bengali Aloo Potol er Dalna Recipe, first prep all the ingredients, get them together and keep ready.We will cook the dish directly in a pressure cooker. In the traditional method, you would cook both the aloo and potol separately and then make the masala and add to it. The following method, is a healthy way of cooking the recipe and uses much less oil.Heat a teaspoon of oil in the pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds, dry red chilies, the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and saute till the aromas are released. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes soften.Once the tomatoes soften, add the turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt the chopped vegetables and stir. Add 1-1/2 of water, cover the pressure cooker and allow it to cook until you hear three to four whistles.After three to four whistles, turn the heat to low and allow it to simmer for about 2 minutes and turn off the heat.Allow the pressure to release naturally. once the pressure is released, open the pressure cooker the the Aloo Potol er Dalna should be done. If the gravy is too watery, simmer and allow the water to evaporate and let the gravy thicken. Once done, check the salt and spices and adjust to suit your taste. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve the Aloo Potol er Dalna as a side dish along with Bengali Chirer Polao Recipe, Phulka and a Bengali Cholar Dal.