Aloo Potol Chingri : Shrimp with Pointed Gourd |Cooking|

Summer is in full swing in our part of the world. We are enjoying the long and warm days and cool breeze at night. Back home in summer, the quintessential vegetable is the pointed gourd or potol. So, whenever it is summer here, I look forward to this vegetable at my local Indian store. Today I will share the recipe of aloo potol chingri.

I have already shared quite a few recipes of potol here but one of my favorite recipes of potol is the Aloo Potol Chingri! I love shrimp and this everyday mundane vegetable gets a complete makeover when you add some shrimps to it. The flavor of the shrimp gives a great taste to the dish.

There are few variations to this recipe. While some use onion and garlic to the recipe, some don’t. Some keep the gravy runny while some keep it thicker. It is up to you how you like it. If you are trying the recipe for the first time, give this recipe a try and you’ll not be disappointed.

I grew up eating this curry the way my Maa makes it and she always added few pieces of pumpkin to it. As a child, I never liked pumpkin so it was her trick to make me eat with the shrimps. The best part is, now I love pumpkin so I made it just the way Maa makes it. So, here it is how to make Potol Chingri.

Tips:

Make sure you do not overcook the pumpkin if using. You may fry the vegetables individually. You may use any white oil in place of mustard oil. If you are using large shrimps then cut into smaller pieces.

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HOW TO MAKE ALOO POTOL CHINGRI

YIELD: 4 Servings
PREP: 10 mins
COOK: 25 mins
READY IN: 35 mins

Aloo potol chingri is a Bengali everyday summer vegetable curry with shrimps.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb potol/ pointed gourd /parwal
2 medium potatoes
1 medium slice kumro/pumpkin optional
10-12 medium raw shrimps/prawns cleaned and deveined
1 small onion
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 small tomato
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teapsoon red chili powder or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar to balance the taste
3 tablespoons mustard oil for cooking
1 teaspoon garam masala powder homemade
1 teaspoon ghee

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Clean, wash and pat dry the shrimps and sprinkle a little salt and turmeric to marinate and set aside. Wash and peel the potol and cut in halves. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes and pumpkin in cubes. Grate the tomato and finely chop the onions.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a kadai/wok and add the shrimps. Lightly saute until they turn light golden brown in color. Drain and set aside. In the same kadai, add the potol, potatoes and the pumpkin. Fry until light golden brown in color. Drain and set aside.
3. In the same kadai, heat the rest of the oil and add the whole cumin and bay leaf. Once the seeds start to crackle, add the chopped oinions. Cook until it is light pink in color. Add the ginger garlic paste, grated tomato, salt, turmeric and mix well. Saute for 2-3 minutes at medium. If the spices get too dry add a couple of tablespoons of water to it. Add the coriander, cumin , sugar and red chili powder and mix well.
4. Add the fried potol and potatoes and give a good stir so that the masala is well coated. Cook for 3-4 minutes at medium and add 1 to 11/2 cups of water according to the consistency of the gravy you want. Let the gravy come to a boil. Add the fried pumpkins, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through.
5. Remove the cover and add the fried shrimps. Mix well. Cover and let it cook for 2-3 minutes more. Remove the cover and add the garam masala, ghee and slit green chilies. Switch off the flame and cover and let it sit for 5 minutes so that all the flavor is incorporated.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!