Chal potol

Debjani Chatterjee Alam’s Chal Potol cooks pointed gourd with fragrant Gobindobhog rice as a Bengali side. She recalls her grandmother’s version, where the rice was cooked without becoming soggy and the fried gourds were combined with ginger, hing and ghee.

The rice is washed under running water and soaked. Pointed gourds are washed, trimmed and cut into long strips, then marinated with their separate salt-and-turmeric portion; tomatoes are roughly chopped.

Cashews and raisins fry and are lifted out, then the gourds fry in the same mustard oil and are set aside. Part of the ghee joins the remaining oil with asafoetida, cumin seed, cinnamon sticks, green cardamom, dried red chilli and bay leaves.

Tomatoes soften in that tempering before ginger paste cooks until its raw aroma fades and oil separates. The cooking salt, turmeric, chilli powder, cumin powder and selected sugar are mixed in, followed by the drained rice; stirring makes the grains translucent before water is added and the fried gourds return.

Covered cooking continues with further portions of the same water until the rice and gourds are cooked but retain their shape. Garam masala and the remaining ghee finish the dish; half the fried cashews and raisins are mixed in, and the rest top it at serving.