PATOL ALU DALNA IN CHEESE, PARMAL (POINTED GOURD) AND POTATO IN CHEESE TOMATO GRAVY.

Few years back , while  in Kuwait, I was in a foul or rather destructive mood. So started destroying all kind of provisions in the fridge by cooking them at random with weird spice combo or vegetables. Most of them were just edible but not worth a repeat. However this recipe was born when I put some Amul cheese at random into a semi-bong style Alu -parmal dish. Since then it has not only survived but also flourished in many parties.

THE RECIPE . It is the usual rich alu patol dalna cooked with conventional ingredients like onion, tomato , garlic, ginger , cinnamon, cardamom bla  bla; except that tomato is properly fried and cheese is completely melt and dispersed in the gravy. It will be a  thick tacky gravy with awesome taste. One can use paneer, fried meat or chicken, fish in this gravy .

INGREDIENTS 

patol ( parmal) 8 -10, peeled leaving alternate strip and cut to 3 pieces.

Potato 2 medium, peeled and cut to 1 inch cube 

Tomato 2  small ( about 70-90 gms), sliced thin for fast frying and drying. 

onion 1 medium ( about 21/2 inch diameter), chopped fine .

Garlic 3 cloves , smashed and chopped coarse.

Ginger chopped fine 1 level tbsp.

green chili 2 , chopped fine.

Cheese cube ( Amul in India or equivalent) 2 ( 25 gms each), chopped.

sugar 11/2 level tsp for taste ( not for sweetening) 

Mustard oil ( or any other, 4 tbsp ) + oil needed for frying. potato or parmal. The leftover oil should be used up in the gravy) 

spice for the gravy  ( soak these spice in water to a paste for 15 minutes) 

Red chili powder 1 to 2 level  tsp

Turmeric powder 11/2 level  tsp.

Coriander powder 1 heap tsp.

Cumin powder 1/2 level tsp

Spice for seasoning or tempering 

Red chili dry 2 

Bay leaf 1

cardamom 3 ( rupture the peel before putting in oil )

Clove 3

Cinnamon 2 inch broken to pieces. 

Cumin seeds 1 level tsp

broken black pepper 8 

Some of the ingredients with fried parmal and potato

 THE PROCESS

Sprinkle little salt separately on parmal and potato , mix and keep aside for 15 minutes. (account for this salt while adding final salt).

Heat oil about 5 tbsp and fry the potato 1st and then fry the parmal in the same oil. ( no need for deep frying , but ensure that the cut-sides of each parmal piece are brown. This will give the famous fried parmal aroma). If you mind the oil, then drain the fried potato and parmal on kitchen paper. None of these picks up much oil while frying.

Add more oil to the used oil ( total about 4 tbsp) , heat and give seasoning. 

Add chopped onion  and saute to just about transparent ..add the chopped garlic  and ginger , green chili after 2 minutes. Fry the onion to brown and immediately add 1 tbsp water ( to prevent burn out of onion ) and add the thinly sliced tomato.

Thinly sliced Tomato added 

 Mix well and simmer covered, to cook all the tomato. Increase heat and fry the mixture so that tomato is completely fried, dispersed  and  oil is released. 
Add salt, the fried potatoes and the spice paste. Simmer and stir fry until oil separates.

Potato and spice paste added 

Add 1/2 cup of water, bring to full boil and reduce flame. Add the cheese , allow it to melt and then stir vigorously to disperse it. Add sugar and the fried parmal.
Cover and simmer and stir occasionally. When the oil comes out and little water is left, the dish is ready . 

You can eat with Rice, pulao, roti, puri or paratha 

Finally