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 

UCHHE (KARELA) CHA-CHADI WITH POTATO AND BODI AND A PATOL ( PARMAL) SIDE DISH

This dish is exclusively for my Vege and Vegan friends, Jain friends and temple dish friends...(Non veges are also permitted to cook and eat ).

The other day SOMEONE demanded an explanation " When most of your Blog friends are vegetarian, why do I see that you are publishing non-vege dishes all the time, entertaining the minority , non vege friends??? Now get down to business and give some vege dishes which you cook every day...". But I am not allowed to give an explanation even if it is demanded. What best I can do or expected to do is to follow it as a command , else I will be barred from entering the kitchen for few days to months, depending upon the degree of the offence. It is like going to jail.

So I am giving 2 dishes at one go. The 1st one is a traditional Bong dish, I love to eat. The 2nd one is a southern fusion, experimental dish. It came out very well.

RECIPE , UCHHE CHA-CHADI 

There are many versions of this recipe, one can use few other vegetables. I will be using Potato and BoDi ( Udad dal dumplings, dried and stored). The flavor comes from the seasoning of Panch PhoDon and dry red chili. Bit of mustard paste , turmeric are added and at the end 1 tsp of mustard oil.

INGREDIENTS

Uchhe ( Karela, bitter gourd) 3 ( about 8 inch long) , cut to 1 inch long and 1/4th inch thick slices. ( leave the core)

Potato 1 large, cut to 25-30 X 8mm X 8mm pieces ( approx) 

BoDi small 12 No or large 6 No

Mustard powder 1 heap tsp , slurried in water with 1 level tsp turmeric. ( you can use 2 level tsp mustard paste) and 1/2 tsp chili powder ( optional). NOTE. It will be quite tasty even if you don't add mustard paste , so don't worry , if you don't have or don't eat Mustard paste)

Green chili 2-3

for seasoning 

Panch PhoDon 1 tsp ( if you don't have this , use 1 tsp of Methi seeds,  Fennel and cumin mixture.

Dry red chili 1 

salt 

Mustard oil 2 tbsp and 1 tsp for garnishing ( garnishing is optional and you can use any other oil) 

PROCESS

Mix salt with the cut Karela and leave aside, till water comes out. Squeeze and give a wash, squeeze. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil and stir fry the BoDis to light brown remove and keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil and stir fry the karela so that some of them become brownish. Remove fried Karela and keep aside.

Heat and give seasoning and add the Potato and green chili 

Sauté for 5 -6 minutes.

Add the karela and keep frying for few minutes.

Add Turmeric, mustard paste , salt and little water, add the fried Bodis broken into piece, reduce flame and cook covered. ( stir from time to time and add little water if dries up).

When Potato is done, add 1 tsp raw mustard oil , (optional), mix and remove.

This dish is good for eating with rice or roti.

THE PATOL ( PARMAL) SIDE DISH ( patol Cha-chaDi with a southern touch)
I just tried a deviation from above spicing and it was good.
INGRESIENTS
*Patol ( parmal) 6 pieces ( I had that many ), scrapped and cut to small pieces. ( 1/2 inch) ( you can use other vege too, like ridge , snake gourd or Zucchini etc
*Oil 1 tbsp  ( more the merrier)
Green chili 2

coconut grated 1 tbsp.

Sugar 1/2 tsp ( this is for taste and not for sweetening)

spice ( make a slurry and soak for 10 min)
Coriander powder 2 tsp 
Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric 1 level tsp
chili powder 1 level tsp ( more or less)
Seasoning
Mustrad 1/2 tsp
Cumin 1/2 tsp
dry red chili 1 broken
Udad dal 1 heap tsp
Curry leaves 10 
( I have not used strong spices like garam masala and methi, fennel etc. You can add more coriander powder , it is a very weak spice and good for thickening)


PROCESS
Heat 1 to 2 tbsp oil, give seasoning of cumin, red chili followed by Mustard and Udad dal. Add curry leaves and immediately add the cut parmal and green chili..
Sauté for 5-6 minutes or when some pieces starts browning due to frying.

Add the spice slurry, salt and fry. Add  sugar.
Add grated coconut, add little water and cover. 
The parmal should be done and water should dry out leaving the oil.
Eat with rice or Roti, paratha

PATOL (PARMAL) STEW, SUMMER DELIGHT

Well it is summer time and the market is flooded with patol ( Parmal). Now it is too hot  to cook Parmal delicacies like stuffed parmal , simple dalna, or very rich kalia type or with Poppy seeds, mustard , coconut and green chili paste. There is no end to it.

Here I am giving a simple fast recipe , which I am cooking after decades. This I used to cook for SOMEONE during romantic era and both of us used to come back from work dog tired. I had to improvise many fast recipes.

She was so glad and surprised too to see this forgotten dish, and really enjoyed eating it with hot rice.

THE RECIPE
It is a simple recipe , using peeled potato and parmal and a seasoning and nothing else. It looks watery and deceptive until you eat.
Ingredients
Patol ( parmal) 8 
Potato 2 medium peeled and diced to 1 inch 
Green chili 4
Freshly ground pepper 1/2 tsp
Ghee 2 tbsp ( more the merrier) 
2 heap tsp sugar
Seasoning 
Bay leaf 1
Cardamom 4
clove 3
Cinnamon 11/2 inch
black pepper 8
red chili 1 or 2
cumin 1/2 tsp 

PROCESS

Peel and dice the potato . The potato is added to give a body to the thin soup. Dont try flour or corn flour or rice flour for thickening.

Peel the Patol leaving a strip of skin alternately. This is done to keep the Patol in shape while avoiding the skin taste of the patol. See picture below. Cut each to 3 pieces.

Heat one tbsp ghee and sauté the potato till you see brown spots here and there. Remove and keep aside.

Add one more tbsp ghee , heat and throw in the seasoning followed by the Patol., Stir  with occasional sprinkling of water ( to prevent burn out of seasoning.) No frying is needed , just sauté for 3-4 minutes.

Add the potato, mix and add generous amount of water, bring to boil.

Add salt , cover and simmer till the potato is done. . ( about 10 minutes). In between add the green chilies

Add sugar, mix and boil for 1-2 minutes

The dish is ready, there will be no thick gravy, but lot of water thin liquid ( jhol) 

Try it with rice or roti..you will love it .

Now the bad news is, I have to travel again on work shortly, don't know where is my next destination..I wish it is some where in far east like Japan or Korea. But most probably it wont exceed 4 weeks ..

And for my Blog friends , this beautiful villa and garden on the bank of lake Como, Northern Italy. Photo taken from the Ferry.