Narkel sorshe Diye Potol (Pointed Gourd in Coconut gravy)

My aunt in law is a descendant of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. She comes from the family of  Rabindranath Tagore's nephew, Abanindranath Tagore. Shukla Banerji my aunt in law's grandmother
Sunayani Devi who was the younger sister of Abanindranath Tagore. The three sisters,Chandrima,Shukla and Shantana are all well read.

A poet, a writer, a musician.......this is how we know him but Tagore and his family of descendants are all food lovers.

Shukla Banerji (R)&SantwanaChatterji(L)seated below

Shukla Banerji

Ms Shukla Banerji is a teacher by profession.

Ms.Santawana Chatterjee is a poet and an avid blogger and has just got her book published.

Inspiration, of course, comes from her grandmother Late Sunayani Devi, who was the younger sister of Abanindranath Tagore. 



Collecting info from the net I learnt that Tagore was a die hard food lover and he used to collect recipes and menu cards from all places he visited. He was a foodie and these were tried in his family kitchen along with Bengali ones. He loved Kebab's. A wide variety of Bengali favourites like Kacha Ilish er Jhol, Narkel-Chingri, Aadar maach, Chitol-Chalta diye Muger Daal etc were cooked in his Jorasanko kitchen. The family members of Jorasankho Thakurbari were patrons of the art of cooking. Not only were the ladies competent in cooking, there were Indian and French chefs in the kitchen

Cauliflower Sandesh, Chandrapuli, Roasted mutton with pineapple, Kebeb with Turkish spices.....
were all his favourites. Tagore's favourites are available at a food festival "Thakurbarie Bhoj" that gives an opportunity to people to indulge in delicacies cooked in Tagore's era.




I have read this book and found that quite a few of the dishes prepared are what we 
have always prepared in our kitchen. 

My mother in law is old school. She had been taught to believe that  one who ever rules in the kitchen will rule over the house !!
Therefore ,she has always held the reigns of the kitchen very tightly.  We were all only helpers in her kitchen. Only after Baba's death has she stopped looking into the kitchen affairs. 

Now she directs while the cook does the cooking. With time on her hands we get to hear a lot of old stories..... with old recipes,of course.

Narkel Potol

Narkel sorshe diye Potol :

 Narkel (Coconut) grated.......................................................1 coconut
Potol (pointed Gourd)...........................................................500 grams
Tej Pata(BayLeaf.).................................................................2
Dry Red Chilly.......................................................................1
Kaancha Lanka(Green Chilly)...............................................4
Salt .......................................................................................as per taste
Sugar......................................................................................1 tsp
Turmeric Powder...................................................................a little bit
Mustard Seeds........................................................................1 tsp

Method 

Grate the coconut .

Grind the grated coconut, 2 green chilly's, and Mustard seeds together with water to make a smooth paste.

Now, wash and peel the parwal/Potol and  cut the Pointed Gourd lengthwise into two .

Heat oil, about 2 table spoons of oil will do, cause we will be frying the Potol pieces but with less oil.

Now you could deep fry them like Dida (here I refer to my ma in law's mom as Dida) used to. 
In those days these recipes were made in Pure Ghee/Clarified Butter. Deep fried Potol gave this dish its heavenly taste which Ma says is missing in every dish nowdays.

Now fry the potol in oil and remove. In the same oil, add the temperings....Bay leaves and a dry red chilly broken into two.  Give it a stir with a spoon.

Add the Paste ,Turmeric Powder, Salt and Sugar and stir fry a bit before adding the fried Potol.
Mix all together. 

Sprinkle some water, put a lid and cook covered. Note that the dish needs to be cooked on a low flame . Remove cover after a few minutes and check if the Pointed gourd pieces have softened. Add the green Chilly's and mix the masala with the Potol.

Cook stirring till a nice colour is achieved and the flavour of the dish is good.

Remove to a serving bowl and serve with Bhaat and daal.

Pudhina Chaatni

You will find this chaatni in the book. Its quite similar to what we cook at home, so I am writing it down .

North Indian style that I love:

What you require :

Mint(Pudhina).........................................1 bundle
Green Chilly(Lonka)...................................2
Garlic.(Rosun)............................................3-4 pods
Mango Powder(Aam chur)...........................1 tsp 
Sugar(Chini)..............................................1 tsp
Salt(Noon).................................................as per taste

Fresh Pudhina leaves need to be selected and washed well under running water.
Now grind all ingredients together to a thick paste using just a little water. Add mango powder lastly.

You can add fresh Coriander leaves as well while grinding.

The Pudhina-Dhania Chaatni my mom in law loves is a bit different. 
With the mint & coriander leaves, she adds Green Chilly, Tamarind (size of a coin), Sugar and Salt. Tamarind (Tetul in Bangla) can be bought from a vegetable vendor here in Kolkata.

Only five Ingredients

Mint-Coriander Leaves(Pudhina-Dhone Pata)
Tamarind(Tetul)
Green Chilly
Sugar 
Salt




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