Chal Patol - Parwal Pulao

This is a very traditional bengali veg recipe prepared with gobindobhog chal. Very easy yet palatable, there is a gravy version too, but I used to make it dry, where the portion of rice is comparatively more than the gravy version. It tastes almost like a pulao, you can have it with some side dish or of its own.

Ingredients

• Large potol or pointed gourd - 8 - 10
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Cumin powder - 2 tsp
• Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Green Chilli - 3
• Tomato - 1, chopped
• Salt, Sugar, Turmeric
• Whole cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Whole Garam masala - 2 each
• Bay leaves - 3
• Ghee
• Gobindabhog / Aromatic rice - 3/4 cup
• Kishmish - 2 tbsp

Keep the potol whole, peel off the skin and slightly slit them from the top and bottom. Fry them till golden brown.

Take them out of the kadai. Add 1 tbsp ghee to the kadai. Add in the whole spices for the tempering. Then add a paste of cumin powder, turmeric, red chilli powder, tomato and ginger. Fry well.

 Add the washed and dried rice (gobindobhog, or basmati) and the kishmish or raisin.

Add the fried potol. Add slit green chilli.Add enough water for the rice to get cooked. The amount of water should be such that the water will be completely get soaked into the rice when the cooking is done.

Once the rice is done add sugar. The dish is on the sweeter side so you can be reasonably liberal with your sugar.Sprinkle garam masala powder to it. Take it off from the heat and add one more tbsp of ghee. 

Serve your Patol Polao hot with vegetable raita.