Patoler Dolma | Nutty Fatty Stuffed Parwal
Published by Barnali Dutta on May 6, 2014
Patoler Dolma is Bengal’s own version of stuffed vegetables. Across the world, stuffed vegetables appear in many traditional cuisines — Greek dolmades or yemista, Polish golabki, Romanian sarma, Swedish kaldolmar, and Middle Eastern mahshi. In Bengal, this idea becomes patoler dolma, where pointed gourd is hollowed, filled, seasoned, and fried or cooked in gravy.
Stuffed vegetable dishes are part of a wider culinary tradition known as dolma .
There are two broad types of Bengali dolma. One is filled with minced meat, fish, prawn, fish roe, or other non-vegetarian stuffing. The other is a vegetarian version made with nuts, spices, rice, lentils, or vegetable mixtures. The hollowed inner part of the vegetable can also be mixed into the stuffing. Sometimes one side of the vegetable is left open, and sometimes it is tied like a small pouch with white thread.
At home, this recipe became one of my tricks for making children eat patol or parwal. My children did not like pointed gourd much, but this stuffed version changed their mood. In summer, when patol is easily available and affordable, this nutty, slightly sweet, spicy filling makes the vegetable much more attractive.
Ingredients
Serves: 2
For the parwal
- Big parwal or pointed gourd — 4
- Salt and turmeric — about 1 teaspoon, for seasoning
- Cooking oil — about 100 ml, for shallow frying
For the vegetarian filling
- Peanuts — 1 cup, toasted and crushed
- Raisins — 1 tablespoon, soaked and made into paste
- Red onion — 2 small, chopped
- Kalonji or nigella seeds — 1 teaspoon, toasted and powdered
- Green chilli — 2, chopped
- Vegetable oil — 2 teaspoons
- Salt — to taste
- Granulated sugar — to taste
Method
- Wash and clean the pointed gourds. Cut one pointed end and carefully scoop out the seeds to make a hollow inside. Keep them aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a non-stick frying pan.
- Add chopped onion, green chilli, powdered kalonji, raisin paste, and crushed peanuts one by one.
- Add salt and sugar to taste. Fry the mixture on low flame for 5 to 7 minutes, until it becomes slightly sticky and well combined.
- Turn off the heat and allow the filling to cool enough to touch.
- Take each hollowed parwal and gently fill it with the prepared peanut mixture. Do not press too hard, otherwise the vegetable may crack.
- Season the stuffed parwals with salt and turmeric.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the stuffed parwals in small batches. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry until the parwal is cooked and changes colour to a deeper green.
- Remove and place on kitchen paper to absorb extra oil.
- Serve hot as a side dish with rice or as part of a Bengali meal.
Cooking Notes
- For a non-vegetarian version, leftover cooked meat can be chopped finely and used instead of peanuts.
- Prawn filling works very well for patoler dolma.
- Traditional Bengali versions may also use fish roe, bhetki, or rui fish stuffing.
- Do not overfill the parwal, as it may split while frying.
- The raisin paste helps bind the filling and gives a mild sweetness.
If you enjoy traditional Bengali vegetable recipes, you may also like Shukto and Narkel Posto Bora.
FAQ
What is Patoler Dolma?
Patoler Dolma is a Bengali stuffed pointed gourd recipe. The parwal is hollowed, filled with vegetarian or non-vegetarian stuffing, seasoned, and then fried or cooked.
Can I make Patoler Dolma without meat or fish?
Yes. This version uses a vegetarian peanut, onion, raisin, chilli, and kalonji filling.
Can I use prawn stuffing?
Yes. Prawn stuffing is one of the most popular non-vegetarian variations of Bengali patoler dolma.
What can I serve with Patoler Dolma?
It can be served with plain rice, pulao, dal, or as part of a traditional Bengali meal.
