Potol Posto / Pointed gourd cooked with Poppy seeds paste

Nothing much is happening in life right now.
Cooking is light and less and all that I have been doing is drowning in cooling drinks.
The Watermelon juice ( yes, I love it now ) has a permanent place in my fridge these days, as is the chaas or the lightly spiced buttermilk.
I am downing glasses of these and more .... that is when I am not drinking gallons of water.
Pune does not get any rains in summers ... other than a couple of very short and very rare showers ... and we are looking forward to the monsoons.
I have not made any boris or used the sun in any way this time ... not even a jar of pickle.
Been too caught up with some sewing.
And my travels have taken up the larger part of summer this year.

But, since the last few days, the sun has suddenly turned softer. There is a lightness in the air. The mornings are fresh and much cooler than what they were just a week back.
We are back to our routine of early morning tea on our balcony.
The birds still come for their drink of water and later in the day, their bath.
But the sun is not as burning any more.
I hope I am not speaking a little too soon, since we still have the rest of May and the whole of June. But I am enjoying Pune getting back to its cool self.

I have cooked with summer vegetables very rarely too, this time.
Something or the other has been coming up and regular green grocery shopping has been taking a backseat.
I did get some good Potol / Parwal / Pointed gourd twice in the last three weeks. And did cook them in all my regular ways ... mostly the bhaja.
I love potol bhaja with hot rotis or on the side of dal and rice.
But this time, I did make a couple more different recipes ... which I will be posting soon.

This Potol posto was made last year. I had clicked these photos in a hurry ... and was not too happy with them .... so kept postponing making a post the whole of last year.
Came across them when looking for some old photos and decided they are not so bad, after all. I mean, anything to not go through the rigmarole of cooking, arranging and clicking a photograph ... not to mention my shoulder acting up later.

So here is the way I made Potol posto. Try it before the summer runs out.
And the Potol disappears from the markets.

Need :

Potol / Pointed gourd - 250 gms, cut into medium thin slices
Posto / Poppy seeds paste - 5 tbsp
Onion - 1 big, cut into slices
Kalo jeere / Nigella seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Haldi powder - a pinch
Green chillies - 2 , slit
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste

How to :

Heat the oil in a kadai / wok.

Let in the onions + green chillies.

Sprinkle the kalo jeere on them.

Fry well on low heat till the onions turn pink.

Raise heat, add the potol slices and fry well.

Lower heat, add the haldi + salt.

Cover and cook till the potol is half done.

Remove cover, add the posto paste with a little water, the sugar, the green chillies and mix well.

Cover and cook till everything is done and dried up.
Do remember to stir it once in a while.

Serve hot with rice.

Here are a few other recipes with the Potol.

Gotta rush today.
Enjoy!!!