New Delhi, April 20 -- Last week I was looking for fresh peas in my market in Kolkata.

"Peas now?" the vegetable seller asked me with a look of surprise. "Peas are gone. It's time for potol (parwal) now. It's summer."

I was disappointed. My recipe would have to make do with frozen peas, which are not half as sweet as the fresh ones. But I was also not unhappy. At a time when cauliflowers and bell peppers and potol or pointed gourds are available year round, it's good to actually feel one season give way to another.

But potol was the bane of summer while growing up. Two dinners out of four a week included aloo-potol jhol, cubed potol and potatoes swimming in runny brown gravy. On special nights that was upgraded to a dalna, a richer pre...