- Submitted by Dahlia
(Parvall Aloo ki Sabji, Pointed Gourd Potato Fry, Aloo Potol Bhaja)
Parwal, also known as green potato or pointed gourd is a summer vegetable that is seen throughout North India. It looks like a big version of ivy gourd or tindoora and is often confused with it. Parwal is a totally different vegetable which tastes very different but belongs to the same family. It is longer and thicker.
It is known as potol in Bengali, parval in Gujarathi and parwal in Hindi. In Tamil it is known as kambupudalai and in malayalam it is called patolam. Itt is not commonly prepared in South India. Bengalis, Gujarathis and Oriya people make many dishes using this vegetable. Some of the popular dishes include Potol Bhaja, Parval nu Shaak, Potol Korma, Bharwa Parwal, Potol fish curry etc. There is also a sweet dish prepared with this known as Potol Mishti. I will be sharing all these recipes as and when I find time.
Today's recipe is a quick fry made with sliced pointed gourds. It can be prepared with or without potatoes. This parwal ki sabzi is made in Orissa, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. It goes well with any kind of roti or rice.
Recipe For Making Parwal Sabzi
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
- Parwal (Pointed Gourd, Potol) - 1/2 lb (250 gms or 7-8 parvals)
- Potato - 2 (optional)
- Ginger garlic Paste - 1 tsp
- Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
- Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
- Raw Mango (Amchoor) Powder - 1 tsp
- Tomato - 1 small (optional)
- Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
- Asafoetida - a pinch
- Salt - to taste
- Oil - 2 tbsp
Method
- Scrape the rough skin of the parwal and wash it. Cut each parwal lengthwise into uniform sized pieces. If you are using potatoes, peel it and cut it lengthwise about the same size as you cut the pointed gourds.
- Heat oil in a frying pan and crackle the cumin seeds. Add turmeric powder, asafoetida and ginger garlic paste. Fry for just a minute.
- Add the sliced parwal pieces and potato pieces (if adding). Mix together. Cover and let it cook on medium low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in between so that it cooks uniformly and does not stick to the bottom.
- Add salt and all the spice powders - red chili powder, coriander powder and dry mango powder. You can chop and add a small tomato also. Add a very small tomato as it should not become a masala. Stir fry for 5-10 minutes till the parwal pieces are nicely cooked and gets a little brown color.
- Switch off and serve as a side dish for rice or roti.
Detailed Steps For Making Parwal ki Sabzi
Take about 250 grams of pointed gourd which is about 7-8 pieces. You can add 2 medium sized potatoes with this. Adding potatoes is optional, you can make just parwal sabzi or parwal aloo ki sabzi. Today I have added potatoes. To prepare the vegetables, peel and cut the potatoes lengthwise in thin wedges. For the pointed gourd, you need to leave the skin intact, otherwise it will get too soft. First take each pointed gourd and trim the edges.
If the skin looks very matured, scrape the rough skin with a knife. Wash the parwal and cut each one lengthwise into 3 or 4 uniform sized pieces. You can leave the seeds inside, they are edible. If the seeds have become too hard and black, you can discard.
Heat oil in a frying pan and crackle the cumin seeds. Add turmeric powder, asafoetida and ginger garlic paste. If you want to make it sattvic, just skip the ginger garlic paste. Fry for just a minute.
Add the sliced parwal pieces and potato pieces (if you have decided to add it). Saute for a minute.
Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and let it cook on medium low heat. for about 15 minutes. Stir 2 or 3 times in between so that it cooks uniformly and does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the pieces have become soft, add salt, red chili powder, coriander powder and dry mango powder. Mix everything together. You can chop and add a small tomato also at this stage. It is just to give that moisture for the spices to bind with the vegetables. So just add very little tomato. You can make the fry without adding tomato too. Cook for another 5 minutes.
After this, I like to spread it as a single layer and leave it for another 5 minutes, tossing once in between. This makes the pieces little browned and crispy. Switch off and serve.
Serving Parwal ki Sabzi
- Parwal ki sabzi goes very well with some rotis or rice served along with some simple dal.
More Vegetable Fry Recipes