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Parwal ki sabzi
Pointed gourd and potato curry
Parwal aloo ki sabzi (परवल आलू की सब्ज़ी): Bihari pointed gourd and potato sautéed with onion and everyday spices
Parwal, the small striped pointed gourd, is the summer vegetable of Patna, Varanasi and the Bhojpuri belt, and parwal-aloo is what fills the plate beside dal, rice and roti through the monsoon months. Lightly scraped gourds are halved and cooked with potato, onion, turmeric and a little garam masala until tender and golden in spots. A portion is about 140 kcal. The common mistake is peeling the parwal completely; just scrape off the rough outer skin so the halves keep their green colour and do not fall apart. Chef's tip: choose firm, bright green parwal with soft seeds; if the seeds are hard and red, scoop them out before cooking.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz parwal (pointed gourd)lightly scraped, ends trimmed, halved lengthways
- 1 potatomedium, peeled and cut into thin wedges
- 1 ½ tbsp mustard oilor sunflower oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onionsliced
- 1 green chillislit
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garam masala
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: If using mustard oil, heat 1 ½ tbsp mustard oil in a kadai over a medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke, then turn the heat down to medium; this takes away its raw edge. With sunflower oil, simply heat it.
2 minStep 2: Add 1 tsp cumin seeds; when it sizzles, add 1 onion and 1 green chilli and cook for 4 minutes, until the onion is soft and pale gold.
4 minStep 3: Add 14 oz parwal (pointed gourd) and 1 potato with ½ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp ground coriander and ¾ tsp salt. Toss well to coat.
1 minStep 4: Cover and cook on a low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring twice, until the potato is tender and a knife slides easily into the thickest parwal. Add a splash of water only if it starts to stick.
12 minStep 5: Uncover, turn the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes so the edges brown lightly. Sprinkle with ½ tsp garam masala and serve with roti or dal and rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does parwal ki sabzi take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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