Wednesday 21 February 2007

Gujarati Series: Parwar-Batata Curry

Parwar, or often known as the 'pointed gourd' is a regular in our Gujarati thalis...I am not too fond of this vegetable when cooked by itself, but paired with the "Shehari Babu" potato- it turns into something special...why "Shehari Babu"? you ask, well, that what K calls them.....he often makes fun of me because he grew up on a farm, where his family had access to all sorts of vegetables....and since I grew up in a "city", I hadn't even tasted some of the Vegetables that he was used to. So, he often says that "Shehari"folks eat a lot of potatoes....not sure how true this is now..but yes, my mother did add potatoes to every curry she made! Don't take any offense to this, this is just a light joke between the two of us!

Anyway, here is my take on this very easy, Parwar-Batata curry.

Ingredients:
  • 1 packet Parwar - frozen or fresh - Chopped lengthwise
  • 1 large Potato- Chopped lengthwise
  • 1 tsp: Mustard Seeds
  • 1 tsp: Jeera, ( Cumin)
  • 1/2 tsp Asafoetida ,Salt, A pinch of Sugar, Turmeric and Chili powders to your taste
  • 1 tbsp: Olive Oil...or any oil that you use
In a wide pan, heat the oil. Add the Mustard Seeds, Jeera Seeds, Asafoetida and the turmeric powder. When they sizzle, add the potatoes first, let them cook for 5 minutes before adding the parwar. When the potatoes soften a little, add the parwar. Sprinkle the rest of the spices and give it a good stir. For extra flavor, shred a big clove of garlic towards the last 5 minutes and add a chopped tomato. By the way, this tip works with almost all of the curries.
Cook until done....Serve hot with rotis. Enjoy!

Upcoming Post Preview: "Little Chefs Roundup".

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Gujrati food, n I am ejoying this series:)

Bong Mom said...

We eat alot of "Parwal" too, that is what is called in Hindi and we pair it with potato too. The tender fresh ones taste very good by themselves. But I rarely get the fresh ones here and the frozen doesn't taste that good.

Maybe I have always picked the wrong frozen variety but no one at home liked the taste of the frozen ones.

Nidhi said...

WOW! another Gujrati dish...this is great Trupti, I love parwal and we make it like Aaloo tamatar curry. I have made parwal like yours also but never tried mustard seeds and sugar in it. Sugar makes it a Gujrati version, right??

Vini K said...

Hmm..one of my fav veggies,I should say.Dont get it here in London.But when I was growing up in orissa,Mom used to make a lot of it!In oriya it used to be called "Potol".and mom added it to potatoes too.

swapna susarla said...

Hi trupti
i love parwar .we call them as potals.i know only one variety with that.that is a simple fry:-D
with potato i never tried.loved ur dish..waiting for little chefs roundup!

FH said...

I love this veg,we call it Padavalkai in Kannada but I don't get it here at all unfortunately.Love how it looks in there,simple but yummy.

"Shehari babu' is so funny.Americans love their "meat and Potatoes",eat alu everyday too!;D

Can't wait for the round up T!

Mishmash ! said...

HI trupti, U re doing a great job here. I had not much idea about the gujarati foods, though I luvd whatever a friend of mine cooked for us, until I started reading ur posts."Shehari babu" was a nice joke :)

Shn

Manjula said...

I never ate parwal in curries. My mom used to fry it seasoning with chilli powder and hing. Its so good.

Parwal is a seasonal item in Mangalore. We call it "GoinTa" in Konkani.

I am pretty sure that is it not 'Paduvalakai' as Asha mentioned. Paduvalakai is snake gourd. I just checked some pictures on Google Images. Parwal is kind of a miniature version of snake gourd. Am I right?

Anonymous said...

I am not really a fan of parwal but make it sometimes due to lack of veg choices. We dont get fresh ones here so I use the frozen ones as well. Will remember to try your version with 'shahri babu' next time :-)

Sangeeta said...

Nice recipe. I like "Parwal" although I don't get it here. Back home in Orissa, we call it "Potol". Looking forward to more recipes in your wonderful "Gujrati Food" series :)

david santos said...

Hello!
All good
Thank you

Sri said...

Trupti...love parwar-batata curry.The subzi is looking perfect, i make them alone without potatoes will try with potatoes. I tried dal dhokali....loved it.
Next is Streusel Cake got all the ingredients.

Anonymous said...

Hi Trupti, I'm not familiar with parwar and the photos I've found on the 'net are not very helpful. In your pic it looks similar to tindora (sizewise, I mean)? Or am I misjudging that? Anyway, it sure looks tasty! :)

Pooja said...

wow , this is really looking yummy !
i love it, i also used to make it the same way.
thanks for your suggestion on my blog. hu thoda time mate blog mathi break levani chhu, thodu packing ane biju kam chale chhe ... thoda lst days chhie puna ma to enjoy kari laie. aju baju ma farva jaishu ne pachi mummy pase ne tya badha ne malishu... etle hamna VOTW hold par rakhu chhu.
nice addition to gujarati series...thanks for sharing.
-Pooja

Inji Pennu said...

Hi TS,

When you post recipes, could you also post the pic of the vegetable too before cooking? People like me dont know a lot of vegetables and I definitely do not know Parwar :(

It would be great if I can see a picture and say ah! thats parwar and im gonna cook it and get the recipe from TS... :)

Kajal said...

Hi Trupti,
I love our gujrati dish. I always surprise with your blog designe. You have work well with it. Photo of this dish is so clear and nice.:))

Anonymous said...

GujaratiSeries....
Yumm'O'Yumm...Let me check if you have "Undhiyo"...If not then post it soooon...

Seema Bhat said...

Trupti,

Love tis dish and loved the picture.

jacob said...

is 'parwal' ivy gourd/thondakkai? looks like that. i'm planning a trip soon to my old school in balachadi near jamnagar. hope to eat tons of gujarati food.

Anonymous said...

great dish ben....I am not a big parwar though, but you have tempted me...take care ben....

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