Bharwan Parwal or Stuffed Parwal - Tasty Pointed Gourd Curry
Stuffed Parwal filled to bursting with handpicked masalas. My version of comfort food on a rainy or chill evening. Ever tried it in a sandwich? Its Yum!
Servings: 2 serving
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 cup tomato diced
- 2 tbsps Coriander seeds (dhania)
- 1 tablespoon peanuts Raw
- ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds (methi)
- ¼ teaspoon Onion seeds (kalonji)
- a few curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 red chilli Dry (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
- pinch asafoetida (hing) a
- to taste salt
- 3 tbsps sesame oil ( or other cooking oil)
Instructions
- Dice the onions and tomatoes. Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a pan, reserving the balance oil for frying the stuffed Parwals. Roast the coriander and peanuts for 1 minute (The peanuts may crack or burst,)
- Remove the coriander and peanuts afterdraining the oil by holding them in a slotted ladle against the side of the pan, and transfer into a dry bowl. Keep aside.
- In the remaining oil in the pan, fry the onions for 1 minute and add tomatoes, fry for 30 secs. Drain and transfer to a dry bowl. Add another 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan and roast all the remaining ingredients (except the salt and reserved oil). Drain and remove after two minutes of roasting on a low flame.
- Grind the coriander and peanuts coarsely, add all the other fried/ roasted ingredients and grind to a paste without adding water. Remove to a dry bowl and mix in the salt.
- Slice off ½ cm from the tops of the Parwal ( the pointed side opposite to the stalk side). Make a slit through the length from the cut top to the base, keeping the stalk end intact. Ensure the Parwal is not slit into two.
- Make another similar lengthwise slit so a cross (+)appears on the top surface, still keeping the Parwal in one piece. Make these two slits in each of the Parwals.
- Stuff the paste into the slits in each Parwal. I usually divide the paste into suitable portions keeping in mind the size of each Parwal, so that I don't run out of stuffing.
- I microwaved the Stuffed Parwal for 10 minutes, to reduce the oil and time required for frying, and then sautéed them in hot oil for about 7 minutes.
- Heat the reserved oil in a pan. I used sesame oil for its unique flavour, but any cooking oil could be used. Fry the stuffed Parwal for 7-15 minutes till they shrink and discolour from dark green to pale or yellowish green. Keep gently turning them so all sides are cooked evenly.
- Drain and place in a serving bowl. If some of the stuffing has spilled into the oil while frying, you could pick it up with a spoon and pour over the cooked Parwal. Serve hot with chappatties, rice and dhal or in a sandwich.
