Chal Patol (Parwal/Pointed Gourd in Aromatic Rice Gravy)

Trichosanthes dioica is also known as the pointed gourd, parwal (from Hindi), or potol (fromAssamese, Oriya or Bengali (পটল) pôţol). It is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It also contains major nutrients and trace elements (magnesium, potassium, copper, sulfur, and chlorine) which are needed in small quantities, for playing essential roles in human physiology.It is a vine plant, similar to cucumber and squash, though unlike those it is perennial. The fruits are green with white or no stripes. Size can vary from small and round to thick and long — 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm). 

I am actually copying almost the whole Wikipedia article on Parwal just because from my own experience I know there are a lot of people who never have seen or eaten this vegetable. I dont know why but there is a big bunch who actually hate this so much that they even refuse to try this even once. Well I don’t belong to them rather on a contrary this is my most favorite summer vegetable. I love it so much that during pregnancy when I detested almost everything even then I ate full meals only with a light parwal stew. I belong to a Parwal loving family where summer meant many delicacies with parwal. My Maa makes a whole parwal curry which is finger lickingly delicious. Apart from this we Bengalis cook a variety of savory and sweet dishes with green parwal, ripe parwal and even with parwal peels. Though the most famous Bengali Parwal dish is patoler Dolma or Parwal stuffed with spiced veg or non-veg stuffing and cooked in a creamy gravy. Once after my marriage we invited some of his friends for dinner and I painstakingly labored in the kitchen to prepare prawn and coconut stuffed parwal. I sang its praises before dinner until 70% of them declared that they hate Parwal. So the statutory warning here is before cooking this veggie for your guests make sure that they like it. Luckily Hubby is fond of this and for that matter he pretty much loves all the veggies.

Apart from being a popular veggie Bengalis have a fascination with the word Patol and its shape. A girl with a doe shaped eyes are often referred as Patol chera chokh. 

Before I get into the recipe here are some benefits of Patol (source: www.findmeacure.com )

The plant is cardiac tonic and antifebrile. Its decoction with chirata and honey is given in bilious fevers as a febrifuge.
A decoction or infusion of the plant is an efficacious remedy for boils and worms.
The leaf juice is rubbed over the scalp for the cure of alopecia.
Powder of the dried root is very effective in curing ascites.
A decoction of its leaves with chebulic myrobalan taken in the morning on empty stomach is an age-old remedy for acidity and bilious disorders.
Leaf juice is an age-old remedy for liquor poisoning.
Leaf juice is a household remedy for controlling high blood pressure.

Here in Bangalore this is quite an expensive vegetable and we hardly get to see the fresh produce. This week Hubby got some real fresh and perfectly shaped patol from our local veggie market. A Look at the bag and my heart sang to me Chal Patol. Chal in Bengali means rice which gives this dish the distinctive aroma. This is an authentic Bengali vegetarian dish cooked with aromatic Gobindobhog Rice (kalijeera rice) and coconut. This is actually cooked without onion and garlic but some people also add prawns to it.

Chal Patol

Ingredients:
Parwal: 6 pieces
Potato: 1 large
Gobindobhog rice/ basmati rice: 2 tsp
Scraped coconut: 3 tbsp
Green chillies: 2
Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
Cumin powder: ½ tbsp
Coriander powder: 2 tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Turmeric powder
Chilli powder: ½ tsp
Garam masala powder: ½ tsp
Whole clove and cinnamon: 2-3 pieces
Bay leaf: 1
Oil: 3 tbsp
Ghee/ clarifies butter: 1 tsp
Sugar: ½ tsp
Salt


Method:
Wash the parwal, trim the edges then peel skin at 2 or 3 places lengthwise. Cut them each in 3 or 4 pieces depending on the size.

Peel potatoes and cut in cubes. Now smear a little bit of turmeric and salt on the potato and parwal and keep aside.

Mix all the spice paste and powder with 2 tbsp water and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil and put the parwal first. Fry for 5 minutes and then add the potatoes. Fry till light brown.

Heat the rest of the oil and temper with slitted green chillies, bay leaf, cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves.

Once the aroma hits you add the rice. Fry on low heat till the rice turns white.
Mix in the spice paste and keep on frying on low heat. When the oil starts to separate at the sides add in the coconut paste. Stir and cook for another 

minute before adding the fried veggies.Add salt and cook on low for a couple of minute.

Pour 1 cup water and cover. Let it cook on medium heat till the veggies are soft and the gravy coats the veggies. Adjust the water accordingly.

Once done stir in the ghee and the garam masala and serve this divinely aromatic dish with rice.

This recipe is off to
Side Dish showdown: June at Cinnamon and Spice and everything nice.


And also to


Think Spice: Think Garam Masala, a great event started by Sunita and this time hosted at Sara’s Corner.

Tags:

Parwal, Patal, Patol, Pointed Gourd, Alu Patal, Potato with parwal, Gobindobhog chal, Klijeera rice, Aromatic Rice, Parwal Gravy, Garam Masala, Bengali vegetable, Tarkari, Vegetables in gravy, Bangali, Niramish, Pure Vegetarian, Side Dish with rice.