8 traditional ways to enjoy Parwal or Pointed Gourd during summer season

Parwal also known as pointed gourd is a beloved summer vegetable. It is light, hydrating, and easy to digest. At the same time it is very easy to convert into a main course dish that goes well with roti, naan and rice. It absorbs spices beautifully and can be prepared in many ways as well. From simple stir-fries to festive curries and even sweets. Here are 8 delicious traditional ways to enjoy parwal during summer.

It is a classic dish where parwal pieces are slit lengthwise and stuffed with finely chopped onion and achari masala, which are then pan-fried in mustard oil until they turn tender and crisp. This dish is best served with rice and dal.

This is one of the most popular dishes, where parwal dices and potatoes are cooked in a tomato-onion gravy and seasoned with ginger garlic paste and garam masala. It is best served with roti or rice.

This is a dry dish mostly served as a side dish in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Parwal pieces are cut lengthwise and then cooked in a tadka of mustard oil, green chilli, cumin seeds, and onion in a kadhai. It is seasoned with salt and turmeric and is cooked until the pieces get crispy. It is best served with ajwain paratha or dal and rice.

This is a Bengali variation of parwal, where parwal is cooked in an aromatic gravy of soaked poppy seeds, curd, turmeric, salt and ground spices. It is a semi-dry dish that goes well with poori, luchi, and even steamed rice.

This is a famous dish mostly served in caterings and weddings in Bihar, where parwal is deep-fried and then simmered in a tomato-onion gravy along with garam masala and coriander powder. It is served with poori and rice.

This is one of the famous dishes of Bihar. To make this, parwal is first boiled and then mashed and seasoned with salt, pepper, raw onion, green chillies, coriander leaves, and lemon juice. It is best served with dal and rice. It can also be fried and mashed too before adding seasoning.

This makes for a healthy evening snack. To make it, parwal is first peeled and cut into thin slices. It is then deep-fried until crisp and topped with salt, pepper, and chaat masala. It goes well with chai and drinks too.

It is a popular North Indian sweet, where parwal is peeled, slit lengthwise and blanched. It is then stuffed with khoya and nuts, and dipped in sugar syrup. It is topped with silver varq and served chilled.