If you are tired of eating the same old dry parwal preparations and standard stir-fries day after day, it is time to experiment with a completely fresh and flavorful recipe. Today, we bring you a detailed guide on how to prepare a spiced, stuffed parwal dish cooked in a rich gravy using traditional raw mango pieces or dry mango powder. Parwal is currently in season and readily available at economical prices in the market, yet many people tend to avoid eating it due to boring cooking methods. Moving past regular fritters, simple fries, mashed versions, and mundane curries, this tangy and chatpata stuffed parwal preparation offers a delightful culinary transformation.
The secret to this recipe lies in the essential inclusion of dried raw mango chunks, locally known as aamil, or standard amchur. Crafted in an absolute traditional desi style, this dish is so flavorful that once you try it, you will completely forget the old ways of cooking parwal and will want to recreate this exact taste repeatedly.
In the Mithila region, during the peak mango season, raw mangoes are chopped into smaller pieces and sun-dried so they can be preserved and used throughout the year. They are added to leafy greens, lentils, and various other dishes to infuse a distinct sourness and enhanced flavor. Instead of standard packaged amchur powder, traditional aamil takes precedence here. A generous amount of aamil goes into making the stuffed parwal curry, ensuring that its lip-smacking flavor shines through in every single bite.
The process of making this stuffed parwal begins by peeling the gourds thoroughly and cleaning them. Each parwal is split down the middle so the inner seeds can be carefully scooped out. These removed seeds are later ground up and utilized as a key component of the stuffing mixture. Meanwhile, the hollowed-out parwal shells are shallow-fried in oil until tender.
To prepare the core stuffing masala, the extracted parwal seeds are combined with garlic, chilies, and aamil that has been pre-soaked in water, and the entire mixture is ground into a paste. Next, oil is heated in a pan along with cumin seeds and bay leaves. Once they crackle, chopped onions and the ground seed-masala paste are added to the pan, accompanied by salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. The mixture is sautéed thoroughly until cooked, and this spiced filling is then carefully stuffed inside the pre-fried parwal pieces.
For the gravy base, a fresh paste of onion, garlic, and ginger is cooked in a pan with heated oil and cumin seeds. Additional ground spices including turmeric, chili, coriander, and garam masala are stirred in and cooked to perfection. A moderate amount of water is poured in to create a rich gravy, and once the broth comes together, the stuffed parwal pieces are gently dropped into the simmering curry and cooked through. This brings together a magnificent, gravy-laden stuffed parwal dish that pairs wonderfully with plain rice, flatbreads, or parathas.
