Cultivated in the eastern states of India particularly Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Uttar pradesh, this vine plant similar to cucumber with heart shaped leaves produces a fruit green with white stripes known as Pointed Gourd or Parwal in Hindi, Potal in Odia, Assamese, Bengali and Sanskrit, Parwal in Bhojpuri, Urdu ans Awadhi. Coloquially it is also known as green potato. This humble vegetable is found in almost every Indian household and cooked on a regular basis as it is easily available throughout the year, easy to cook and most importantly comes a little cheaper than other vegetables.
Like any other children of his age, my son also gives me terrible look if I cook this vegetable more than once in a month. But looking at the benefits of this vegetable, I found a way to make it likable by my son. He is a die hard Paneer fan and vegetables are not his favorite , I decided to combine the two and give a classic twist to a very popular odia recipe which is made without onion and garlic – Potala Rasa.
Ingredients:
Pointed Guard 8 to 10 nos
Oil for frying
Ginger 1 inch
Green chillies 2
Cashew nuts 10 to 15 nos
Grated coconut 1/4 cup
Poppy seeds 2 tsps
Cinnamon stick 1 inch
Green cardamom 2 to 3
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Cloves 4
Bay leaf 1
Cumin seeds for tempering 1/4 tsp
Medium size Tomatoes 2 nos
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
For the stuffing:
Freshly made Chenna or Store bought paneer 1 cup
Finely chopped Coriander leaves 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp
Green chilli finely chopped 1
Golden raisins roughly chopped 1 tbsp
For Garnishing: A bunch of Fresh coriander leaves
Full recipe: Potala Rasa