My parwal nu shaak is made Gujarati style with basic spices, lemon juice and coconut. It’s ready in less than 15 minutes and can be served as part of an everyday Gujarati thali .
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published June 2016. I’ve added new images and made improvements to the recipe.
I go through phases where all I want for dinner is a homely Gujarati shaak , a piping bowl of Gujarati toor daal and Gujarati phulka rotli .
I’ll admit when I was little, I struggled to eat green shaak. But once I started cooking alongside my Mum, I got a better feel of the vegetables and cautiously started enjoying them!
The addition of coconut, sugar and lemon juice transforms the pointed gourd into a delicious sabji.
The Recipe Details
One thing I would definitely recommend is making this curry with freshly bought parwal. Indian grocery stores are quite for us and we often bulk buy a few fresh vegetables. The quality and freshness reduces pretty quickly and I’ve noticed this does affect the overall taste of the shaak.
If the parwal is nice and fresh, I like to keep the seeds. If it’s starting to get old or yellow I remove the seeds.
This recipe is named “sambharia” for two reasons. One, the pointed gourd is simply stir fried to retain the flavour. Secondly, sambharia dishes will typically include coconut and coriander.
The flavour comes from the tangy and sweet masala which is similar to a Gujarati bharwan masala .
As with many Gujarati stir fries, the parwal shaak is finished with sugar and lemon juice. The sugar isn’t really there to sweeten but complements the tanginess from the lemon.
Adding coconut and coriander leaves adds an extra layer of flavour and texture. We use desiccated coconut for ease but you could definitely use grated fresh coconut.
You’ll find many variations that add other vegetables like potatoes which can help bulk up the dish. I prefer to avoid adding them, and instead, prepare a separate bateta nu shaak .
It’s delicious with an authentic Gujarati kadhi on the side.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Parwal Nu Shaak
Ingredients
- 500 gram parwal
- 4 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon hing
- 1 tablespoon ginger chilli and ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin and coriander
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grated coconut or desiccated
- 2-3 teaspoon coriander leaves
Instructions
- Wash the parwal and pat dry.
- Cut the parwal lengthwise into desired thickness.
- Heat oil in a kadai, and add cumin seeds.
- Once they crackle, add hing.
- After few seconds add cut parwal and mix well.
- Now add salt and all the masala, and mix.
- Cover the kadai with lid and lower the heat.
- Let the parwal cook in their own steam and stir couple of times to prevent the shaak burning.
- Cook until soft and tender.
- Add sugar, coconut and lemon juice and cook a couple of minutes more.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Parwal Nu Shaak
Ingredients
- 500 gram parwal
- 4 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon hing
- 1 tablespoon ginger chilli and ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin and coriander
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grated coconut or desiccated
- 2-3 teaspoon coriander leaves
Instructions
- Wash the parwal and pat dry.
- Cut the parwal lengthwise into desired thickness.
- Heat oil in a kadai, and add cumin seeds.
- Once they crackle, add hing.
- After few seconds add cut parwal and mix well.
- Now add salt and all the masala, and mix.
- Cover the kadai with lid and lower the heat.
- Let the parwal cook in their own steam and stir couple of times to prevent the shaak burning.
- Cook until soft and tender.
- Add sugar, coconut and lemon juice and cook a couple of minutes more.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Prepare delicious farali muthiya with dudhi for a filling meal on Hindu fasting days. These are made with a mix of farali flour and plenty of aromatic tempering.
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published August 2016. I’ve added new images, the recipe remains the same.
Often we think of farali dishes as being void of any vegetables – think farali potatoes and sabudana khichdi !
Over the years, my Mum has prepared plenty of farali dishes with vegetables like farali bhinda , farali spinach puri or farali patra. She also sneaks them into dishes like these muthiya and farali dudhi thepla .
A note on farali flour
Farali flour is pretty easy to purchase in Indian grocery stores. It’s usually a mix of different farali flours and will vary by brand.
If you can’t find it, use a mix of some of these flours: rajgira, singoda, moraiyo or sabudana flour.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Farali Muthiya
Equipment
- Steamer
Ingredients
- 2 cup mixed farali flour
- 1 cup dudhi grated bottle gourd
- ½ cup potato grated
- 3 tablespoon roasted peanut powder
- 2 tablespoon ginger chilli paste
- 3 tablespoon coriander fresh chopped
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 2 tablespoon oil for moin
- rock salt sendha namak
Vaghar (tempering)
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 dried red chilli
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Garnish
- 3 tablespoon coriander chopped
- 2 tablespoon shredded coconut optional
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients of muthiya in a big mixing bowl.
- Mix well and knead a soft dough. You may need to add a couple of spoons of water to knead the dough.
- Apply a little oil on your hands and divide the mixture into 4-5 parts.
- Then press the dough in your fists into cylindrical shapes. Place in a steamer. Cook for approximately 15 minutes.
- Insert a knife after 15 mins. It’ll come out clean if the muthiya are cooked.
- Let them cool a little and then slice each roll into thin oval-shaped pieces.
- For the vaghar, heat oil in a kadai, add cumin seeds, after they splutter add curry leaves, dried chillies and sesame seeds.
- Tip in the cut muthiya pieces and sauté them for few minutes or until they get slightly golden brown.
- Switch off the heat, garnish with coconut and coriander.
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
