Parwal or pointed gourd is a common vegetable in the North India. It is used in several savoury dishes. It is a seasonal vegetable and generally available around the Monsoon season.
No one would be able to guess that this mithai (sweet) is made from a vegetable. Parwal is parboiled in sugar syrup and stuffed with khoya/milk solids to give it a unique sweet taste.
I have some golden memories of eating ‘Parwal ki mithai’ whenever I travelled to Jaipur with my parents. Every year, we went to our ancestral temple and always had a stopover in Jaipur. My parents would treat us to ‘pyaaz ki kachori’ and these yumm ‘parwal ki mithai’. Even thinking about those days makes me nostalgic.
Many people often get confused between ‘tindora’ and ‘parwal’ as both look quite similar in colour and size. That is where the similarities end as they are quite different in taste and texture. Parwal have round big seeds which can be consumed if they are tender but if the seeds are hard and black then they should be removed.
The ‘parwal ki mithai’ is an easy recipe that can be made at home.
Other traditional Indian sweets that can be prepared at home are Rice Kheer, Rajasthani Kheernand, Sandesh, Santre ki Kheer, Gajar Halwa, Rava Kesari, Gulab Jamun, Kalakand, Rajasthani Churma, Milk Cake, and Meethe Chawal to name a few.
