Pointed gourd (parwal)
Trichosanthes dioica · Fruit vegetable
Top 10 pairings
The pointed gourd, known across South Asia as parwal, parval or potol, is the small green fruit of Trichosanthes dioica, a perennial climbing vine in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). Spindle-shaped and striped, it is harvested young and almost always eaten cooked as a vegetable, prized for its mild flavour and easy digestibility.
Picking a good onedrag
Young, firm, seeds softYellow, seedy, mealy
Market freshEveryday bestFirm, evenly striped, no yellow anywhere. Trim the ends and it is ready to slice, stuff, fry, or simmer into dal.
SkinEven green and taut, stripes clear, no yellow
SqueezeFirm, springs back at the middle, still dense
Stem endDry clean scar, shoulder firm, not sunken
Cut face and seedsFirm pale flesh, seeds pale and still soft to a nail
SmellClean, barely anything at all
What you get from one
28 g
Weight each
each one