food talk
Taste of Bihar
Pushpesh Pant 

People from Eastern India, Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, have a special fondness for parval aka potol. They love it as deep-fried bhaja, or paired with potatoes, dry or in tangy gravy. In Banaras, they prepare a delicious sweet with it. Our friend Professor Jha misses them greatly in Pondicherry where he is domiciled and tries to make up for the loss whenever he is back home in Mithilanchal. Not long back, we were in Jaiharikhal in Garhwal where our host Sanjay shared with us the 'secret' that his father had brought with him a couple of kilos of parval, incomparably better than the stuff locally available. These were going to be lovingly and sparingly devoured in the next week. He generously offered to share some with us but how could we accept? We waited till our return to Delhi and made the most of the parval that had almost shrivelled in our absence. Bhaja was out for health reasons, and we abhor tomatoes in everything. Dum ala Awadh (a stuffed delicacy) is too much work in kitchen during sultry (early) monsoon days, so we settled for a variation on the dum theme. Believe us you, the dish turned out a winner.

Dum ke parval

Ingredients
Parval 250 g
(medium sized, tender and without seeds)
Bay leaf 1
Brown cardamom 1
Cloves 2
Cinnamon Half-inch stick
Black peppercorns ½ tsp
Onions 2
(peeled and sliced very fine)
Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp
Dhania powder 1 tsp
Jeera powder 1 tsp
Haldi powder ½ tsp
Red chilli powder ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp

Method
Peel lightly or scrape the parval, wash and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan or karahi and when it reaches smoking point, add the whole spices. When these change colour, add sliced onions and cook on a medium flame till translucent. Add ginger- garlic paste along with powdered spices, salt and ¼ cup of hot water to avoid scalding. Mix well to blend, add parval, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for six to seven minutes. Stir once or twice. Do not overcook! ( If you have the patience, try enriching this dish by adding a little curds whisked well in a steady slow stream to avoid curdling and stirring continuously

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