Pointed gourd (parwal): nutrition per 100 g

1. 01

   Some vitamin C

   Parwal carries 19.2 mg vitamin C per 100 g, ranking 14th of 36 vegetables. For a man, 100 g of potol meets 24 per cent of his daily vitamin C need.

2. 02

   Light, with fibre

   At 24 kcal and 91.6 g water per 100 g, pointed gourd is light. Its 2.6 g fibre adds some bulk, mostly from the skin and seeds.

3. 03

   Very low sodium and potassium

   Parwal has only 2 mg sodium and 117 mg potassium per 100 g, ranking 37th of 39 vegetables for potassium. That makes it a gentle choice for people on potassium-restricted kidney diets.

4. 04

   B vitamins in small amounts

   The gourd supplies 0.2 mg vitamin B6 and 0.67 mg niacin per 100 g, along with 20 micrograms of folate. It is not rich in any one vitamin, but it is easy to eat often.

Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.

• Potol bhaja in Bengal: whole or halved parwal rubbed with turmeric and salt and shallow-fried until golden.
• Potoler dorma: hollowed parwal stuffed with spiced fish, prawns or paneer and simmered in a rich gravy.
• Alu potoler dalna: parwal and potatoes in a light ginger, cumin and tomato gravy.
• Parwal ki sabzi in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh: sliced parwal cooked dry with onion, garlic and dry spices.
• Potala rasa in Odisha: parwal in a mild gravy with mustard paste, potato and a pinch of sugar.

Parwal itself is light, but some of its best-loved forms are not: potol bhaja soaks up oil, potoler dorma is rich, and parwal ki mithai is candied in sugar syrup and stuffed with sweetened khoya, so it belongs with sweets. Choose firm, small, deep green gourds; yellowing ones have hard, mature seeds. Scrape the skin lightly rather than peeling it off completely, since much of the fibre sits just under it. For people on a potassium-restricted diet, parwal is one of the safer vegetables, but check portions with a dietitian.

Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.

• Ivy gourd (kundru)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Tinda (round gourd)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Ridge gourd (turai)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Bitter gourd (karela)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Potato

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

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