Chhath Puja 2025 special: How to make parwal ki mithai, Bihar’s unique festive sweet
Celebrate Chhath Puja 2025 with Bihar's iconic parwal ki mithai, a festive sweet made as an offering to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya. Rich in flavour and tradition, it reflects the purity and devotion at the heart of this Mahaparv. Find out how to make parwal ki mithai.
New Delhi: During Chhath Puja 2025, the aroma of traditional Indian sweets fills homes across Bihar and eastern India. And one dish that truly stands out is parwal ki mithai. A festive favourite passed down through generations, it beautifully blends health, flavour, and festivity. Unlike typical Indian desserts, this one features a vegetable known as parwal or pointed gourd. Prepared as part of Chhath prasad, it reflects the festival’s essence like purity, simplicity, and gratitude to nature.
What makes this Indian dessert unique is not just its ingredients but its cultural significance: it represents how even the simplest produce of the land can be turned into an offering of love and reverence to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya. This sweet from Bihar’s heartland is now earning recognition nationwide for its flavour, texture, and heritage charm. Scroll down for parwal ki mithai recipe and step-by-step guide to make it.
Ingredients for parwali ki mitha
- Parwal (pointed gourd) – 250 g
- Bicarbonate of soda – a pinch
- Grated khoya – 200 g
- Powdered sugar – 100 g
- Cardamom powder – ¼ tsp
- Chopped almonds, pistachios, and chironji – 1 tbsp each
- Rock sugar – 1 tbsp
- Milk powder – 2 tbsp
- Milk – ½ tsp
- Saffron strands – a few
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Water – 1 cup
- Edible silver leaf (varak) – for garnish
Cooking method
1. Peel and slit the parwals lengthwise, removing seeds carefully.
2. Boil them for 3-4 minutes in water with soda. Drain and cool.
3. Roast khoya until golden. Add milk powder, sugar, cardamom, dry fruits, and mix.
4. Prepare sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water for 5 minutes. Add parwals and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Drain and cool.
5. Fill each parwal with the khoya mixture.
6. Brush with saffron-infused milk and cover with silver leaf. Chill before serving.
Parwal ki mithai is not just a festive dessert, it’s a symbol of innovation within tradition. Its balance of health, taste, and devotion makes it a must-try sweet during Chhath Puja 2025.