Green Garlic, Spring onion, Bacon, and Egg Tart

Green garlic season is on and as it's one of the favourite ingredients for Parsis I've been seeing it very often in my kitchen. One dish that we made quite often is leela lasan (green garlic) ne leela kanda (spring onion) per eeda which is eggs steamed on a bed of the two greens with salt, pepper and a light spicing of cumin or jeera. To be honest, I got a bit bored making this same thing so often and decided to play with basic concept and do something fun while still retaining the basic character of the dish.

I always have puff pastry sheets in my freezer and I also found a packet of bacon in there. And the idea of a tart was born.

Leela Lasan, Leela Kanda, ne Bacon per Eeda Tarts


1 bunch green garlic
1 bunch spring onions
1 onion
1 tsp cumin seed
salt
pepper
oil

1 sheet puff pastry
a few rashers bacon

To make the filling.

Wash the greens well and then chop as fine as possible. Use the roots of the green garlic too, they pack a lot of flavour.
Chop the onion fine.
In a pan heat some oil and add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Chuck in the chopped greens and the onion and saute on a slow flame till it is all cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Keep the heat on medium to low as you cook because the onions and garlic mustn't brown at all. Stir frequently as you cook.
You can make this mix in advance and store it in the fridge up to two or three days, ready to use whenever you like.

To make the tarts

Preheat the oven at 180C

Fry the bacon rashers lightly and then chop into small pieces. Don't let the bacon become crisp - remember it will be baked on the tarts later.

Let the pastry sheet thaw a bit and then cut into four equal squares. Run a pizza wheel or a knife lightly along the edges to trace a 'frame'. Don't cut through the pasty. With a fork poke the middle of the pastry till the entire surface has been marked. Once again, don't go through the pasty.

Line your baking tray with parchment or baking paper and arrange the pastry squares on the sheet.
Arrange the leela lasan filling on each square in a thin layer making a slight hill along the edges. This will help keep the egg in the middle when you add it later.

Once all the squares are done pop the tray into the oven and bake for around 12-15 minutes till you see the pastry puffing up along the edges. 

Remove the tray carefully and get ready to add the eggs. Now this gets a little tricky so it's best if you break each egg into a cup or bowl instead of directly onto the tart. The egg white can spill all over and out of the tart so you have better control if you break it in a cup first. Use a tablespoon and carefully pick up the yolk and place it in the centre of a tart. Arrange bacon pieces around the yolk (it strengthens the 'fort' and helps keep the egg white in). Spoon over the egg white carefully. I found it harder to keep the egg white within the filling.

Crack fresh pepper over the tarts once you have placed eggs and bacon on each and then put it all back in the oven to bake at 160C till the eggs are set to your liking. This could take anything from 6-8 minutes to longer depending on how set you want your eggs but once the whites turn opaque it's good to go.

Enjoy the tarts hot straight out of the oven!

These are great for breakfast and work well as an evening snack too. Kids and adults will enjoy the crunch of the pastry and this is a great way to get your family to eat some greens :)

Chicken Cutlets Parsi Style

Chicken cutlets figure at the top of my brother's list of favourite foods - and not just any cutlets, but those made by us at Katy's Kitchen. These are fairly easy to make and as long as you're generous with the chicken and season the mix well you will get pretty good results.

I often pack these in the hubby's lunch box and I like having a few of these in my fridge for days when I don't feel like eating a full meal. A warm cutlet sandwiched between two slices of bread makes for a lovely light lunch!

Chicken Cutlets 

1 cup shredded chicken
4 slices white bread
1 egg
1 small onion
1 small potato, boiled
green chillies
fresh coriander
turmeric
chilli powder
garam masala
salt
bread crumbs
eggs
oil for frying

Soak the bread in water and squeeze out as hard as you can. Break up the resulting lump into small pieces, as small as you can.

Mince the onion, green chillies and fresh coriander as fine as possible. Mash the potato.

In a large clean bowl mix the shredded chicken with the onions, chillies and coriander. Add the crumbled soaked bread, the egg and the dry spice powders.

Mix everything properly. Add as much mashed potato as required to get a mix that will bind properly when you shape the cutlets. You can make this mix in advance and fry the cutlets when you want to serve. Store in a closed box in the fridge and use when required on the same day.

Take bread crumbs in a flat dinner plate. Beat two eggs in a bowl. Start with two and only add more if you require them as you make the cutlets.

Heat enough oil in a wok/kadhai to deep fry the cutlets.

Make medium sized balls of the chicken mix and flatten to form a cutlet between your palms. Give the cutlet a neat oval shape and then place it on the bread crumbs. Pat gently into the crumbs to make them stick - do this on both sides of the cutlet. Make a few cutlets in this fashion and keep ready in a clean plate.

When the oil is hot pick up a cutlet and dip it into the beaten egg. Turn to coat the cutlet all over with egg and then put it in the hot oil to fry. Fry on a medium flame till the cutlet is a beautiful golden colour. Do these one at a time just to be safe, especially if it's your first time making cutlets.

Keep a bowl of water and a napkin handy to wash your hand and wipe before you pick up the next prepped cutlet for frying. This final process is a little fiddly and can get messy so make sure you have enough space to work in and have everything you need before you start frying.

Serve the cutlets hot with a dollop of plain tomato ketchup.

Popatjees - Sweet Puffy Nostalgia

I first heard of popatjees when the hubby reminisced about the tea time snacks his grandmom and grand aunts used to make. His Mamaiji (maternal grand mother) and Serah Aunty (father's aunt) were well known for their repertoires of evening snacks - bhakras, karkarias, chaapat, cake, and on occasion, popatjees. The quirky name had stuck in my mind and I was curious about them but somehow I never got a chance to see them made or actually eat them either.

Popatjes are a simple snack - lightly flavoured fermented dough balls deep fried till dark brown and then dunked in a sugar syrup for a few moments and removed. The fermenting agent is ideally toddy though sour curd is commonly used if toddy isn't available.

The years passed, the elders were gone. I'd not encountered the popatjee yet. But, I had got my hands on my mother in law's popatjee no paenno - the special vessel in which the popatjees are made.

Ingredients were gathered, toddy was procured, the husband was booked for the afternoon, and I set out to make popatjees under his supervision.

1 cup Whole wheat flour 

1 cup Semolina or rava 

2 cups Toddy 

Salt 

2 tbsps Charoli 

2 -3 tbsps Raisins 

1 tsp Cardamom-nutmeg powder 

1 tsp Vanilla 

1 cup Sugar 

2 cups Water 

Oil

In a clean large bowl mix the wheat flour with the semolina. Add a pinch of salt. Into this pour most of the toddy, reserving around a quarter of a cup.

Mix with a spatula to form a loose, thick, porridge-y dough. Add the remaining toddy only if required. Cover the bowl with a napkin and leave it in a warm corner to ferment for 2 to 3 hours.

To make cardamom - nutmeg powder take cardamom seeds and nutmeg in equal weight and grind in a spice mill with some sugar to help it along. Store in an air tight bottle and use as required. Don't discard the skins of the cardamom pods - use them to make masala tea, or in your regular cooking.

Add the raisins and the charoli nuts, along with the cardamom-nutmeg powder and vanilla into the dough. Mix.

In a saucepan pour in the sugar and water and bring to a boil to make a simple syrup. Add a few cardamom peels to the water while making the syrup.

To make the popatjees get your cooking area organised. Put the popatjee no paenno on the gas hob and pour in enough oil to fill all the cavities to the brim. Heat the oil.

Have the syrup ready and conveniently placed nearby. Keep a colander and a vessel under it ready.

Once the oil is hot carefully drop in a heaped tablespoon of batter into each cavity of the paenno. If you're using a regular appe pan these cavities are much smaller so drop in a smaller quantity of dough. 

Turn the popatjee in just a few seconds so the top also gets sealed and you get a uniformly cooked popatjee. Lower the heat and let the popatjees cook for a few minutes, turning as required. 

Remove each popatjee carefully, drain what oil you can and dunk into the waiting syrup. If the syrup is still hot the popatjees will suck it in quickly.

Remove from the syrup in a few seconds, don't leave them in for more than 10 seconds. Let them drain in the colander.

Serve the popatjees as soon as you can.

We had our popatjees with our evening coffee. Well, in our house it's coffee time at tea time ;)

The key to a good popatjee is proper fermentation and if the dough has risen properly you will get a light porous popatjee that will not only absorb the sugar syrup quickly, it also lets a good amount of syrup drain out resulting in a sweet snack that's not sickeningly sweet. We did get the fermentation right, now we just have to perfect the art of getting them properly shaped! Regardless of the less than perfect shape, they did taste quite good and I'm sure Mamaiji and Serah Aunty would have both approved. 

Pakki Keri ma Gos - Mutton with Ripe Mangoes

Everybody knows I don't like fruits and I don't eat them at all if I can help it. So if you're wondering what I'm doing blogging a recipe that has ripe mangoes in it, bear with me! A few years ago I asked the husband to dig up some Parsi dishes that were not so commonly known any more, possibly with some unusual ingredients, that we could add to our menu at Katy's Kitchen. I was a bit weary of the sali botis and patra ni machhis and wanted to offer a wider selection on our menu and have a deeper glimpse into Parsi cuisine. That's when he, with a twinkle in his eye, told me about Pakki Keri ma Gos - goat meat cooked with ripe mangoes. Very predictably I looked at him in complete disbelief and accused him of making up something that was sure not to appeal to me just to get out of the hassle of expanding our menu. How wrong I was!

We've been serving Pakki Keri ma Gos to many of our devoted clients every summer over the last few years and yes, I take full credit for putting it out there again.

The mutton for this dish is cooked with relatively fewer spices making it perfect for a summer meal. This also allows the flavour of the mango to shine through giving the dish a light sweet-sour touch. Use a well ripened but still slightly firm mango reserving a few chunks to be added towards the end.

500 gms Mutton 

1 Large ripe mango, cubed 

2 Large onions, finely chopped 

Ginger garlic paste 

Turmeric 

Chilli powder 

Shahi jeera 

Javitri powder 1/4 tsp 

Saffron 

1 cup Milk 

Garam masala powder 

2 -3 Kashmiri chillies 

Oil

Salt

Wash the mutton lightly, drain off water and then marinate with salt and ginger garlic paste for 20 minutes or so.

Soak the saffron in the milk.

In a thick bottomed vessel heat oil and fry the onions till pink.

Add the Kashmiri chillies and shah jeera and let it sizzle. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, and javitri powder. Add a couple of teaspoons of water and cook it all for a minute.

Now put the marinated mutton into the pot, stir well to coat with the spices and braise for 5 to 10 minutes. Add half the cubed mango and the stone (gutli) of the mango along with saffron milk into the mutton and mix. Pour enough water to just cover the meat, cover the pot and cook on a low flame till the mutton is nearly done.

Add the remaining chunks of mango, mix and cook till the meat is completely done. Dry off the gravy if it is watery. The gravy should be thick, and slightly sticky and the meat should be soft and falling off the bone.

Serve with hot rotis or parathas.

I paired the Pakki Keri ma Gos with a quinoa and vegetable pullao. I cooked this combination for a competition I participated in where the challenge was to cook a dish using mangoes and quinoa. 

Boti ni Akuri

When you marry into a different culture you never stop learning about it and my curiosity about Parsi food is relentless. That's hardly surprising considering just how good their food is and how different it is from Bengali food, the food of my own background.

We're constantly casting about for new things to try to make our mundane meals a little more exciting  without being too complicated to put together, and boti ni akuri fits the brief perfectly.

Boti ni Akuri is something I had vaguely heard of and it was on my long list of Must Try Parsi dishes. Akuri itself is one of my favourite breakfast dishes and the addition of boti or chunks of mutton took it to another level entirely! The easiest way is to reserve a few pieces from the mutton curry or any other mutton preparation that you've made for dinner, to be used for this akuri the next morning. A tiny bit of planning can get you awesome rewards!

Boti ni Akuri 

6 eggs

1/4 cup milk

6 chunks of mutton, cooked and deboned.

2 onions, sliced and fried till brown

1 small tomato, chopped fine

3 green chillies, chopped fine

2 tbsp fresh coriander, washed and chopped fine

1 tbsp fresh mint, washed and chopped fine

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp Dhansakh masala

1/2 tsp pepper powder

butter

salt

Prep all the ingredients and keep them ready. Chop the mutton pieces into really small cubes. If you're using mutton leftover from dinner wash off the gravy from the pieces or your akuri will taste strongly of dinner. 

In a nonstick pan heat the butter gently. Use a couple of tablespoons of butter at least. Once heated, add the chopped chillies, mint, tomato, coriander, and spices and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked mutton chunks and then the fried onions.  Mix it all well and let it cook.

In a clean bowl beat the eggs with the milk and a little salt. 

Pour the beaten eggs slowly into the mutton mix and stir as you go. Keep stirring slowly allowing the eggs to cook and everything to mix nicely. Once the eggs are done to the consistency you like take them off the heat. Garnish with chopped coriander and fried onions if you like. 

Serve the Boti ni Akuri with hot chapatis, sliced bread or fresh pav from your local bakery. 

This recipe appeared in the August-September Anniversary issue of CaLDRON Magazine

A Thousand Years of Fusion - My Article on Parsi Food Ancestry Published in the CaLDRON Magazine

I wrote a couple of articles and contributed some recipes for the Two Year Anniversary Bumper issue of CaLDRON Magazine. Here's the one I wrote about Parsi food as we know it today and its ancestry tracing influences from Iran and India that have all made it what it is today. 

Do check out the issue here and see my article up there in print on page 68!  

Parsi Food – the words evoke images of Dhansakh and Patra ni Machhi in most people’s minds. But there’s much more to the cuisine of this much beloved community epitomised by philanthropy and eccentricity in equal measure.

The Parsis arrived in India as refugees from Iran, a little more than a thousand years ago and first settled on the Gujarat coast. Legend has it that the leader of the earliest groups went to meet a local chieftain to seek asylum. The chieftain showed him a bowl brimming with milk and said his land was like that bowl, with no room for more. The leader of the refugees sprinkled sugar into the milk and said, like the sugar, he and his people would not only blend into the milk but would improve it too. And thus the Parsis remained in India, and not only did they blend in, they certainly added plenty of sweetness to the land.

In Iran their diet included plenty of meat and wheat, punctuated with a profusion of fruit which was also dried to last through the year, pulses, herbs, a few spices, saffron, onions and garlic. Bread was a big component of the meal and they were skilled bakers. In India they found an abundant variety of fish, fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, a wide range of spices, and coconuts. While fusion food has become a fashionable buzz word in the last few decades the Parsis were at it as soon as they arrived. Most of modern Parsi cuisine that we see in India is a result of a fusion of Persian with Gujarati and coastal dishes, with influences from British cuisine, along with a dash of Portuguese thrown in.

Thus were born classics like Patra ni Machhi that uses coriander and coconut, the vividly red Parsi curries that use coconut, dried red chillies and poppy seeds, the Patio which uses vinegar, red chillies, tomatoes, and is garnished with vegetables like drumsticks and baby brinjals, Lagan nu Custard which is a classic British egg and milk custard with cardamom and nutmeg added to the mix and topped with nuts and dried fruit, to name a few.

There was no Dhansakh in Persia, nor was there any Patra ni Machhi. However we see Persian ancestry in the Pullaos, and in various other preparations that use dried fruit like apricots, raisins, currants, and saffron. The fondness for lamb over other meats is another vestige of their Persian heritage. However, they avoided beef and pork in India because these were taboo to many locals.

The Parsis don’t have many festivals but the start of a new year is of marked importance. August is a month of celebration with three important days – there’s Pateti, Navroze, and Khordad Saal. Pateti is the last day of the year and is a relatively solemn occasion where one reflects on the deeds of the year gone by; taking stock of the good and bad one has done, and resolves on doing better in the forthcoming year. Navroze, the ‘new day’, is the first day of the New Year and brings with it hope for a new beginning, celebrated with feasting and family outings to plays and concerts. Khordad Saal is the day of the Prophet Zoroaster’s birth. All three days are marked with visits to the Agiary (fire temple) and plenty of good food.

An invitation to a Navjote (initiation) or Lagan (wedding) is quite coveted for the guest is guaranteed to be wined and dined in style. Here too, the Indian influence is seen in the meals being served on banana leaves. Of course, these days many people prefer to have a buffet spread but the sit down meals are as popular.

In the old days a wedding feast menu featured mutton dishes from start to finish. The goat being a large animal, it was only slaughtered at weddings where there would be a large crowd to feed. The menu featured Aleti Paleti (pan fried offal in a spicy gravy), Bhaji Dana ma Gos (mutton cooked in fresh greens and peas), Khattu Gos (mutton cooked in curd) and a sumptuous mutton pullao or plain rice accompanied by Masala ni Daar (spicy daal). Mhowdi, a liqueur made from the mahua flowers, would be served in little silver cups called ‘fuliyas’. 

The advent of poultry farms and broiler chicken has changed the Parsi diet considerably. Chicken was now easily available and one didn’t have to sacrifice a valuable layer that provided eggs. Eggs have always ruled the roost in Parsi kitchens and there is an endless variety of egg preparations, the most well-known being ‘Sali per Eeda’ or eggs on straw potatoes. Kasa per Eeda or eggs on something is an entire chapter in Parsi cuisine where eggs are steamed on top of a variety of bases. The base could be leftover vegetables, a simple mix of onions, tomatoes, and spices, a piquant kheema, or something as decadent as clotted cream! 

Fish also gained popularity and today, no Parsi feast is complete without Patra ni Machhi or Sahs ni Machhi made with pomfrets, the Parsi’s favourite fish.

While the Parsi loves proteins more, there is quite a variety of vegetarian recipes in the repertoire – much to most non Parsis’ surprise. Granted, most vegetable recipes have some meat added ‘to make it palatable’ but there are plenty of completely meatless vegetable preparations too, no doubt the result of intermingling with local communities and the sheer abundance of vegetables in India.

The cuisine today is a wonderful mix of original Persian preparations with strong local influences starting in Gujarat, going south along the western coast as they moved towards Bombay and beyond, right down till Goa. A thousand years of fusion has resulted in a unique cuisine that celebrates local produce and ingredients and yet holds on to the rich culinary heritage of the land of its origin.

Kolmi na Kari Chawal - Parsi Prawn Curry with Rice

The brightly coloured, coconut based curries are common to almost all the cuisines along the western coast of India. There are subtle and not so subtle differences in each version but the foundation of most is a paste of dried red chillies and coconut, along with other spices.

Many of us label any Indian preparation that has a gravy as a curry but after I got married I discovered that curry is a very specific preparation among the Parsis, and also in the coastal cuisines - this bright orange or red gravy full of spice and punch which ideally had sea food in it but was also great with chicken, mutton or even boiled eggs in it. The sauce is so good that even a vegetable curry is delicious!

The Parsis don't have multiple courses at their meals like us Bengalis - there will be one dish that's the centre of attraction, and at the most there will be a side dish to go along with. This is served with either rice, bread, or rotlis. A simple salad may or may not be there. So once every few days curry would be on the menu. A huge pot of curry made with pomfrets, surmai, prawns, or chicken - accompanied by fluffy white rice, a pile of deep fried papads, and a kachuber made of sliced onions, tomatoes, fresh coriander, and plenty of lime wedges, would grace the table.The Parsi curry is undoubtedly one of my favourite dishes today.

I always felt intimidated at the thought of making a Parsi curry myself, especially at the thought of having to grind a masala. Bengali cuisine rarely involves elaborate masala pastes - mustard, posto, etc., are simple one or two ingredient pastes - and to me a curry paste with its myriad ingredients in specific proportions seemed scary, to say the least. In fact my mother never owned a 'mixie', something that is so basic in many kitchens. We never had use for one.

There's always a first time for everything and eventually I took the curry plunge myself. We have an excellent fishmonger here in Kharghar and I often get plump fresh prawns from him. There's nothing like a hot and spicy prawn curry to perk up a cold and wet day and so today I had prawn curry on the menu. Since the hubby is allergic to shellfish I remove the heads and tails of the prawns completely. Feel free to leave them on if you prefer - most of the flavour is in there.

This is my mother in law Katy Dalal's recipe for curry with a couple of minor adjustments. Use the same recipe for any sea food.

Parsi Prawn Curry

2 cups large prawns, deveined
1 coconut, milk extracted.
2 tbsp dried kokum
6 fresh green chillies, slit

Curry masala paste -
1 coconut, grated
15 Kashmiri chillies
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp sesame or til seeds
1 piece turmeric root (use 1 heaped tsp of powder if not available)
2 large onions, chopped
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup chana
1/2 cup cashew
1 large pod garlic

Broil the dry spices on a tawa and then grind all the ingredients into a smooth paste, adding water as required.

2 -3 sprigs curry leaves
oil
salt
potatoes (optional)
5 or 6 drumsticks (optional)

Marinate the prawns with salt and a dash of turmeric.

In a large vessel heat a generous bit of oil. Add the curry leaves to the hot oil, stir for a minute and then add the masala paste and the fresh green chillies carefully. Stir well and cook the masala paste till it is cooked through and has turned red. Rinse out the grinder jar and add the water to the pot along with the coconut milk. Use store bought coconut milk if you like, but fresh coconut milk does taste far, far better. Bring it all to a boil, adding as much water as needed to make the required quantity of curry. Add washed kokum and salt and let it cook.

While this is boiling prepare the drumsticks. Peel off the hard outer bark and then chop each drumstick into longish pieces. Cook them in salted water separately till just tender. Drain and add them to the curry.

If you're adding potatoes, cut them into medium sized pieces, fry lightly, and then add to the curry as early as you can.

Prawns can get overcooked quite fast so put them in last, judging cooking time according to the size. The curry is ready as soon as the prawns are cooked. If the curry looks watery fish out the prawns on to a clean plate or bowl and let the curry reduce to the consistency you like. Pop the prawns back in for a minute at the end.

Serve the curry with lots of rice, papads and kachuber.

Kolmi no Tatrelo Patio - A Lesser Known Parsi Classic

The Parsis have a rich and varied cuisine with a predominance of eggs, meats, fish and sea food. One of my favourite dishes is Kolmi no tatrelo patio. A simple preparation that can be put together in half an hour, the best way to eat it is with ladi pav that is abundantly available in Mumbai. You can also have it with rotis or regular sliced bread.

Kolmi no Tatrelo Patio

20 medium sized prawns
6 spring onions, finely chopped
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 cup fresh coriander, washed and finely chopped
6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
20 curry leaves
8 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
turmeric
chilli powder
mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp fresh Parsi garam masala* powder made with pepper, cloves, cassia bark, cardamom, black cardamom, star anise, shah jeera, nutmeg and mace.
salt
oil

Clean the prawns - shell and devein. Wash well, drain and then marinate in salt and turmeric.

Take a flat thick bottomed tava and heat oil on it. Crackle the mustard seeds once the oil is hot, reduce the heat and add the curry leaves, garlic, onions and spring onions. Cook slowly, stirring as you go.

Once the onions turn pink add the green chillies and cook for another couple of minutes. Now add the dry powdered spices and the sugar. Stir well and mix properly. Cook this for another four to five minutes stirring the mix continuously. Now add half the fresh coriander leaves and blend well. After a minute or so add the vinegar. Lower the heat and let it cook for another minute or so, stirring all the time. Add a little salt keeping in mind that the prawns have been salted already.

Now add the marinated prawns and mix them into the onion and spice mixture. Once the prawns are cooked sprinkle the remaining coriander on the top and serve it hot with pav or with dhan daar - plain yellow daal and steaming hot rice.

The word patio evokes a dish that has a thick red gravy that is sweet, sour and spicy, made from a masala paste, and served with dhan daar. That's one version. The tatrelo patio is a dry dish with similar flavours but from different ingredients. In this version the heat comes from green chillies and there is no ground masala paste used. The word patio actually denotes the vessel it is cooked in - a flat, squat, thick bottomed vessel, which looks like a flattened pot. A thick iron tava also serves the purpose for this dish.

*Parsi Garam Masala can be used in a variety of preparations like you would use any other garam masala blend. Make a batch and give a new flavour to your daily curries and side dishes.

Marathon Bloggers Project 52

A Visit to Udvada

Udvada is to the Parsis what Mecca is for Muslims, Kashi for Hindus and the Vatican for Christians. This quiet little village in Gujarat houses the holiest of holy fires, the Iranshah.

When the Parsis first landed in India, at Sanjan on the western coast, they established the first fire temple on Indian soil in memory of Iran and in thanksgiving of their safe journey to India. The holy fire was eventually housed in its current location at Udvada.  It has been tended since then and has never been allowed to go out and has been burning continuously for more than 1,100 years.

Devout Parsis visit Udvada as often as they can, offer worship at the Atashbehram, and then  amble off for some local shopping, and a good meal either at Ashishvang or at The Globe Hotel. You can also book rooms here and stay over. The rooms at The Globe have beautiful four poster beds, and a glimpse of those were enough to make me want to stay!

Lunch at The Globe - Mutton Dhansakh, Papeta Marghi, rotli, tareli boi (mullet), kachuber, brown rice.

I had an impromptu chance to go to Udvada because K was going there for some work. Of course, I tagged along and I took my camera too. This was another opportunity to go around taking pictures, a chance to practice, learn and improve. And a good way to stay out of K's hair too. I got the chance to check out the Irani bakery, to get in and poke around a traditional Parsi kitchen, to have a sumptuous meal at The Globe, and to wander the streets where I also bought some local products.

The Irani bakery is run by a gentleman called Rohinton Irani. He keeps traditional Irani baking techniques and recipes alive and has a limited but classic range of products for sale. Cookies, macrooms, khari, sweet khari, batasa, nankhati, mawa cakes, buns, brun, sliced bread and of course, ladi pav, are available at his shop.

Batasas waiting to be baked.

The Chulavati or hearth is rarely seen in kitchens these days, even in the villages. My mother in law had distinct memories of her great-grandmom Soonamai cooking at such a chulavati. She has written about them in her first book Jamva Chaloji, and I was thrilled to finally see one myself. In the old days the chulavati would be set into the floor but in later times many households had them built at table level to make it easier to use. Since fire is held to be supremely sacred, the chulavati is also revered. It is often decorated with rangoli and pictures of the prophet might also be kept nearby.

Torans hanging at the lintel of every door are a hallmark of Parsi houses and I saw  very pretty torans in Udvada. Traditionally made with glass beads, these days plastic beads are also used. A special frame is used to 'weave' the torans and this is an art that is slowly dying out. How sad.



Leela lasan na papad or papads flavoured with green tender garlic is one of the things every Parsi brings back from Udvada. These are delicious eaten with curry chawal, ras chawal, khichri kheemo, or even as a snack with beer.

Parsi tea must have mint and lemon grass to flavour it and if you're lucky, you might get your hands on fresh peppermint while you're in Udvada. I did!

I also bought embroidered head scarves as little gifts for my sisters in law. Though machine embroidered, the motifs are the same as were hand embroidered on the gorgeous satins and Chinese silk Garas. Parsis cover their heads with caps or scarves when they are in a fire temple and these were being sold at a shop just outside the Iranshah Atashbehram. The shop sells all manner of Parsi knick knacks, pickles, prayer books, kors or saree borders, and torans too. The torans were priced between 1,500 and 4,000 Rupees.

Udvada is not a bustling busy town. It's not a sleepy village either. There's a beach, there's great food, and there's Parsi heritage in every corner. There's plenty for non Parsis to appreciate here so if you do get a chance, go check it out. The Gujarat highway is excellent and it will take you roughly three hours to get there if you're based in Mumbai.

Marathon Bloggers Project 52

Kanda Papeta per Eedu - A Parsi Classic

Parsi food is not always lavish and complicated. There are plenty of simple comforting dishes that will make you weep with pleasure. Kanda Papeta per Eedu is definitely one of them.

K asked me to have Kanda Papeta ready so he could make Kanda Papeta per Eedu for breakfast. The Parsis' love for eggs is legendary and their repertoire of egg dishes is vast. Kasa per Eedu or eggs on something is a huge category in their cuisine and the something can range from a simple onion tomato base to the elaborate kheema or lamb mince, the crisp and crunchy sali or the delicately flavoured kanda papeta.

Kanda papeta is simply onions and potatoes slow cooked with minimal spices or oil. It's delicious with rotlis or bread and is often part of a simple dinner at home. The addition of eggs takes it to a different level.

Kanda Papeta per Eedu

Serves two

2 potatoes, peeled and sliced finely
1 Onion, chopped medium
mustard seeds (optional)
1 or 2 green chillies, chopped fine
a few sprigs fresh coriander
salt
pepper
oil
3 eggs


Heat up your nonstick pan and splash some oil into it. Splutter the mustard seeds if you're using them and then reduce the heat. Add the sliced potatoes and chopped onions along with the green chillies. Spread and tamp down slightly and let it cook slowly. Add salt. Cover the pan and stir every five minutes. Add the pepper.  Take care not to brown the onions. The potatoes must be sliced finely so the cook quickly and the onions don't risk getting brown. Once the potatoes are nearly cooked level it all across the pan. Sprinkle the washed and chopped coriander all over. Cover and cook for another minute or two and your Kanda Papeta is done.

There are three ways of adding the eggs to this. You can add the eggs whole cracking them on the kanda papeta layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper and cook covered till desired done-ness. Garnish with extra coriander and chopped chillies.

I prefer the Faetela or beaten version. In a bowl whisk the eggs with a little salt and pepper and then simply pour over the kanda papeta in the pan. Cover and cook till desired level of done-ness.

Now within the faetela version you can either tightly pack the base to prevent the beaten egg from running through so you have two distinct layers or you can leave the base a little loose and let the beaten eggs seep through the gaps. Let the bottom brown a little - the top layer will soft eggs, onions and potatoes and the base will give you a delightful crunch.

All three versions are divine!

Serve hot with rotlis or bread. I like to have it on it's own :)

Marathon Bloggers Project 52

Of Navjotes and New Beginnings

Parsis, like many other religious groups. have an initiation ceremony where the child is accepted into the religious fold and can formally practice the religion thereafter. This ceremony, the Navjote, is one that is much anticipated by all Parsi parents. It is a very important sacrament and preparations begin up to a year in advance.

It was the same in our family as the the oldest child among the nieces and nephews approached the requisite age and we started gearing up for the big event. The Baug (traditional community spaces used by the Parsis for weddings, Navjotes and other celebrations) was booked, guest lists were made, menus were discussed and the child was taught her prayers for the big event.

Friyana is the darling of the Dalals. She is the first grand child and holds a special place for all of us. Not that the ones who came later are adored any less but the first one is always a little more special, a little more adored :)

Earlier this month on 16th December 2013 we gathered at the Albless Baug grounds at Charni Road for Friyana's Navjote.

Here are a few photographs from the evening -

25 December 2013
Marathon Bloggers 

The Truth about Dhansakh

More often than not the first dish that comes to most peoples' minds when Parsi food is discussed, is Dhansakh. This delicious medley of lentils, vegetables and mutton served with a lightly caramelised rice and spicy mutton kebabs is very well known and it is no surprise that most non Parsis think of Dhansakh first when they want to sample Parsi food.

It is quite natural that they are taken aback when they learn that Dhansakh is NEVER served at festive or auspicious occasions. Dhansakh is associated with funerals and death and therefore never stars on festive menus. No matter how delicious this dish is, it is not for celebrations.

The Parsi funereal rituals are spread over a short four day period and during this time food is restricted to mainly vegetarian fare that can include eggs and fish. No red meat or chicken is permitted. At the end of the rituals and ceremonies the mourning family makes its transition back to normal daily life with a fortifying and hearty meal that is rich in proteins and other nutrients - namely Dhansakh. Dhansakh is served with caramelised browned rice topped with birista (golden crisp fried onions), Parsi style deep fried largeish kababs, and kachubar making it a full meal, nutritious from the vegetables, lentils, and meat cooked together, accompanied by carbs, fresh kachubar and limes (vitamin C), and additional fat and protein in the kababs. The mourning period is full of grief and one tends to neglect one's basic physical need for proper nutrition. Dhansakh makes for an all round filling and nutritious meal, and it's delicious, thus soothing the grieving mind too, and gently nudging one back to regular life and responsibilities. 

Today the funeral rituals for my father in law ended and the family and close friends gathered for lunch. We had the traditional Mutton Dhansakh with brown rice, mutton kheema kebabs, and kachubar.

You can make Dhansakh at home and enjoy it as a hearty Sunday lunch at home with your family, as many Parsis do. Here's the recipe.

No, it's not just a funeral food - too delicious and comforting to be restricted to funerals, Dhansakh is the star of many Sunday meals accompanied by beer or shandy (beer with Duke's Lemonade)


14 December
Marathon Bloggers 

Close Encounters of the Parsi Kind

It will be 13 years in a few days. That's the official count of course. 13 years of official togetherness with all the due stamps of approval from parents, family, the law and the public in general. 13 years of marriage. A Bengali girl joins a Parsi family - new experiences, exposure to a whole new world of beliefs, etiquette, food, dress, everything! It's been fun and it's been exciting too - the personal and the public part of this life with the Dalals and their oldest son, Kurush.

In these 13 years I have collected a variety of really memorable experiences - some touching, some eye openers, and some were just downright hilarious.

Running a catering business ensures you meet a wide variety of people. And when most of them are Parsi things can get as befuddling as they can get entertaining.

I started working full time with the hubby at one of the gymkhanas in south Mumbai, where we ran the canteen. It was my first week handling things alone. The staff was busy prepping for the evening crowd and dinner thereafter and there were a few members sitting in the tea rooms or on the lawns.

One of the waiters, John, came to my desk looking quite perplexed. He had a white plastic container in his hand and in it, nestled in pretty pink tissue paper was one egg. He mumbled something to me and then said he'd be right back, and went off back to the table he was serving. He returned after a couple of minutes and said " madam wants an omelette and she wants you to make it using her egg (the one in the container) and she wants you to replace her egg with one of yours" What??! Yes, that was my immediate reaction. So he patiently repeated the instructions.

I think I laughed for a good few minutes before I could respond. I sent him back saying the lady could order whatever she liked from the menu but we would use our own stocks and produce. Needless to say she came rushing in to argue but I stuck to my guns and did not play musical eggs with her. The egg the lady had brought was supposedly cholesterol free and she was going to sell the unused egg from my kitchen to her grocer! Where would this end? Someone would walk in with organic rice the next day or come trotting into our kitchen with what they were sure was a free range goat. There was no way I was going to leave ourselves open to such nonsense.

Another day, at the same gymkhana, I was discussing an order with a client. She was speaking in Gujarati and I responded as best as I could in my severely handicapped Gujarati. All went smoothly and the lady was quite happy with her final menu. We were chatting in general, just small talk that one sometimes exchanges with people, and my mother called. I spoke very briefly to her in Bengali and hung up. The lady looked at me very impressed and asked "Arre, you speak such fluent Bengali!" I explained that I am Bengali. She looked quite shocked and exclaimed "you mean to say you're not Parsi?!" So I said, no I'm not and smiled at her. "But you look so much like Katy!" And then finally, in desperation she asked me "Are you sure?"  I was tempted to offer to call my mother back to confirm. Hmphh!

One year for Navroze (New Year) we used boneless Pomfret fillets in the patra ni macchi instead of the regular  slices on the bone. Our clients were very happy and we got many phone calls praising the idea. Of course there had to be one who thought otherwise! "You have cheated us! I want to see the bones or how else will I know you have really use Pomfrets and not some other cheap fish" she ranted. Well, it wasn't possible to deliver the bones of the fish to her, they had been long discarded, but we did end up with one very disgruntled client at the end of an otherwise very satisfying work day! You simply can't win them all.

As far as customs go the biggest shock to my Bengali sensibilities was the Parsi practice of pooling all the money gifted at weddings and navjotes and using it to pay for the function. K laughed loud and hard at my absolute dismay when I had to hand over his share of the loot to his parents and my share of the loot to my mother after our wedding! Yes, it is a practical and sensible way of dealing with expenses that big functions throw up but hello?! I was looking forward to that fat stash of cash!

The stories are endless and I hope I will have many more years filled with many more stories... Thank you Kurush for a life full of stories.

4 December 2013
Marathon Bloggers

Kheema par Eeda - Eggs on mince. A well loved Parsi breakfast

Breakfast is the husband's domain and though we usually have simple stuff like bread and spread, or muesli/cornflakes, or simple fried eggs, once in a way there's something special.

Yesterday I'd made chicken mince and there was quite a lot of it and so I asked the hubby to make Kheema par Eeda for breakfast the next morning. Ideally I prefer mutton or goat mince but chicken is what we had so we made do with it.

An easy recipe that leads to a sumptuous dish, you might end up making extra kheema more often just so you can indulge in a lavish breakfast more often!

Kheema par Eeda

4 eggs
Goat mince, cooked Indian style with onions, spices and loads of fresh coriander and mint
salt
a dash of oil

Take a flat nonstick pan and set it to heat. Spread the cooked mince evenly across the base of the pan, about half and inch thick.

Take an egg and press it gently into the kheema to make a depression. Make four such depressions. If you're using more eggs, make more! These depressions keep the eggs from running into each other while they're cooking.

Now crack an egg into each depression. Sprinkle a little salt.

Let the eggs cook on a slow flame. You don't want the kheema to burn while the eggs cook! Cover the pan with a loose lid or plate.

Cook the eggs to your desired level of 'done-ness'. The hubby likes them runny and I like mine cooked to death :)

Serve up with toast, butter, jam, mayo and a glass of fruit juice on the side.