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Cooking from "Parsi: From Persia to Bombay: Recipes & Tales from the Ancient Culture"

&roid

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&roid

&roid

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On the trip back up north from my parents over Christmas the author of this book was on the radio talking about how he’d come to write it. Was a really interesting history lesson about a topic I’d previously known very little of. His enthusiasm for food is infectious. Before he’d even finished the interview I’d summoned a copy from Amazon. 
 

It’s a beautiful book, well written and a combination of history and recipes that I really enjoy. 
 

I’ve made a couple of dishes from it which were very nice. Today we have a couple of friends coming over so I’m doing the following:

 

chicken in an almond gravy

 

prawns in a spicy tomato sauce

 

parsi brown rice

 

Starting off with a really slowly darkened masala spice mix - the kitchen smells amazing, I’ve really enjoyed watching the transformation of onions, garlic and ginger into a deep, spicy paste. 
 

F05B6823-DC8B-4F42-B15C-5A574DA02DE9.thumb.jpeg.7051881255cd254ab13da3fca54a0c9f.jpegA3A07078-AB82-491B-87EA-B4C445E5DC1F.thumb.jpeg.b47a0a5d72e576c75a53cd82ce670c96.jpeg6C2E297A-AFEE-4EA2-AC58-60DA21E45869.thumb.jpeg.08f59e2483d0f30904c643461d846ed8.jpeg5EAE85E3-30EF-4F74-977E-5E74C6392B65.thumb.jpeg.9b791d71e30694f75045fa3107b029f3.jpeg

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&roid

&roid

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Next up, browning the onions and spices for the brown rice:

 

8B775ECF-D68F-45A7-A083-C573AAC11A57.thumb.jpeg.7926a840939c6e419539041c2d10ef9d.jpeg63BA2F5A-DCB6-46D0-8BDC-632680FFD882.thumb.jpeg.236056c9eb6c1d82f137a9afc7556694.jpeg00799196-55FE-4D8C-8C14-E66FE8FE9AE0.thumb.jpeg.c53e39255067daf9d212872d5c89f543.jpeg281012EB-3AA0-4DA4-B456-DBF450AAECD4.thumb.jpeg.1388a454cb37badf8be2beab669ce105.jpeg
 

The trick with this is to take them to a very, very dark point. More than you’d probably want to eat on their own as it gives the finished dish a lovely deep flavour. 
 

spice mix is cumin, cardamom, caraway, cassia, cloves and star anise with a grating of jaggery goor to take the caramelisation even further. E4FF1593-F4AA-406B-B437-7291A474925F.thumb.jpeg.ab932d13301f24b2b8e1d4a659ca4d40.jpeg

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pastameshugana

pastameshugana

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Looks amazing! And that book looks beautiful as well. Sadly, Amazon shipping to SA is almost as much as the book, and that looks like the kind of book I'd rather have in hand than on the screen...

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PastaMeshugana

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"What's hunger got to do with anything?" - My Father

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Alex

Alex

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Two copies in our state-wide library system, one available; just requested. Great pictures, btw!

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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&roid

&roid

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Chicken and almonds:

 

A2B17D4D-0204-45CC-B8E6-FA581E2E17E1.thumb.jpeg.aadcaa072f46a81ec19d555897a0dcb8.jpeg

marinading in yoghurt, almonds and garlic/ginger 

 

 

C2FAA043-7A11-4010-A76C-B6B489B3CEEF.thumb.jpeg.54d5fdcf8b42e08348b502a8f8d99788.jpeg

onions and spice 

 

 

4070EE7F-807D-4362-92FE-8EF1AE7DFC68.thumb.jpeg.bc771409622619b35e1a1c2bd603ba7c.jpeg

nearly finished dish - gorgeous, rich sauce with a nice hit from five green chillies 

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Alex

Alex

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Thinking about serving the rice with Claudia Roden's Chicken + Apricots

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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3 hours ago, Duvel said:


But maybe close to a Parsi restaurant 🤗 …

 

There is a large Indian (from India, as opposed to Native American) population here, so it is not impossible.  But I have no knowledge of a Parsi restaurant.  When I get back to work I'll check with my Indian colleagues.

 

 

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&roid

&roid

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Finished articles were great, the chicken sauce could possibly do with a bit more liquid so I’d add a bit of stock after cooking next time. The Prawn dish was perfect though, will definitely be making that again. 
 

15CAE41A-41C5-4E26-BF71-A78DD8AF2021.thumb.jpeg.4a5e61ac286203f3e725b55d6282e4cc.jpegB0AB411E-1EA6-4093-AE86-EFD26E5B200E.thumb.jpeg.aa75f1ba36991f305e8a7ca2ebfe10b2.jpegE7080C8B-944A-4951-901B-2F9BB4696006.thumb.jpeg.8766b3c59f7b6965e2eee8450a464ed3.jpeg

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Anna N

Anna N

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12 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Questioning whether they are the only Parsi restaurant in NA - The Copper Chimney

The restaurant appears to be still in existence but no longer boasting  a Parsi menu. Given that according to the book there are only 200,000 Parsi still extant and 50,000 of them are in India this is not surprising. 

I have downloaded a Kindle sample of the book and I'm debating whether I will actually buy it if only to learn about the Parsi. 
Thanks @&roidfor bringing this book to our attention. 
 

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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I can report I am delighted with the book.  Ingredients are mostly specified in grams.  The few recipes I've read so far were clearly written.  Sections of the book are divided by course, not by seasons.  Photographs are plentiful.  The font could always be larger but with reading glasses I can read it.

 

I expected to enjoy the book primarily to learn a bit of Parsi culture, however I might even cook from it.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Anna N

Anna N

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15 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I expected to enjoy the book primarily to learn a bit of Parsi culture, however I might even cook from it.

Unlike you I will not be able to cook from it but I would love to know if it's worth getting for further discussion of the Parsi culture. It is a very large book from the looks of things but if all I'm going to run into beyond the sample is recipes,  I don't know if I want to buy it. Thanks. 

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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4 hours ago, Anna N said:

Unlike you I will not be able to cook from it but I would love to know if it's worth getting for further discussion of the Parsi culture. It is a very large book from the looks of things but if all I'm going to run into beyond the sample is recipes,  I don't know if I want to buy it. Thanks. 

 

I count 16 pages pertaining to culture, the foreword and the introduction.  Plus bits here and there in recipes.  May not be enough culture for your purpose.  Though there is a section on how to make yogurt.

 

Did I mention that I love the book?

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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3 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I count 16 pages pertaining to culture, the foreword and the introduction.  Plus bits here and there in recipes.  May not be enough culture for your purpose.  Though there is a section on how to make yogurt.

 

Did I mention that I love the book?

 

Do you have Niloufer Ichaporia King's My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) and if so, how do the books compare?

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JoNorvelleWalker

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3 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Do you have Niloufer Ichaporia King's My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) and if so, how do the books compare?

 

Sorry, I do not have My Bombay Kitchen in my collection.  However the library has a copy on the shelf.  It should be waiting for me when I return to work.

 

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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13 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Sorry, I do not have My Bombay Kitchen in my collection.  However the library has a copy on the shelf.  It should be waiting for me when I return to work.

 

I’d love to hear how the books compare and even more love to hear that you have returned to work, assuming, of course, that it is your choice to do so. 

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JoNorvelleWalker

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20 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I’d love to hear how the books compare and even more love to hear that you have returned to work, assuming, of course, that it is your choice to do so. 

 

My Bombay Kitchen should be in my kitchen 1/31.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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Nice interview with Farokh Talati, author of Parsi on Evan Kleiman's Good Food radio show/podcast today: Born of persecution, Parsi cooking melds Persian and Indian cuisines. 

Also at that link are recipes for Mutton Dhansak and his 20-ingredient Dhansak Masala, which he said was the one recipe he most wanted home cooks to make.  I have to say the addition of a whole black lime to what otherwise sounds like a typical masala mix sounds quite brilliant!

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