Parsi cuisine

[percyn]

Dhansak recipe posted in my foodblog

[percyn]

Akoori recipe posted from my foodblog.

[Episure]

Lovely blog Percy, wish I had known when it started.

How do you remain trim with so many eedas?

[percyn]

Who said anything about trim?

[percyn]

Sali per Eda can be found in the breakfast thread (scroll a bit in the post).

[percyn]

Got some great Batasas in a care package...

Hmmmm....good....I wish we could get them in the US.

[percyn]

Made some Indian food during Thanksgiving break.

Shrimp Kebabs

Marinate some shrimp in tumeric, chili pepper, whole cumin seeds and salt for about and hour. Then combine with pieces of white bread and cilantro and pulse in a food processor until a paste just forms (do not make it too mushy).

Roll into meatball size and pan fry. Squeeze with lemon or lime and serve while hot.

Then we made Dhan Dar (yellow dal) Patio (Paat-yoh)

The patia has fish in it. Since Pomfret is not available, we used striped bass.

[Pan]

Awesome, Percy! (And I just want you to know someone's looking and appreciating.)

[worm@work]

Just wanted to second what Pan said. I am hoping to make the shrimp kababs this weekend. They look like something I can handle despite my ignorance when it comes to Parsi food . Percy, I've tried both your Americanized Dhansak recipe as well as your recipe for Akhoori and we really enjoyed both. Thanks so much for posting such detailed recipes and photographs.

-w@w

[percyn]

Michael and W@W, thanks for your kind comments.

There is some more to come...

[percyn]

Can't find the link to "the egg files" forum, so I am posting it here

Tambotu Per Edu (Egg with tomatoes, onions and spices)

Akoori w/ Roti

Papeta Per Edu (Egg with potatoes, onions and spices - variation on above dish)

Also made some Sali Gosht (sweet & sour lamb/goat with potato sticks)

[percyn]

Methi Per Edu

[Pan]

What other than methi (fenugreek, right?) is in that dish?

[percyn]

It had sauteed onions, tumeric, chili pepper, garlic, cumin, cilantro and 1/2 a tomato.

Someone gave me a tip on using Alpha Alpha sprouts, which is what I substituted for methi. The taste and texture was close.

[percyn]

Another version of Methi per Edu - shallots, spring onions, garlic, tumeric, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes and alpha-alpha sprouts. Sautee for a few minutes and then crack the eggs on top with some water and cover to steam.

Plated....

[The Cookbook Addict]

I am so excited to see there are threads about Parsi cooking...

I just learned about Parsi cooking reviewing My Bombay Kitchen by Nilafour Ichaporia King on my blog. Have any of you tried it? I would be so curious to know what those familiar with Parsi cooking thought of it. I loved the recipes but have not background to know how they compare to other Parsi recipes.

Any thoughts?

[percyn]

Welcome to the thread Cookbook Addict. I have ordered her book and will let you know once I have a chance to review it.

BTW, a while back there was a thread on how many cookbooks eGullet members have and based on your handle, I am curious

[The Cookbook Addict]

Welcome to the thread Cookbook Addict. I have ordered her book and will let you know once I have a chance to review it.

BTW, a while back there was a thread on how many cookbooks eGullet members have and based on your handle, I am curious 

←

Hey Percyn,

Look forward to hearing about your impressions of the book. I was so excited about it because they were some recipes, like patrel, that I had never seen in a cookbook before. I also loved the chickpea stew and the biryani recipes.

I have a serious cookbook purchasing problem and my collection easily runs into the hundreds. I have started a blog to justify my addiction, where I review a different cookbook each week. Makes for a lot of messy dishes but so far we are having a lot of fun with it. Eventually I will have to donate some of my books, though, since we do live in a space-challenged nyc apartment.

[percyn]

Hey Percyn,

Look forward to hearing about your impressions of the book.  I was so excited about it because they were some recipes, like patrel, that I had never seen in a cookbook before.  I also loved the chickpea stew and the biryani recipes.

...

Well, I finally got a copy of the book a few days ago and while I have not had a chance to make any of the dishes, I did flip through the book and recognize many of the recipes.

The book has a combination of traditional Parsi recipes such as the patrel, patra ni machi (fish wrapped in banana leaf), Bombay duck (a fish), etc, but also had quite a few recipes that I seemed to borrow Western ingredients and techniques. There is nothing wrong with that and in fact we Parsi's pride ourselves of our ability to adopt the best from various cultures while preserving our own, which the author also seems to point out.

I was pleasantly surprised to see anthropological details scattered throughout the book along with personal family stories and memories, which made me reminisce some of my own. Yes, I was lucky to be born in a Bombay kitchen.

If you liked this book and are looking for authentic Parsi recipes, try Jamva Chaloji or PM me for some unpublished hand written recipes.

Cheers

Percy

P,.S: Nice blog Cookbook Addict

[percyn]

Patra Ni Machi - Fish on Banana Leaves

Fish covered in Cilantro and mint chutney, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.

[edsel]

There was a lovely story about Parsi food on NPR this morning: Sugar in the Milk: A Parsi Kitchen Story They interviewed Niloufer Ichaporia King, who shares some recipes on the linked page. Alice Waters was so enchanted with Parsi cooking that she decided to do a special Parsi New Year menu. It's on the Chez Panisse Downstairs menu for March 20:

Thursday, March 20        Special Dinner: Parsi New Year      $125

Pomegranate Kir royal

Cashews with ajwain, toasted papads with tamarind chutney, allium stew, and pickles

Ritual dal with spiced ghee

Prawn, squid, and line-caught monkfish brochettes with fresh turmeric and chiles

Green masala biryani with Cattail Creek lamb, spring vegetables, crispy onions, and pistachios

Passion fruit ice

Faluda and sweets

Lemongrass-mint tisane

[Andrew Fenton]

Patra Ni Machi - Fish on Banana Leaves

Fish covered in Cilantro and mint chutney, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.

Having tried Percy's patra ni machi, I can confirm just how tasty it is! Really good stuff.

Percy, I was looking for recipes on line and found a number of variations... is the cilantro/mint a traditional variation, or your twist?

[KatieLoeb]

Yes Percy, please share the chutney recipe! I will second Andrew's endorsement of Percy's patra ni machi. It's absolutely delicious. I suspect that chutney would work well on other things like chicken or pork too.

[handmc]

I have never seem this thread before, Oh My God the food!

I had to take a Zocor after I finished looking at Percy's eggs. Percy, did you go to a summer camp or take a college course to learn to cook eggs the way you do, I have never seen thier equal.

[The Cookbook Addict]