Parsi cuisine

[Episure]

Percy,

Welcome to the India forums, it's nice to have a Parsi in our midst. I have always had Parsi friends and had 'tuddun' fun with them. Yes, please if you make lagan nu custard, post the recipe and if you can take pictures, nothing like it.

Oh, for Mrs. Godiwalla's catering!

[v. gautam]

Episure,

We should tease Percy and ask if he is already married; if not, then are all eGulleteers to be invited to his wedding feast for a real lagan nu custard? What a pity that the Mittals are not Parsis; given their [Mittal's] wedding extravagance and largesse, surely we might have prevailed upon them for a real lagan nu bhonu for all eGullet.

My aim in posting, of course, is utterly disingenuous. Should Percy be a scion of the Tatas or Godrej, the hint above is meant to guilt-trip him into including us all in a grand feast!!

[percyn]

OK, here goes my first recipe on eGullet:

"Quick" Parsee Dhansak (Originally from my aunt Mehroo P)

Approx 2 lb lamb shoulder cut into 1.5 inch cubes (I like some marrow bones in there too so I buy some lamb shanks and have them cut it. Halal meat is best, but any young lamb would be fine)

2 Large Onions - finely chopped

3 Tbsp (or to taste) Dhansak Masala (you can buy this at some Indian stores. If not, I believe there are posts on the web that tell you how to make your own)

2 cans campbell's condensed pea soup - YES, you read correct!!! Get the soup without beacon and one that is condensed - it should look like a thick glob of paste coming out of the cans. This replaces the pulse which is usually soaked overnight and I really can't tell the difference in the two.

3 Gloves garlic finely chopped (or 1 tsp Garlic paste)

1 tsp ginger paste

(Kosher) Salt to taste

Approx 1 cup water

Cooking Method:

Marinate the lamb with the garlic, ginger, salt and Dhansak masala. Set aside in the fridge for about 1/2 hr.

Saute the onions in the oil in a heavy saucepan or pressure cooker until they start to turn golden brown. Keep and eye on the onions when you saute them and add a bit of oil at a time as needed. When the onions are almost done, add the marinated lamb, let it get some color on one side and then stir until all sides of the lamb are seared and the spices have mixed with the onions. Add about 1 cup of water and turn the heat to mid-low. Cover the saucepan if you can (I usually make this in my pressure cooker, so this is when the lid goes on for 20-30 minutes).

Once the lamb is cooked as desired (this depends on your taste, stove, cookware, quality of lamb, etc) you should have a fair bit a moisture that the lamb and onions have released in addition to the water you added. Open the cans of condensed pea soup. Just scoop in a bit of the condensed pea soup at a time into the lamb mixture and stir until it dissolves completely (no lumps). You can use a stick blender here if needed, but I usually don't. Sometimes I add the mixture straight from the lamb "stew" into a half emptied soup can, mix it in the can and return to the dish.

Anyway, once this is done (it is not as hard is it may appear), continue to simmer the lamb until it becomes tender and the pea soup thicken the gravy. Remember, that this will thicken further once it cools. When the desired consistency is reached, salt to taste and it is ready to eat !!

This dish is typically served with Basmati rice, which has been cooked coated with a bit of butter and cinnamon before boiling the rice.

It is also accompanied by Kachubar, which is a mixture of diced onions, diced tomatoes, a few sprigs of cilantro, squeeze of lemon, couple splashes or white vinegar and some sugar to cut the egde of the vinegar.

On special occasions (i.e. a Sunday for Parsi's), prawn kewabs are also served. Maybe I will post the recope for these at a later date.

This is a dish typically served on Sunday afternoons at a Parsi residence, usually followed by a nice long nap

Hope you enjoy and hope I didn't miss anything in the recipe .

Let me know how it turns out by reporting here. Keep in mind that as with any recipe, use it as a guideline and tailor it to your taste.

Cheers

Percy

[percyn]

...

My aim in posting, of course, is utterly disingenuous.  Should Percy be a scion of the Tatas or Godrej, the hint above is meant to  guilt-trip him into including us all in a grand feast!! 

V gautam,

Unfortunately Tata or Godrej I am not, though have on occassion thought about throwing a Gambar (Parsi food feast) in the North East, with the help of one of the local Zoroastrian associations.

My relatives in CA and FL do this on occassion.

What do you think? Any volunteers?

[bong]

Approx 2 lb lamb shoulder cut into 1.5 inch cubes (I like some marrow bones in there too so I buy some lamb shanks and have them cut it. Halal meat is best, but any young lamb would be fine)

Percy, thanks for the recipe and welcome to this forum.

Being a complete Parsi-cuisine newbie, my question is -- is this traditionally supposed to be using lamb (as in sheep) meat or goat-meat?

[v. gautam]

Dear Percy,

You are on; I volunteer to help in cooking and prep. Where are you generally located on the East Coast?

Having grown up with Parsis [as intimate family members in fact if not in blood] from infancy, and being steeped in the Vedic lore, one naturally has the utmost love and respect for all Zarathustris, of blessed memory. You know, the archaic Vedic language is so close to Old Persian that one reads it with hardly any problems; not so Avestan, though; it's later and different. One reads with great absorption the internet colloquies of various Zoroastrian groups, their American ‘convert(s)’ and disputants, and many thoughts arise.

Vohu manah =vasu manas; the radiant, bright, unblemished heart; the imperative for a good heart, good actions is sorely needed in “Aryavarta’ now, and the Zarathustri ,to a disprortionate degree, remain the only group in Aryavarta [iran and India] to have maintained rectitude, remained loyal to the principles of the ancient common faith that abhorred droha, mithya and anartha [betrayal/treachery/breaking good faith, falsehood, and evil]. It now seems that the Indian half cares for nothing but droha in every aspect of its existence, drughvant to the core. Pray pardon this rant.

Back to food. Have an excellent fish patia recipe, but sadly, our friend’s sister, a superb cook, would never part with her incredible dhansak and patrani fish secrets. For the dhansak, Mrs. Sutaria would make 2 masalas, one a sambhar type roasted masala, another a fried reddish powder. She generously would part with any amount of the prepared stuff, but not their ingredients! Also an incredible lemon–date chutney, the lemon macerated in salt and sunlight and then pulverized with dates. For being her most devoted hanger-on, was permitted the patia recipe in toto, plus the preliminary steps of the dhansak.

I was quite intrigued that in the boiling phase, in addition to eggplant and pumpkin, she would use tur and masur half and half, plus for the aromatic herbs include some Calcutta parsley in addition to mint or cilantro. This parsley is peculiar to Kolkata as it looks like parsley but has a unique taste; nor is it oriental celery; have tried hard to fathom the mystery, but Bengal remains very opaque to investigation.

Finally, one superb dish that I tasted just once, owing to the expense of Alphonso mangoes in Kolkata, was whole, unpeeled Alphonso mangoes cooked with chicken. Have you experienced this dish in your family? I was further surprised to learn of the differences between Parsi and Irani styles of cooking/seasoning, but have never tasted the latter. Sorry again for so much extraneous stuff; please do pardon me if anything is presumptuous or has offended you.

Warmest regards.

Edited August 20, 2004 by v. gautam (log)

[Episure]

Yes, that would be a good idea for US egulls to partake of a Lagan nu bhonu. I am lucky enough to have another friend Percy B who is marrying in a couple of months.

Percy, how many Parsi egg preparations can you think of? Could you post them in the eggs files topic, please.

[anil]

Percy, a feast for a good cause is always welcome.

[bague25]

Percy

Happy New Year to you...

[Episure]

Percy

Happy New Year to you...

Happy Birthday also.

[percyn]

Thanks for the "Navroz" or new year wishes (accroding to the Parsi calendar).

Episure, thanks for the birthday wish, but I think it is a few months too early (or late, depending on your outlook)

[percyn]

Percy, how many Parsi egg preparations can you think of? Could you post them in the eggs files topic, please.

Episure,

I can think of 4-5 off the top off my head. Unfortunately I do not have time to post it at this very instant, but I will make it the next set of recpie I post on eGullet.

A sneak preview though...

Akuri - Most people associate this with Parsi breakfast and it is so popular that there are several variations

Lasan nu edu - Eggs with spring onions and young garlic

Tamboto nu edu - Eggs with tomatos

Wafer per eda - Eggs on wafers (chips)

Papeta nu edu - Eggs with potatoes

OK, given that it is breakfast time, posting this just made me hungry

[Episure]

Saal Mubarak dikra.

and we want your birthdate and address.

[percyn]

Approx 2 lb lamb shoulder cut into 1.5 inch cubes (I like some marrow bones in there too so I buy some lamb shanks and have them cut it. Halal meat is best, but any young lamb would be fine)

Percy, thanks for the recipe and welcome to this forum.

Being a complete Parsi-cuisine newbie, my question is -- is this traditionally supposed to be using lamb (as in sheep) meat or goat-meat?

Bong,

"Traditionally" it is goat meat. However, since goat meat is very hard to find in the US, I took some liberty in listing lamb meat. After all, the "traditional" recipe does not call for campbell's soup either

View this more as the americanized version, I will post the actual traditional recpie which even includes small amounts of pumpkin someday (and the folks here can vote or see if they can taste the difference).

Cheers

Edited August 21, 2004 by percyn (log)

[Monica Bhide]

Percy, how many Parsi egg preparations can you think of? Could you post them in the eggs files topic, please.

Episure,

I can think of 4-5 off the top off my head. Unfortunately I do not have time to post it at this very instant, but I will make it the next set of recpie I post on eGullet.

A sneak preview though...

Akuri - Most people associate this with Parsi breakfast and it is so popular that there are several variations

Lasan nu edu - Eggs with spring onions and young garlic

Tamboto nu edu - Eggs with tomatos

Wafer per eda - Eggs on wafers (chips)

Papeta nu edu - Eggs with potatoes

OK, given that it is breakfast time, posting this just made me hungry

best wishes to you Percy!

Can I request you please post this on the eggs thread we have

[percyn]

Dear Percy,

You are on; I volunteer to help in cooking and prep.  Where are you generally located on the East Coast?

...

You know, the archaic Vedic language is so close to Old Persian that one reads it with hardly any problems; not so Avestan, though; it's later and different. 

...

Finally, one superb dish that I tasted just once, owing to the expense of Alphonso mangoes in Kolkata, was whole, unpeeled  Alphonso mangoes cooked with chicken. Have you experienced this dish in your family? I was further surprised to learn of the differences between Parsi and Irani styles of cooking/seasoning, but have never tasted the latter.  Sorry again for so much extraneous stuff; please do pardon me if anything is presumptuous or has offended  you.

V Gautam,

Wow, you certainly appear to know a lot about the Parsi culture and history.

I reside in the NJ/PA area.

I had completely forgotten about the dish with mangoes and meat (sometimes chicken sometimes goat) until you reminded me of it. I will have to get the recipe from my Mom or Aunt and post it.

Now I'll make you a deal...find me a place where I can buy fresh alphonso mangoes in the US and I will fly you down from anywhere in the US and will make the dish for you personally

BTW, nothing in your previous post has offended me....why would it?

[v. gautam]

Dear Percy,

As you live in a fairly mild-winter climate, growing Alphonso mangoes in a plastic hoophouse is very doable. If you are going to be there long, and have a strip of land 14 feet x 25 feet, you could have 3-4 plants in 200 liter containers; the set-up should cost less than $1500 and last for decades. You would harvest at least 2-4 dozen mangoes. Plants are availble in the US. If interested, I would be delighted to provide you with detailed guidelines.

Thank you for your kind offer but instead of wasting it on me, suggest that you should visit Dr. Richard Campbell at the Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Miami. He certainly has Alphonsos, or knows where to lay his hands on at least a few. Anyway, the garden has hundreds of mango varieties and in addition, truly is a magical place for a family vacation.

Your library might be able to borrow for you Dr. Campbell’s Mangoes of Florida, wherein is a list of vendors that sell quality rare mangoes; nowadays some may even be cultivating Alphonsos, or similar types. The north Indian subtropical , monoembryonic mangoes have a tough time reaching high quality in the maritime climate of Florida. Fortunately, the tropical ecotypes from peninsular India, e.g. Mulgoba, do remarkably well under those same conditions. There is hope.

Canada imports tropical fruit disallowed in the US; I do not know if Toronto gets Alphonsos, but if so, it is relatively simple to visit there and partake.

[percyn]

Recipe for:

Lagan Nu Custard (Custard typically served at weddings):

Will serve 6-8 people

1 Liter Whole Milk

1/2 Litre (500ml) Half and Half (or light cream)

1 12oz tin of condensed milk

5 Large eggs

1/2 tsp Nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)

1/2 tsp Cardamom

2-3 drops of Vanilla extract

1 Tbsp slivered almonds (optional)

Pinch of saffron (optional)

Slowly bring the milk and half+half or cream or a gentle boil.

Bring it off the stove and add the tin of condensed milk, while stirring to dissolve completely.

Taste the mixture and if it is not sweet enough for your taste, add a bit more sugar (remember, that it will taste a little sweeter when cooled).

Let the mixture cool to luke-warm. The mixture should be of a consistency that coats the back of a spoon.

Beat the eggs until they are homogenous and froth a bit and add it a bit at a time to the mixture while stirring (make sure the egg does not scramble; if it does, strain the mixture).

Add the vinalla extract, nutmeg, cardamom and saffron (some prefer to add the almond in now, other prefer to sprinkle at the end). I even added a touch of cinnamon. This is where your personal taste can guide you...

Butter the sides of some ramekins. Slowly pour in the mixture to about 2/3 way to the top. Place them in a 350 F oven (I use 300 F or 325 F in my convection oven) and bake until golden brown and the top starts to form a crust, similar to when you bake turkish rice pudding.

Now here is the important part - They will NOT taste good when warm. Chill them in your fridge overnight and enjoy over the next couple days.

Cheers

Percy

Edited September 11, 2004 by percyn (log)

[bague25]

Percy

Thanks for the lagan nu custard recipe. Unfortunately I cannot see the pics.

Do you have reliable recipe/source for vasanu??

Thanks

Bague

[percyn]

Percy

Thanks for the lagan nu custard recipe. Unfortunately I cannot see the pics.

Do you have reliable recipe/source for vasanu??

Thanks

Bague

←

Bague,

I am not sure why the pics are not displaying. If I save this page as .html on my local machine and open it via a browser, I see the images just fine.

Or, if you really want, you can view them at My Imagestation Cooking Gallery

Yes, I have a recipe for Vasanu (and Badam Pak) and will post them.

Edited September 15, 2004 by percyn (log)

[bong]

I am not sure why the pics are not displaying. If I save this page as .html on my local machine and open it via a browser, I see the images just fine.

←

This is because Imagestation _only_ lets you view the pictures if you are viweing the Imagestation album. You cannot place an Imagestation hosted image in another site's page and expect to view it. Instead of the tag, you would be better off if you could use the tag and place a link to the specific page in your photo album.

Or, you could upload your images to ImageGullet and place links to them.

[percyn]

Ok,

I have been slacking on posting Parsi recipes here. I usually post in the Dinner! and Breakfast! threads. I will make up for it over the holidays though...I hope.

I am not sure whether Bhida (okra) Gosht is considered a Parsi dish, but I used to eat it as a kid. Instead of repeating the post, you can view it here.

Cheers

Percy

Edited December 2, 2004 by percyn (log)

[percyn]

<snip>

Finally, one superb dish that I tasted just once, owing to the expense of Alphonso mangoes in Kolkata, was whole, unpeeled  Alphonso mangoes cooked with chicken. Have you experienced this dish in your family?

←

V Gautam, does this recipe ring a bell/come close? This version uses lamb, but using chicken is also common.

[v. gautam]

Dear Percy,

Thank you so very much for another impeccably executed recipe. Your photographs and the trouble you take to so faithfully represent a tradition surely bespeaks of a ‘vohu manah’.

Thank you for remembering this memorable dish that I tasted but once; even then, I was entranced by the delicacy with which the whole mangoes combined with the meat, the delicate golden skin of Alphonsos adding an ineffable quality and fragrance to the whole. Perhaps no other mango could have managed the like.

Do you suppose that this dish derived from one originally using fresh apricots?

[bTW, the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, at Rutgers and elsewhere, have fruiting varieties of Iranian apricots, should you be interested in tasting some.]

P.S. Do you remember the Dr. Writer's brand of Alphonso slices? How do the brands now available taste to you?

[percyn]

A while back someone had requested a recipe for Chicken Farcha. It is posted here.