Katy Dalal's "Jamva Chaloji - 2"

[Vikram]

Dr.Katy Dalal has come out with Jamva Chaloji - 2, a sequel to 'Jamva Chaloji' ("Lets Feast") the excellent book of basic Parsi recipes she compiled quite a few years ago. The first book, published by Vakils in Bombay, is in its third printing and along with the Penguin book on Parsi cooking, it could be seen as the standard reference book to Parsi daily cooking.

So this book is very welcome and all the more so because in it Dr.Dalal has decided to focus on all the rarer recipes, the ones cooked for obscure festivals or by Parsis in the villages of the Gujarat and Maharashtra coasts they used to live in, but which are now being forgotten as their children move to the cities and have no time for elaborate rituals. Dr.Dalal is an archaeologist by training, before she became known as a cook, so she's by far the best person to do this work.

Its a fascinating book to read, and a delightful one too, since she's interwoven the recipes with her own memories of visits to the villages as a young girl, and in particular of her great-grandmother Soonamai whose recipes and cooking practices are evidently still her inspiration. There are all the recipes which coulod probably only be made in the village - like tadi-nu-batervo or mutton cooked in toddy (fermented date palm sap). Toddyn is highly perishable, so you probably won't be able to get it in Bombay. I've certainly never come across it, though you do get neera, the sweet, unfermented version and perhaps the solution would be to buy this and let it ferment. (Episure, do you think this would work? And do you know of any other way to get toddy in Bombay?).

The book also benefits from Dr.Dalal's obviously excellent connections in the Parsi community - she can track down the one agiary (fire temple) in Bombay (Mehella Patel Agiary behind Novelty Cinema in Grant Road) whose head priest has a wife who is the last person to make muktad-nu-bhatiyu which, as far as I can make out (Dalal is not always entirely clear and while its not a problem, the book could have done with just a bit more editing, that's the only criticism I could make), is an elaborate package of different dishes including chicken, fish roe, a spicy omelette and other things. Or if you want vasanoo, a heavy Parsi sweet made of some 32 different ingredients that few people have the patience to make these days, she tells you the exact family to go to in Cushrow Bagh, one of the main Parsi colonies, who still make and supply it to others.

A lot of these recipes are obviously quite difficult or labour intensive which is why they aren't made these days, and Dalal doesn't hide that. Sometimes one can think of other reasons why they aren't made like her recipe for eeda-pak or egg halwa the ingredient list for which starts with 50 egg yolks, 500 gms almonds bioled and skinned, 150 gms pistachios, boiled and skinned (almonds and pistachios to be fried and ground), 100 gms charoli, 100 gms white pumpkin seeds.... Dalal obviously knows this is going to be a hard sell since she writes "This is one of the most delicious sweets I have ever eaten and I request all my readers to make it at least once in their lifetime..." Yes, well one can see why you're not likely to be able to eat this in more than one lifetime!

Still, Dalal's pleading for such recipes is quite persuasive and while I don't think I'll be running out to buy 50 eggs anytime soon, I can certainly see myself making other recipes like Soonamai's special cucumbers stuffed with mince, or bhaji-ma-sookka-dana (dried green peas cooked in spinach) or gamti-amlette (country omelette - a typical spicy, had fried Indian one, but with pieces of green mango added) or papau-ma-gos (mutton in papaya gravy) or maybe even kolmi, sekti-i-sing, ne-kacchi-keri-ne-kohru-nu-dohru (prawn, drumstick, raw mango and pumpkin gravy). And even otherwise, there's still the pleasure of just reading Jamva-Chaloji-2!

Vikram

[bague25]

Vikram

Is the sequel published by Vakil's too?

Thanks

[Vikram]

Is the sequel published by Vakil's too?

Yes, though they're calling themselves Vakils, Feffer & Simons now. Price Rs295/-

[Episure]

Toddy is highly perishable, so you probably won't be able to get it in Bombay. I've certainly never come across it, though you do get neera, the sweet, unfermented version and perhaps the solution would be to buy this and let it ferment. (Episure, do you think this would work? And do you know of any other way to get toddy in Bombay?).

Vikram

Near Kyani/Bastani there are many country liquor (Tadi Madi)bars which will serve you Toddy. I must confess I never done a take out. Toddy is also used to make that fermented version of Idli - Sannas. My Parsi friend's father who was the founder of India's largest shipping Company, used to often offer it to me and joke that his 'white' label is better than black label.

The Parsis are gung ho about Eedas(eggs) and will just about put them on/under anything. The same friend would on some days go on a egg binge and I could swear seeing the sun shine if he opened his mouth wide.

Neera sold at train stations especially Marine Lines, Dadar and Bandra, is always meant to be consumed on the spot and disallowed to be taken away. It's not too difficult to bypass this restriction using shirt pocket size ziplock bags and oops.

If you store Neera at warm temperature( Like making Yoghurt) it will sour and turn into toddy. Toddy is horrible stuff and I remember running it 4 times in my home still to make it palatable.

Edited March 24, 2004 by Episure (log)

[bague25]

Vikram

Ask your East Indian friends - they will be able to guide you to some good Toddy suppliers. I know that toddy is easily available in Bassein since my family 'rent' out the palm trees to toddy sappers (and for our sannas and fugaeys we have a supply of good toddy).

I have used fresh yeast or non-pasturized double fermented beer with good results (but of course with slight taste variations)

Edited March 24, 2004 by bague25 (log)

[mongo_jones]

Vikram

Ask your East Indian friends

uh oh

[bague25]

I do not understand...

I did not mean to be rude

Apologies if it came across that way

Edited March 24, 2004 by bague25 (log)

[mongo_jones]

I do not understand...

I did not mean to be rude

Apologies if it came across that way

just a joke bague25--if you read back through the forum's history, you'll see why.

[jw46]

Sometimes one can think of other reasons why they aren't made like her recipe for eeda-pak or egg halwa the ingredient list for which starts with 50 egg yolks,

Fifty eggs?...that would make one heck of a lot of Miringue

Surely the cooks would have recipes which would use these to be made at the same time..since refrigeration may not be available in days not all that long past..

[Vikram]

Fifty eggs?...that would make one heck of a lot of Miringue

Surely the cooks would have recipes which would use these to be made at the same time..since refrigeration may not be available in days not all that long past..

Yes, later on in the book she does give a recipe for Almond Macaroons (Badaam Makroom) with the specific instruction that this be made along with the Eeda Pak.

QUOTE (bague25 @ Mar 24 2004, 02:19 PM)

I do not understand...

I did not mean to be rude

Apologies if it came across that way

just a joke bague25--if you read back through the forum's history, you'll see why.

Mongo is pulling my leg bague25 for one occasion when an unsuspecting Canadian (I think) lady posted a query asking about East Indian (meaning desis, as opposed to West Indians) recipes.

It caught me in a cranky mood and I proceeded to tick her off for using a term that actually had a specific meaning in Indian - the term we both understand as applying to the East Indian community of the Bombay region. I still feel quite strongly about this, I mean, we're the original Indians, we don't need to have prefixes attached, but there are probably less acerbic ways of doing so!

Your suggestion about tapping the real East Indians for toddy is an excellent one since it gives me a reason to make a weekend trip to Bassein or Madh Island! (Though I've also been told that toddy is available in some of the country liquor bars around Gowalia Tank).

Vikram

[bague25]

Ok, Ok (sigh of relief!)

I know what that means - I spent a lifetime explaining to Bengali friends that I am a 'real' East Indian...not a geographical one...

I like your idea of 'tapping' your East Indian pals - you'd probably get more toddy out of them than from a tadgola palm...ha...ha

Where in Bassein (apart from Madh) do you go? We're (Dad is) from a village called (don't laugh) 'Ghass' in Nallasopara...