5 traditional recipes to bring in Parsi New Year

Usher in Parsi New Year with delicious traditional dishes, says Mini Ribeiro.

Who can resist a Parsi meal of Salli Boti, Dhansak with brown rice, Chicken Farcha, Raspberry Soda and rounded off with a Lagan Nu Custard (popular creamy dessert)?

While most people across India wait to be invited to a Parsi lagan (wedding) or a Navjote feast to savour an elaborate Parsi meal, or at best in a few restaurants serving Parsi cuisine, Mumbaikars are comparatively luckier.

Mumbai boasts of a fair amount of places offering Parsi cuisine, some iconic and traditional, and others contemporary.

There is something innately heart-warming and comforting about Parsi cuisine.

It may be influenced by other cultures and cuisines, yet, Parsi food is unique and has a distinct character of its own.

This year, Parsi New Year falls on August 17.  Here are five delectable Parsi recipes from chefs across Mumbai.

Salli Boti

Ingredients

• 1 kg goat meat, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes
• 4 tbsp refined oil
• 4 medium size onions, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp red chilli powder
• 3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp apricot puree (made of dry apricots soaked in warm water and pureed)
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
• Salt to taste

For the salli

• 5 large potatoes, peeled and julienned
• Refined oil for deep frying the potato sticks

Method

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
• Add onions and fry until they begin to turn pale golden in colour.
• Add ginger paste, garlic paste and meat. Fry until the meat begins to turn brown.
• Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Stir well.
• Continue frying until the oil begins to separate from the meat. This could take up to 10 minutes and it indicates that the spices are well cooked.
• Add tomatoes and salt to taste.
• Pour a cup of hot water and mix well. Cover and cook until the meat is tender.

For salli

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Deep fry the julienned potatoes on low to medium heat.
• Cook until potato sticks are crispy and pale golden in colour.
• Drain the fried potato sticks on paper towels. Keep it aside.
• Once meat is cooked, add apricot puree and vinegar to the curry. Stir well.
• Cook for another two to three minutes. Remember that the dish must have fairly thick and very little gravy when it's done.
• When cooked, remove the pan from the heat.
• Add chopped fresh coriander leaves.

To assemble

• Serve in a curry dish and garnish with the salli.

Chicken Dhansak

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup fresh pineapple pieces
• 1/2 cup pineapple pieces, juiced
• 2 1/2 cups curry base sauce
• 3/4 cup dried yellow split peas
• 3/4 cup red lentils
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch cubes
• 2 small handfuls cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method

• Soak peas in cold water for 10 minutes.
• Once done, rinse them several times.
• Drain and place the peas into a medium size saucepan with two cups of cold water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer.
• Skim foam from the surface occasionally.
• When peas have cooked for 20 minutes, most of the water is gone and the peas should be nearly tender. Cover and reduce heat to very low.
• While peas are cooking, rinse lentils in cold water. Drain well, place into a small saucepan. Add vegetable broth.
• Heat the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for five more minutes to absorb the extra liquid. (The lentils will turn to mush and look like oatmeal.)
• Take a large saucepan or a dutch oven.
• Simmer and heat the base sauce.
• Add cooked lentils, chicken chunks and pineapple juice. Simmer for five minutes.
• Check peas. Turn off the heat and uncover when tender (Don't worry if there is extra liquid).
• Add cumin, chilli powder, half of the peas (drained), pineapple pieces and a small handful of cilantro to the curry mixture. Cook gently for another 10 minutes.
• A few minutes before serving, add remaining peas, cilantro and salt.
• Serve with rice (plain basmati or pulao) or flat-bread.

Marghi na Kheema na Pattice

Ingredients

• 250 gm mashed potatoes
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 2 1/2 kg raw chicken breast
• 1/2 onion paste
• 3 green chilles paste
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup skinned almonds, finely chopped
• 3 eggs
• Bread crumbs
• Refined oil
• Salt

Method

• Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan.
• Fry the onion until it turns brownish.
• Add chopped ginger and garlic paste, green chillies paste, garam masala and red chilli powder to it. Mix well for three minutes.
• Add minced chicken and allow it to cook in its own juice. If required, add some water.
• When chicken is soft, add almonds and cook for two minutes.
• Add vinegar and sugar. Cook until it's dry.
• Place mashed potatoes, salt and pepper in a plate and mix until soft.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander and make small balls of the mixture.
• Grease your hands with oil. Place one potato ball in the left hand and pat it into a circle
• Place one tablespoon of cooked minced chicken in the centre of the potato circle and cover the mince into a patties.
• After stuffing all the potato balls, place a pan half full of oil on medium flame.
• Whisk the eggs. Spread breadcrumbs on a steel plate.
• Cover all the patties in the crumbs one by one.
• When the oil is hot enough, lower the flame and dip the patties into the whisked eggs.
• Gently place the patties in the oil.
• Fry not more than three patties at a time.
• Fry them until golden brown. Serve with onion rings.

Eggs Kejriwal

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 bread slice
• 1 fried chilli, chopped
• 25 gm sauted mushroom
• 50 gm cheese sauce
• 1 cheese slice
• 50 gm cheese, grated

Method

• Cut the corners of the bread.
• Toast it in the oven without butter. Cut into four pieces.
• Add mushrooms, cheese sauce and green chillies.
• Place the cheese slice on top of the mushrooms.
• Cook an egg sunny-side up. Put it on top of the bread.
• Top it up with grated cheese, salt and pepper.
• Bake it in the oven till the cheese has melted.
• Serve.

Patra Ni Macchi

Ingredients

• 6 slices pomfret
• 2 tsp salt
• 8 pieces banana leaves

For the chutney

• 1 fresh coconut, grated
• 1 stalk fresh coriander
• 8 pieces green chilies
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 5 pieces garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

• Grind coconut, chopped coriander leaves, green chilies, cumin seeds and garlic cloves to make the chutney.
• Add sugar, salt and lemon juice to the same.
• Cut banana leaves vertically and keep the centre stalk aside.
• Coat each slice of fish with the chutney.
• Lay the cut leaves across each other, whilst keeping the fish in the centre.
• Start rolling the fish along with the leaf.
• Keep the stalks of the leaves in a pan with hot water.
• Place the rolled fish on the stalks.
• Allow to steam for 30 minutes or more until the fish is cooked.
• Serve hot.

You can send us your favourite recipes too.

Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject: Recipe) with your name, hometown and any interesting details about the origin of the recipe, along with a photograph if possible.

We'll publish the best preparations right here on Rediff.com and in India Abroad.