E is for Eeda Pak
Parsis have
a deep love for their eedu (egg) and they have even managed to create a “Pak’’
of the same. With the recent turn around announcement of the revered egg being
healthy once again, isn’t it perhaps the perfect time to revive the once loved Eeda
Pak?
What was prepared
as part of the Winter interlude, is now rarely ever spoken or heard off. Here
is my grandmother’s recipe that my family looked forward to each year with much
gusto. I recall eating Eeda Pak as a child and even helping to prepare it from
time to time. I also know how very fond of it my mum is, but we have not kept
up this tradition over the past years and perhaps it has been far too long.
I recall it
being sweet but gingery, grainy yet moist, darkish but almost like a good
caramel, and it has a distinct richness that is hard to describe. I can also clearly remember the two 5x8x3
inch ‘’Pink” glass dishes, with a clear top that it was always kept in. (yes,
you guessed, no other dish would do!). The excitement of filling it to the
brim, while waiting eagerly for something to be left over to scrape and eat
instantly from the large kulai no patio (the pot) it was prepared in. A smaller
“pink” dish always kept aside to send off to a favourite cousin or aunt who may
have requested her share.
The masses
of egg whites left over was always sent off immediately to our dear family
friend, a caterer who would then put these to good use. Food was never to be
wasted. By far the most valuable lesson we have been taught.
Next came the
sheer delight of breakfast time, when we would slather lots of cold Eeda Pak on
hot toast and in the hope of enjoying it with a cup of tea, which I always had
to bargain for as it was not for the very young, specially if it had almost no
milk in it, a strong cuppa that I would longingly wish for.
I think,
this request by Perzen to share the recipe from my family archives has made me
want to revive this tradition in earnest. I may have to make several small “pink”
bowls from this lot of Eeda Pak, but it may all be well worth it after all.
A wonderful rich and creamy Pak made with egg yolks. #ParsiFood |
Eeda Pak
Measure by weight
Ingredients
1 lb/454 gm
clarified butter or ghee
25 large egg
yolks
1.2 kg/2.4lb sugar
2 cups of
water
¼ lb/ 125 gm
peeled almonds
¼ lb/125 gm
peeled pistachios
½ lb/250 gm
mixed seeds; pumpkin, melon, magaj, sunflower
800 gm /1 3/4 singora powder/ dry water chestnut powder
400 gm /1 /2 lb ginger powder
2 tbsp piprimur powder
400 gm/ 1/2 lb of ghau nu duudh - white wheat seeds
2 tbsp
cardamom and nutmeg powder
2 tbsp white
pepper powder
2 tbsp
vanilla essence
1 1/2 tsp
saffron threads, crushed
1 tsp salt - if using commercial ghee this is necessary
In a pan
heat the sugar and water. Ensuring all the sugar has melted, bring to a boil to
make an aik taar no sero/ light syrup. Let it cool.
Dry roast
the nuts and seeds. Grind them.
Now in a fry
pan add a few tablespoons of the clarified butter and add all the ground nuts,
seeds and singora powder, stir constantly and cook for a few minutes.
Beat the egg
yolks in a bowl and mix it in the cooled syrup until properly incorporated. Add
the fried nuts and seeds, including the butter used to cook it in, and add the
rest of the butter. Cook on a low fire, stirring often to ensure it is all
cooks until it comes together. It will turn to a caramel colour and takes 30 to
45 minutes. The Eeda pak will come together as a large ball. Add the ginger,
piprimur, cardamom, nutmeg, white pepper, saffron powders and the vanilla. Mix
it well and remove from the fire. Cool and store in glass bowls which can be
covered and refrigerate.
Will make
approximately 7lb/3 ½ kg.
Tips
Use fresh
eggs, ensure there is no shell left in the yolks.
Aik tar no
sero, is a typical way of preparing a sugar syrup for most Parsi Sweets. To check it is done, simply stir the syrup and hold over the pot to drip. When it ends there will be one last drop coming down in a fine thread. It is
very important to check that every single crystal of sugar is melted on a low
flame before it comes to a boil. Otherwise it will crystalise once it cools
down, making the entire eeda pak crystalised.
My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on amazon.
The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022.
The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.
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