Buffat ma gos

 

Buffat

This dish has been adopted by the Parsis from their Konkani-speaking Anglo friends on India’s southwestern coast. Regional cuisine from Goa, Kerala, and Mangalore, among other places It symbolises different things to different people in this community. It may have evolved, but it was once regarded as a traditional Christmas brunch as well as a customary Christmas Eve feast for some. While a buffat is prepared with pork, beef, and chicken, for which a prepared masala powder is available and considered a staple in many homes in the region, the Parsis make this with lamb, goat, and mutton only occasionally, and we do have lots of jokes associated with the name, which simply means making a buffat, or a slip-up.

The recipe is the Parsi version of a baffat from my mother’s collection which is shared with you here, with the main difference being the omission of mustard in hers. Add a tablespoon of prepared mustard if you wish to add more heat.

 

Serves 6

 

1 kg meat

454 g small red baby onions

1 large carrot

1 tsp salt

1 kg onions

Oil to fry onions

½ - ¾  cup fruit vinegar ml???

2 tsp ginger

2 tsp garlic

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp red chilli powder Kashmiri bedagi

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp garam masalo page xxx

6 green chillies

Flesh of one freshly scraped coconut or xxx g of desiccated coconut

9 almonds – 1 tbsp almond powder

454 g boiled baby potatoes

454 g parboiled green peas

3 boiled eggs, peeled and cut in quarters

 

Boil the meat until tender in 4 cups of water with the baby onions, carrot, and salt. Remove the pieces of meat and blend the vegetables into the broth.

Thinly slice and deep-fry the onions until crisp. Crush them. Alternatively, chop them finely and pan-fry them in a little oil until golden brown.

Grind all of the spices and the almond in vinegar until it is a paste. Add this to the prepared onions and cook on a low flame, stirring often, until aromatic. 10 minutes.

Add the meat and allow it to brown with the spices and onion for another 10 minutes. Pour 2 cups of broth into the pan, mix well, and bring this to a boil. Add the potatoes and peas. Cover and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook to infuse the flavour. 30 minutes. Turn the heat off. Let it rest. Check for the gravy to be thick. Serve garnished with the boiled eggs.

 Photo courtesy Niloufer Mavalvala

 

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 Vegetarian Parsi, inspired by tradition is an award winning cookbook. It was published by Spenta Multimedia India and is available on Amazon India and through email order at thevegetarianparsi@gmail.com.

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.