Publications

For more information on ordering a copy of any of these cookbooks email me at theroutetoparsicooking@gmail.com

This cookbook series documents Parsi culinary culture and traditions, with the hope of preserving them for the next century or two. Zoroastrians who migrated to India from Pars, Persia, were known as Parsi, or the people of Pars, and they created their own unique cuisine reflecting their Persian and Indian eating habits. This has continued to this day, and we are happy to share this delicious food with everyone around the world.

This cookbook has won two Gourmand awards and fluently expresses the sentiment, age, and era of the food. Preserving the past for the future, discover a treasure trove of old recipes that tell tales through cuisine, incredible facts, and humorous anecdotes. Parsis have a natural affinity for all things joyful, and this cookbook depicts our culture, customs, and idiosyncrasies in a lighthearted and delightful manner. Beautiful photographs breathe life into this book, capturing the essence of the cuisine.

 

This cookbook celebrates creatively unique ways to cook with vegetables, eggs, and cheese. It is not intended for strict vegetarians or to convert anyone to becoming one.

It is easy reading, with 60 recipes and many interesting articles on food culture and heritage. 
The vibrant photographs make this cookbook award-winning, and this certainly contributes to putting Parsi cuisine on the culinary map. While this cookbook contains many traditional recipes, there are a few that are not.

Why has this cookbook won 4 Gourmand Awards including Best of the Best in 30 years?

It not only looks great, but it has the perfect balance of meat, seafood, rice, vegetables, and lentils, as well as sweets and treats. It has the old-world charm in spades but is brought into the 21st century with elegance. It holds a record with only a handful of cookbooks across the world. It also proudly has been endorsed by Maestro Zubin Mehta  which is both humbling and a great honour to the authenticity of my work. It was also shortlisted by The Guardian for their Christmas list and more recently picked by BBC World's Travel for their article on Navroze, making it an editor's pick. It is now in its second print run. 

Why is The Art of Parsi Cooking traditional?
It offers an opportunity to revive the fundamentals of traditional Parsi cooking. An inspiration, encouraging the next generation to attempt preparing authentic Parsi cuisine for their families. It evokes nostalgia in the elderly while also giving the young hope of recreating what their grandparents spoke about. A visually appealing cover that stands out from the crowd. Published in 2016 it is available worldwide.

  

Niloufer Mavalvala

8 Gourmand Award-winning Author 

   

BBC GF| Delicious | Le Cordon Bleu | Consomme Magazine

Mid Day | Better India | Goya Journal | Locavore | TOI

CKBK | Eat your Books | HuffPost | The Cook's Cook 

Parsiana | Fezana | Parsi Khabar | Jam e Jamshed | Culture Trip

Medieval Magazine | World History Encyclopedia

Kheema papayta na pattice served with tomato chilli lime jam

Bhaji jhinga -Spinach and prawn stew

Masoor ma gos - lentil and meat stew

Channa ni daar- Bengal gram lentil

Mava na cake

Chori papayta - Yardlongbeans

Topli na paneer - silky cottage cheese 

Copra na pancake - coconut filled crepes

Sali Boti - meat stew and matchstick potatoes

kheemo edu nay sali - groundmeat, fried egg and matchstick potatoes

Dahi ni kudhi - yogurt kudhi

Murghi papayto - chicken and potato

Biryani

Bheeda ma gos - okra and lamb stew

Mango chutney

Caramel custard

Murumbo - white bottle gourd jam

Gajar mewa nu achar - Carrot and fruit chutney

Gharab nu achar - pickled fish roe

Sua pak - A melange of seeds and nuts

Berry Palau

Mango chutney and prawn balchao - pickled prawns

Bhakras - fried tea cakes

Ribbon rice

And look what some of the readers have to say about it.

Creativity is an artist's prerogative~ Niloufer Mavalvala

2017 so far

About the book on the publisher, Austin Macauley's Website

The magazine The Cook's Cook gives me a spotlight.


2016 

James Wiener of the award winning blog Ancient History Encyclopedia shares his views on a wonderful cuisine revived.

An article reviewing the book in Al-Arabiya News

The magazine The Cook's Cook has featured yet another article from Niloufer's Kitchen. It is all about the healthy seed Moringa.

http://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/the-fine-art-of-parsi-food-revealed-in-new-cookbook/


The magazine The Cook's Cook featured Niloufer's Kitchen several times.
Here are two links to the articles.
http://www.thecookscook-digital.com/thecookscook/april_may_2016?pg=40#pg40 

http://www.thecookscook-digital.com/thecookscook/feb_march_2016?pg=42#pg42

While Chaat Magazine from the UK also invited Niloufer's Kitchen to publish a favourite recipe from its collection of Parsi Foods. Amenu of khichri kudhi and kheema followed by the Khopra Pak was featured with brilliant pictures and a short write up about "Who is Niloufer".

Spain has some incridebly tranquil islands to enjoy.

Niloufer's Kitchen http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/niloufer-mavalvala/balearic-islands-mediterranean_b_10029098.html


2015 brought Niloufer's Kitchen to reach 100,000 readers...

Travel to Italy to enjoy these amazing sites and sounds of Firenze. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/niloufer-mavalvala/florence-food_b_7447114.html


The festival of Yalda is a rather interesting old Persian tradition. Niloufer's Kitchen is a proud participant in this Fezana Journal that has done an issue related to this. The recipes contributed for them are now on the blog to share and enjoy! Links below.

http://fezana.org/yalda-and-other-winter-solstice-celebrations-fezana-journal/

Shirini Panir    A  healthy sweet dish with fresh fruit.
Farsi Chole    A dip made from chickpeas and  roasted eggplant


Another interesting blog on Huffington Post now updated is The Genesis of Curry in the West


The Huffington Post now has my latest blog post How Spain Stole My Heart . 


The latest blog post in Huffington Post is now out and about A Celebration to remember a milestone event I helped organise in the community. 700 persons attended and it has gone viral worldwide within the Zoroastrian Community.

 Huffington Post carries my second article about a whirlwind eating journey in the romantically beautiful city of Florence. Read all about my article Mangiare a Firenze, in English of course by simply clicking here How to eat in Florence

The Huffington Post Bloggers club has just accepted me. You can read the article by clicking on The French In My Food I do hope you enjoy it. The idea of having a scrap book started much later when I moved to Dubai. I was surrounded by people who I did not know and it was a great way to keep in touch with those who wished to befriend me. So I used to leave this book for them to write in after we had eaten generally sharing whatever we prepared that day for my cooking class. It worked well and now am glad I did as it makes for happy days relived whenever I want to! 

Here I would like to share some of the pages, although I have photographed it in this way to keep peoples privacy private! For that I must apologise to you all in advance but, it is the right thing to do.

WE THE BAWAS on Instagram February 2019

"If you're looking for a passionate champion of Parsi Food, particularly in North America and the UK; if you are looking for a woman who has made it her mission to educate and inform not just everyone else, but in particular children of the Parsi diaspora about the rich cultural history of our Parsi bhonu - Niloufer Mavalvala is that person.

 

“While living in the East and surrounded by all the familiar things that give us comfort (e.g. colonies and agiaries), so much can be taken for granted. But gradually moving to Canada, being further from family and childhood friends, created a need to dig deep and find the gratitude for everything that our religion and culture gives us.”

 

Like most bawas, she has an innate passion for food and cooking and eating; and delights in the joy that cooking and eating together can bring. But more importantly, she is a proud Parsi who wants to preserve traditional recipes that our grannies took pride in making. Recipes that, if not documented, will be lost to the sands of time. Long before seasonal, locally grown, ethical, clean eating were buzz words, our mamaijis and bapaijis were living that way and cooking that way, all the time! 

 

While observing other Parsi families in the West, she realised that there is an entire generation here unaware of Parsi food - its history, heritage and culture. They may never have seen certain Parsi delicacies, let alone taste them or understand why they are eaten - Niloufer's cooking classes and many books - serve to educate and instill confidence in our absolutely unique food and eating culture, which is neither Indian nor Persian, but a beautiful mix of so many influences, strong enough to stand on its own and be proud of it. “My resolve is stronger than ever to preserve, protect and help appreciate our rich past through my cooking, teaching, and writing. I hope to give everyone an invitation to taste old world goodies that we grew up eating in our grandmothers home”.

 

Ultimately, what makes Niloufer's message special is that she wants ours and the next generation of Bawas to be confident and take pride in our Parsi panu and our Parsi Bhonu - let us sing from the roof tops not just about Curry Chawal and Dhansak (which BTW she loves!) and Sali Boti, but Murrabbas and Bafaats and Suva Paaks and Maleedos. So, now when your friends talk about Turmeric Lattes and Energy Balls made with nuts and ghee – tell them that your mamaiji made you drink harad nu doodh every time you fell ill or insisted you eat Vasanu to keep you warm in the winter months – long before any foodie mag, celebrity nutritionist or chef told you to! Because if we don’t champion our Parsi bhonu with confidence, who else will?"

 

This is my scrap book

An Italian food class where we made an Italian Flag Lasagne!!
Awaiting Niloufer's Kitchen All things Italian?

Needless to say the 18 year old were impressed

A French speaking club for their adventure to learn Parsi Cuisine

You can check out some of the same recipes at Niloufer's Kitchen: Quick and Easy 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBSBLI4

Successful and brushed up my petit peu Francais at best!!

Or if you prefer to try my French cuisine click for the best recipes at
Niloufer's Kitchen: French Bistro http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J2KMB4C

Each class followed a little note of appreciation at what they enjoyed best

It was always fun to read the reviews of appreciation and anecdotes

Pictures paint a thousand words?

Colourful and delightful the start of everything Moroccan! I urge you to try it today.
Click Niloufer's Kitchen: Moroccan Cuisine for more .http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GP0CSBI

Isn't a table full of excited people awaiting a feast the best feeling ever?
Happy Cooking and Eating!



My publication in the Hamazor Magazine on how food connects cultures despite geographical divides over the centuries. Here I am linking our love for Persian Cuisine intertwined with Indian Cuisine commonly referred to as Parsi Cuisine.
Hamazor is a publication of the World Zoroastrian Organisation and archived at the British Museum in London, UK.

My publication on the love and art of  chutneys and achars  in the Parsi Cuisine. This was published in Hamazor magazine in 2013-issue 1. Hamazor is a publication of the World Zoroastrian Organisation and archived in the British Museum in London, UK.