Optionally add 4 very small
bunches or 1 large bunch fenugreek leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
6-8 eggs (at
room temperature)
Heat the oil
in a large fry pan or a 12” pan with 2” high sides. Fry 2/3rd of the onions until
light golden brown. Add in the ginger and garlic and cook for one more minute.
Now add in the spinach and the fenugreek leaves, the remaining raw onion, salt
and sugar. Mix well and cook and a medium flame, mixing occasionally until the
spinach is well cooked and all the liquid is absorbed. Just before serving,
heat the spinach well, and crack the eggs on it. Cover until the eggs are cooked. Alternately
To make egg florentine prepare the spinach, top with bechamel sauce and then crack whole eggs. In a large pot make the bechamel sauce by mixing together,
Melt 4 tbsp salted butter add 4 tbsp plain flour
Make a roux, and add
2 cups whole milk
Keep stirring with a whisk to keep it smooth and bring it to a boil till thickens.
Add to this
Seasoning; salt and mixed peppercorns freshly cracked. Optionally freshly grated nutmeg can be added.
Eggplant and Chutney Ravaiya Vengna~Chutney na Vengna
These eggplants are slit and filled with green coconut chutney. They are called Ravaiya/raveya, which literally translated means attitude! (Generally the bad kind of attitude, lol!!) Whoever named this dish was not in a good mood while creating this delicious dish. The idea is to serve them ''moist'' at the end of the cooking. Shallow fry them lightly in oil all over, turning them only once very carefully, and then cover the lid and allow them to cook through. To make it simpler, add 1 cup of coconut water to the pan before steaming them. This is two-fold: it will allow for the moisture without the chance of burning and it will keep the chutney taste intact. Tying a thread around before frying to keep it together is an option.
Steaming them in the oil and coconut water helps them cook through without burning. However it is important to allow it all to evaporate as there is little or no gravy in this dish - just some juicy succulent chutney filled eggplants to enjoy.
Eggplant Stuffed with
Green Coconut Chutney
Vengna na Ravaiya
Green Coconut Chutney
2 cups fresh
or dry grated coconut
10-15 green
chillies (or to taste)
1 packed cup
coriander leaves
1 small raw
green mango, peeled and chopped with seed removed
Juice of ½-1
lemon
2 tbsp
jaggery or sugar (or to taste)
¼ tsp salt
10 mint
leaves
Grind the ingredients very finely to make a smooth chutney.
The chutney should be spicy, sweet, and sour tweaked to suit your taste.
For the eggplant
8 long, thin Japanese eggplants with stems on; slit lengthwise on one side, leaving stem on.
Oil (for shallow frying)
Stuff the eggplants with the chutney and tie them with thin white thread.
Heat the oil in a big fry pan. Fry the eggplants, turning to cook on all sides until they are soft all around.
As an alternative to frying, sprinkle some oil on the stuffed eggplants and bake them in a at 170°C| 350F oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until cooked, turning them once halfway through.
Khichri, Khichdi, and Khichuri are derived from a Sanskrit word simply meaning rice and lentil. It has many variations and is popularly referred to as comfort food. The texture is generally wet rather than dry, like a risotto. It is often seasoned with clarified butter or pure ghee. From the Greeks to the Persians, it was a favourite of the Mughal Emperor Akbar! Traditionally, this Parsi Khichri is not wet but like a Palau. Served with kohra no patiyo, dahi ni kudhee, or tomato saas.
Egyptians and their neighbours add vegetables to it, while the Indian subcontinent likes to serve it with yoghurt or other forms of curries. The people of Maharashtra and Gujarat living on the Arabian Sea, however, tend to add shrimp to their Khichri and whole, ripe baby mangoes for vegetarians.
Healthy and simple, it is generally the first form of solid food introduced to babies. Being affordable as a self-contained, complete meal, it is the food of the masses. Many cultures dedicate a meal of Khichri during their week of wedding festivities, yet it is never served at the wedding!
Delicious aromatic Khichri
Serves 6
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp fried onions
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole green cardamoms
6 cloves
1 tsp salt
1/3 tsp turmeric
2 cups rice
½ cup red lentils
3 3/4 cups tap water
In a pan heat 2 tbsp of oil add the onions, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, salt and turmeric. Give it a stir.
Add the washed rice and lentils. Pour in the water.
On a high flame, bring it all to a boil. Cook till all the water is gone and you can see the top of the rice. Cover, lower the flame and steam for 22 minutes. Serve hot.
Tips
The onions are an optional addition to this Khichri and can be diced or sliced.
Parsi homes often serve fresh paneer as a tea time treat.
The word paneer or panir comes from the word "peynir", which means cheese-both in Farsi and Turkish. Although generally considered as typically Indian-northern to be precise-it was the Persians and Afghans who introduced it to the region as far back as the 16th century. While the inhabitants of the mountainous terrain traditionally prepared this cheese from sheep and goat milk, the paneer of India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan is now traditionally prepared from buffalo or cow’s milk.
Paneer, pronounced as Puh-nir, is a simple home-made cheese, where the curds are separated from the whey. No additives or preservatives are added to prepare this. Its texture is dependent on the amount of liquid squeezed out of it.
Eaten on its own, warm when fresh or chilled the next day, it is also used in a variety of recipes. Most commonly, it is diced and fried to be added to vegetarian dishes like curries and stews. I often use it in my samosa fillings, in quiches, and even in baked cheesecakes. It can be prepared with the addition of other flavours like nuts, herbs, and spices and eaten cut into pieces or as a dip.
Serves 6
Makes 1 wheel of paneer of 500 g/ 1.1 lb
4 cups whole milk 1 1/2 cup yoghurt 1 1/2 tsp salt
Optional: 1/2 a tablespoon of vinegar or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
For the paneer, bring the milk to a boil and continue to boil for 10 minutes—keep stirring to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
Gently beat the yoghurt with the salt. Add the yoghurt to the boiling milk and lower the heat to a simmer. Wait for the milk to separate. At the first sign of the milk separating, turn the stove off and allow the separation to continue until you can see the whey clearly. In the meantime, prepare a sieve lined with muslin or cheesecloth. Overturn the paneer mixture over the sieve and allow it to drain, hanging the muslin very lightly for a soft cheese and pressing it down with weight to make the texture firmer.
Turn the paneer on to a plate, garnish, and serve.
Tips
The addition of an acidic liquid like vinegar or lemon juice is optional and speeds up the separation of the curds and whey.
Dips and cheesecakes are best prepared from soft paneer.
If you like a creamier texture, increase the yoghurt amount to 2 cups.
The choices to flavour your paneer with are endless. Try any of these delightful fresh herbs: coriander, parsley, mint, basil, oregano, chives, tarragon. For a tangy flavour, add olives—pickled vegetables, capers, and cornichons all pair well. Spices like cracked peppercorns, zaatar, sumac, ancho chili, togarashi, and jalapeno are a perfect pairing when pressed onto the paneer and give it a nice zing. A sprinkle of specialty salts—seaweed, saffron, black, pink, or simple rock salt—all impart their unique flavours to the paneer.
Serve with sweet red chilli jam or spicy chilli oil on a charcuterie board. Fig jam, tapenade, and pesto also combine deliciously with this versatile dish.
Special utensils to drain out the paneer and create the round wheel shape are available at specialty stores.
The three parts of the utensil to make a perfect paneer
Vermicelli, thin fine noodles made of roasted whole wheat,
also referred to as seviyan, Dry vermicelli in a packet is available at
all sub-continental grocery stores.
Parsi Sev is generally served in combination with sweetened
yoghurt on most festive occasions. The contrasting textures, flavours, and
temperatures (warm, crunch-topped sev, smooth, cool yoghurt) complement each other
perfectly. The two seem to be synonymous; many of us actually refer to the duo
as one word, "sev-dahi" in conversation!
Rose water, cardamom, and nutmeg fragrances and flavours familiar
to most sweet delights of Parsi cuisine—topped with roasted or fried plump,
golden raisins and slivered almonds or other nuts—complete this delicious dish.
Sev topped with raisins and almonds
sev -dahi
Serves 10
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup water + 1/2 cup if needed
1 1/2 tbsp oil or ghee or a mixture of both
200 g/ 7 ½ oz vermicelli
A pinch of salt
1/4 cup rose water
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp butter 85 g/ 3 oz raisins
85 g/ 3 oz slivered almonds
In a pan, fry the raisins and almonds in one teaspoon of butter
for one minute. Remove it and keep it aside on a kitchen paper towel to drain
the oil.
In a pan, dissolve the sugar in cold water over a low flame. Do
not allow it to boil. Keep aside.
In a flat, large pan, melt the ghee or heat the oil. Add all of
the vermicelli, tossing it frequently until it is a caramel golden brown. Do
not overcook or it will burn.
Add
the sugar water to cover the vermicelli, pressing it down with the back of a
spatula. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and let it simmer over a very low
flame until the water has evaporated, about 15-20 minutes. Fluff the vermicelli
with a fork and test if it has cooked through. If it has a bite but is
still not soft, add another few teaspoons of water, cover and cook for an extra
5 minutes. Now add the salt, rosewater, vanilla, cardamom, and nutmeg. Set
aside for 3 minutes to steam after tossing with a fork. Serve it sprinkled with
the raisins and almonds.
Tips
The colour of your final dish will depend on the initial
roasting.
To avoid a mess, break the long strands of vermicelli before
opening the packaging.
You can use any combination of oil and ghee or even use
butter. I personally prefer using at least half oil as this prevents it
from burning easily as well as from congealing once cool.
Traditionally, sev does not include vanilla, but it does add a lovely
fragrance and flavour to the dish.
If preparing ahead of time, reheat covered in a low preheated
oven.
An alternate cooking method is steaming. After adding the sugar
water, put the pan in an oven for 25 minutes, starting at 180 °C | 350 °F
and reducing it to
120 °C | 250 °F
halfway. Remember to toss the sev with a fork at this point, checking if it is soft
and moist on its own or needs a sprinkle of water to continue cooking. Pick a
pan that seals well enough to steam.
Read more about Parsi Food history and origins in my cookbook
Growing up I remember enjoying chicken liver freshly saute`d or bar b-q'd on a warm evening ever so often. Generally served with toothpicks as an individual appetiser! Chicken Liver is a healthy nutritious protein that is full of Iron, Vitamin A and B's. Its is also a good source of minerals like Manganese, Copper and Zinc among others. However it is very high in cholesterol which is important to take note off.
Here is my version of those fond memories.
Always use only fresh chicken livers and not frozen. Wash well, remove all stringy fibers attached
to liver.
Serve warm. Do not reheat.
Pan fried liver, ready to eat.
In a wok or large deep fry pan heat
1 tbsp canola oil
Add
500 gms / 1 lb of fresh chicken liver
Three sprigs of curry leaves
2 whole green slit chillies
1 tsp of garlic minced
Season with salt
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chillie powder 1 fresh lemon
Saute on a high flame for about 5 minutes until it all
browns and then lower the heat cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes till it
is cooked through. Do not overcook.
Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and serve.
Liver prepared just flash fried that can be reheated
Tips
It is best to cut one piece of liver to see if it is done rather than overcooking the lot. It should be pinkish yet no trace of blood to have cooked properly. The darker the colour the drier the liver will be.
Do not reheat.
Keep it marinated and ready for up to 24 hours covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature to cook evenly and keep the livers soft. If its chilled or cold the shock of adding this to the hot pan will leave them hard and chewy.
Lentils are called Dal in Hindi and Urdu and Dar in Gujrati. It is also referred to as Kaathor in India. The Channa ni dar commonly called the Bengal gram.
While the concept of this dish is very similar to the Persian Khoresh - e - Ghemyeh the difference in the ingredients to are individual to both cuisines. For its sourness we use unripe mango v/s the dried lemon and for spice its chilli v/s black pepper. The taste too is distinctively apart.
This particular lentil has a sweet and nutty flavour. Split off a whole gram, they are harder in texture then most other lentils and take slightly longer to cook. It is highly nutritious and is often recommended as a protein substitute for vegetarians and vegans.
Served 6 to 8 persons
Ingredients 2 cups gram lentil
1 tbsp
oil
½ kg/1
lb pieces of bone –in meat; lamb/goat/mutton
2
green chillies finely cut 6 leaves of fresh mint finely cut
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes 2 cups crushed onions, already browned 2 small peeled unripe mangoes OR 1 tsp tamarind paste
Heat
oil, add in the pieces of meat and braise for 5 minutes. Add all the spices and the
washed lentils, fry 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, onions and mint. Add 3 cups
of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for 1 hour 30
minutes. The lentils and meat should be soft but still remain whole. Add the pickled lemon or 1 tsp of tamarind paste. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Tips Use a teaspoon of tamarind paste, or the juice of a lemon or two to finish off this dish at the end if unripe mangoes are unavailable.
Adding a pickled lemon is an option. Adding a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves can also add to the flavour.
Serve with a wedge of lemon or lime, some finely sliced onion and tomato and perhaps a cucumber and beetroot to compliment this dish. Generally crisp bread is served on the side, but fresh warm chapatis are a good option.
Guar Jhinga From the regions of rural Gujrat comes the cluster bean, or guar. A flat bean that was once considered rather lowly. It has a bitter aftertaste, can be hard, and takes longer to cook than most other vegetables. The larger and older the cluster bean, the more defined its toughness. When cooking, it's best in season, and picking thin, young beans (kumri guar) gives you the best results. It is always best when the Parsi trilogy of spicy, sour, and sweet is applied when cooking it. The chillies give it the tikhu, but the khatu is dependent on unripe mangoes or fruit vinegar, and the jaggery well balances the mithu for this dish, leaving it with a lovely sheen as well.
Research also shows that the hot and arid lands of Texas grow it, as it produces guar gum, which is used in many products as a preservative. Its roots originate in parts of Africa.
Like most other foods, every recipe has to be good, and the cook has to wise up to the small details and nuances of what makes the dish the star rather than a failure at the dinner table.
Navsari, the old capital of Parsi culinary masterpieces, is now once again sharing its treasures. Udwada, a few miles away, and a much smaller township continue to compete. Either way, we have much to thank these places for for their brilliance in teaching us and handing us over so many traditional foods that we continue to enjoy and call our own. Surat also has a spot on this list.
Gujarat, being on the coast, offered an abundance of seafood, and prawns were common and easily available. To turn this plain old cluster bean into something special, prawns were often added to the recipe. Growing up, we used to love guar with prawns, as well as mutton, goat, or lamb pieces. My mother, the ever-perfectionist, could make it superbly. I can still remember the absolutely delicious taste of the simple, everyday food she could magically produce.
It's up to you to make the guar the focal point of this work of art rather than an afterthought.
It's up to you to make the guar the star and not the extra in this piece of art.
Guar and jhinga served with rotli/chappati
Guar jhinga
Prawns with
Guar beans
3 tbsp oil
2 large
onions finely chopped
2 tsp ground
ginger
2 tsp ground
garlic
1 ½ tsp
cumin powder
1 tsp red
chillie powder
1 tsp green
chillies finely chopped
1 ½ tsp salt
2 large
tomatoes
1 /2 kilo
tender guar beans
2 small
green raw mangoes peeled and sliced
1 cup water
2 tbsp
jaggery ½ kilo prawns, shelled, deveined and washed
Heat the oil
and fry the onions till golden brown. Add in the spices and simmer for a minute
or two.
Add the
tomatoes and cook for another minute.
Now add the
guar and mangoes. Add about a cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover the pan
and cook the guar beans for 45 minutes till almost cooked through. The water must all evaporate. Lastly add the prawns and the jaggery and cook for
another 10 minutes stirring often. Keep on cooking and stirring until little
oil comes up on the sides of the pan.
Tips
Remove the string from the guar bean and cut into two or three pieces. The younger the bean is the tender the string and skin is.
Guar takes an hour to cook sometimes. It must become soft enough to eat but not into a mush.
You know when it is ready when the drops of oil rise to the side of the pan. This is called "tayl per avanu"; something one learns about a lot for this particular type of cooking.
You may substitute kebabs for prawns if you wish or simply serve it as a vegetarian dish by itself.
Read more on Niloufer's Kitchen in The Huffington Post Blog
Photo credit Sheriar Hirjikaka Readers reviews 11th September 2016 Naila VallianiNarges I made the goar Ma shrimp. Turned out fantastic! Naila VallianiLove the recipes Niloufer cos they are easy to follow!
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