White roast-kid nu gos

Kid Nu Gos | Baby Lamb and Nut Curry

As a way to describe the best type of mutton or meat in this dish, the Parsis have referred to the title as "kid" nu gos, meaning young baby lamb.

Since most of our food is red rather than white, this is also specifically labelled as a white roast! The lack of red chilli powder makes this particularly intriguing. The meat should be extremely tender, falling off the bone. The gravy is thick and rich, and it's served with fresh, warm rotis rather than rice. Small cubes of roasted potatoes, finely chopped coriander, and boiled eggs are typically served with it.The flavour is robust on its own without add-ons.

Interestingly, our dishes prepared in Pakistan usually call for almonds and are cooked in yoghurt, whereas those prepared in India ask for cashews and are cooked in milk or naryal nu dudh (coconut milk) and pure ghee. Each country made use of what was readily available and economically priced. 

I am sharing both options.

Recipe #1

Serves 6

2 kg | 4.4 lbs lamb, mutton, or goat meat—with bone, shanks, or in pieces

The Marinade

Grind the spices and nuts before stirring them into the yoghurt

 

1 medium-sized onion

2 tsp crushed ginger

4 tsp crushed garlic

2 tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

14 green chillies

2 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp sesame seeds

1 cup almonds—skinless or cashews

454 g | 1 lb yoghurt

pinch of sugar

 

To prepare it on the stove-top

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet, then add the meat and marinade. Allow it to sizzle before covering and cooking on a low heat until tender. Add milk or coconut water if you need more liquid.

Cooking it in the oven

In a big dish, place the marinated meat. Heat the oil and pour it all over. Cook for 45 minutes, covered, in a 180 °C | 350°F oven. Remove the cover, turn the roast, and continue to simmer for 45 minutes, or until tender. Serve with roasted potatoes and cooked eggs, diced.

 Tips 

Cooking it in whole milk, naryal nu dudh, or a combination does work well.

You can add a cup or two of meat broth for added flavour.

Cumin is a substitute for poppy and sesame seeds.

 

Recipe #2

My aunt liked to add whole dried red chillies and whole warm spices like cloves and cardamom and cook it in pure ghee for flavour.

2 tbsp ghee

500 g | 1.1 lb onion, lightly sautéed in ghee

2 kg mutton, lamb or goat, bone-in

grind to a paste

2 tsp fresh ginger 

4 tsp fresh garlic (1.5 pods)

2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp salt

Whole warm spices – a cinnamon stick, 2 whole green cardamoms and 6 each of clove and black pepper, You may add one large black cardamom-elcha. 

9 red chillies, whole, not ground

2 cups narial nu dudh (coconut milk) 

1/2 cup nut powder (cashew or almonds)

400 g | 1 lb potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into large chunks

 

Warm the ghee and cook the onions to soften, and add the meat to just gently stir-fry; again, don't allow it to be brown if you want a white kid nu gos.

Add the ground masala. Add all the warm spices.

Add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook on a low flame until the meat is half done and all the water has evaporated. Add the coconut and nut mixture. Bring this to a boil and add the potatoes. Cover and continue to cook until the meat is the right consistency and the potatoes are soft. Serve with fresh warm rotlis.

Tips

To make coconut milk at home, take the flesh of one coconut and 2 cups of hot water. Macerate it and sieve it. 

Use the discarded coconut flesh for another recipe like jhinga ni khichri. 

Keep the meat and the onions very light in colour to keep the gravy creamy rather than brown in appearance. 

Photo courtesy: Niloufer Mavalvala

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself via email, in independent book stores across the world and on Amazon India.

The Route to Parsi Cooking: From Pars to India and Beyond is an award winning book. It has been self published in June 2024. Email at theroutetoparsicooking@gmail.com

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.

Bhaji per edu/ Spincah eggs

Eggs on Spinach

Bhaji per Eeda

3 tbsp oil

3 large onions, finely chopped

1 tsp ground garlic

1 tsp ground ginger

¾ kg spinach leaves

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.

Tips

You may simply use 2 boxes of frozen spinach instead of the fresh spinach and fenugreek/methi leaves.


To read about an ancient cuisine you can purchase my cookbooks called The World of Parsi Cooking; Food Across Borders and The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.  


Niloufer's Kitchen: Quick and Easy
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBSBLI4

Read more about the culinary delights available to you just click Huffington Post

Eggplant and Chutney

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. 

To read about an ancient cuisine you can purchase my cookbooks called The World of Parsi Cooking; Food Across Borders and The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.  

Niloufer's Kitchen: Quick and Easy  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBSBLI4

Niloufer's Kitchen : Autumn   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FCZC36C

Read more about Niloufer's Kitchen on The Huffington Post Blog

Photo Credit Sheriar Hirjikaka

Khichri

Khichri     

Khichri | Lentils and Rice       


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.

This can be served with
Parsi Fish or Prawn Saas from The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine
Dahi ni Kadhi and Kheema from The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders
Jhinga no patio from The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine

Read more about Parsi Food and its origins in my cookbook 
The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.

For more recipes from Parsi cuisine download
Niloufer's Kitchen: Quick and Easy
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBSBLI4

http://www.nilouferskitchen.com/2014/02/quinoa-kichri.html

Photo credit Nafeesa Jalal

Paneer

Paneer/Panir

Fresh cheese

 

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 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. Warm, soft, creamy, and silky, its texture is dependent on the amount of liquid squeezed out of it and whether it is served freshly prepared or chilled.

 

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 

Pressed Paneer; chilled overnight

An assembled Paneer pan !

For more recipes from the Parsi Cuisine and its origins read the cookbooks The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders and
The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.


Also check out my e-cookbook Niloufer's Kitchen Quick: and Easy Menu
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBSBLI4

Photo credit Sheriar Hirjikaka

Parsi Se`v

Parsi Sagun ni Se`v

 

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 

The Art of Parsi Cooking;reviving an ancient cuisine.

Also download 

Niloufer's Kitchen: Quick and Easy for a classic Parsi Recipes.

Chicken Liver- Masala

Chicken Liver- Masala

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.

Reduce the red chillie powder if it is too spicy.

Read more about Parsi Food its history and origins in the cookbook
The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.

And for more delicious recipes from an e-book menu click
Niloufer's Kitchen: Quick and Easy  

Photo credits
Kainaaz R Patell
Sheriar Hirjikaka

Readers comments

Kemul Divecha 30th November 2018

26 mins

Chicken liver for dinner tonight with Niloufer Mavalvala’s recipe, it turned out delicious! Thank you Nilu for sharing your recipe!

Channa Dar/ Bengal Gram Lentil

Channa ni dar ma gos
Bengal Gram with meat

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

1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1" piece of ginger

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp dhana jeera powder also called dhansak masala http://www.nilouferskitchen.com/2014/04/dhansak-masala.html
1/4 tsp garam masala 

1 1/2 tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric

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.

To read about an ancient cuisine you can purchase my cookbooks called The World of Parsi Cooking; Food Across Borders and The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.

And For more Parsi recipes click to download my e-book
Niloufer's Kitchen: Quick and Easy
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBSBLI4


Readers Comments.


Vera H
July 20 2017

Turned out good!! Used your recipe. Cooked it for 21 minutes pressured

Lentils and beef cooked in an insta pot.