"Nooshe Jan means ‘Bon Appétit’ in Farsi,’ says Naynaz Munsaf whose catering service under that name takes orders for authentic Parsi cuisine. "We take orders for corporate lunches, snacks, social get-togethers like housewarming, birthday parties or any festive occasion.” Munsaf can cater comfortably for up to 25 people and says she cooks according to the clients’ tastes, be it for as small a number as three people. "I make my own masalas at home and do all the cooking single-handedly, without any domestic help.” Delivery can be made all over Bombay.
Munsaf says she experiments with different dishes like patra prawns or patra paneer (instead of just the usual patra pomfret), akuri pattice, different types of sandwiches, etc. Fish is their specialty and the surmai pieces they use are bigger than the palm of your hand, she says. Brought up in Navsari, as a child she used to watch her mother grind their own masalas and make old favorites like Tarapori patio, all kinds of achars, bhakras, dar-ni-pori, malido, chapat, etc. "From that time cooking became my hobby,” she declares.
Naynaz Munsaf and her Parsi specialities
After completing her studies in Poona, Munsaf launched her career as a visa consultant in Navsari and started her own company called NJ Educational Consultants. She married and moved to Bombay. "Since I had decided to take a break for a year, I started catering for small numbers, from three to 10 people, initially for friends and relatives,” she explains. Her husband Meharzad, who has done hotel management but now has a business in advertising, suggested they begin taking party orders. So, in three months, by word of mouth the business took off. "Parsis love food. Today our cuisine is a delicious blend of eastern and western influences. Our community in India has adopted recipes, ingredients and processes from the Persians, British, French, Germans, Portuguese, Irish, Italian and others they came in touch with. It is our mission to provide opportunities where anyone, family or organization, cherishes memories of their special, professionally-planned occasions,” she asserts. Naynaz Munsaf can be contacted on +91 9819988209 or on naynaz.m@gmail.com