Parsi recipes are
revived in
Niloufer Mavalvala’s
diaspora kitchen
Described as a passionate champion of Parsi food, particularly in North America and the UK, Niloufer Mavalvala strives to educate children of the Parsi diaspora about the rich cultural history of Parsi bhonu. She "wants to preserve traditional recipes that our grannies took pride in making,” wrote Natasha Mistry Pastakia on the We the Bawas Instagram page.
Mavalvala’s cooking classes and books are aimed at familiarizing people with the Parsi food and eating culture which is neither Indian nor Persian but a blend of many influences. Parsiana reproduces here, with permission, recipes from her book The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders (see "Traditional, with a twist,” Books, page 110).
Clockwise from top l: Tamota, Aadu nay Limbu ni Jam; Keri Kanda; Mango Macaron Torte; Kesari Murghi;
below: Jhinga ni Khichri
TAMOTA, AADU NAY LIMBU NI JAM/TOMATO, GINGER + LIME JAM
Makes 1¼ kg
Tomatoes (1½ kg – fresh, ripe)
Sugar (750 g)
Salt (1 tsp)
Ginger (2 tsp – fresh, grated)
Limes (3 – fresh, zest and juice)
Red jalapeno peppers (3 – finely chopped)
Wash and blanch the tomatoes to remove the skin and chop roughly. Put the tomatoes in a deep pot, add the sugar and mix. Place the pot over a low flame, mixing well until all the sugar has melted. Add the salt, ginger, lime zest and the lime juice. Bring to a boil and cook for an hour until it reaches the desired texture.
Bottle, cool and refrigerate.
KERI KANDA/MANGO AND ONION STEW
Serves 6
Oil (3 tbsp)
Onions (3 — medium, thinly sliced)
Ginger paste (1½ tsp)
Garlic paste (1½ tsp)
Turmeric powder (½ tsp)
Chilli powder (1 tsp)
Cinnamon (1 stick)
Cardamoms (12 green — whole)
Green chillies (2 — slit)
Mangoes (4 large — ripe, peeled and cut in thick slices)
Salt (1 tsp)
Vinegar (1½ tbsp)
Brown sugar (1½ tbsp — or to taste)
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the sliced onions till golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric and chilli powders, cinnamon, cardamoms and green chillies. Stir and fry for one minute, then add the mangoes and salt and mix well. Cover and cook over medium-low heat till the mangoes are soft but not falling apart. Add the vinegar and sugar, one tablespoon at a time, tasting it till just right.
Serve with warm rotlis.
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JHINGA NI KHICHRI/MASALA PRAWNS WITH LENTIL RICE
Serves 6
Onion (1 cup — finely chopped and fried)
Green chillies (6)
Garlic (6 cloves)
Oil (1 tsp)
Salt (1¼ tsp)
Cumin (1 tsp)
Turmeric (½ tsp)
Cinnamon (1 stick)
Cloves (6)
Black pepper corns (6 — whole)
Green cardamoms (2 — whole)
Coconut (¼ cup — grated)
Tomatoes (3 — peeled and chopped)
Prawns (500 g — washed)
Rice (3/4 cup — washed)
Red masoor lentils (¼ cup)
Water (13/4 cup)
Optional
Unripe green mango (1 — peeled and chopped)
Brown sugar (¼ tsp)
In a blender roughly chop together the fried onion, green chillies and garlic. In a deep pot, heat the oil and quickly sauté the chopped mixture with the salt, cumin and turmeric powders and the cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns and lightly broken cardamom. Now add the coconut, tomatoes, mango, sugar and finally the prawns. Mix well and then tip in the washed rice and lentils. Top with water, giving it a light stir, then bring it to a rapid boil. Lower the heat, cover and steam for 20-30 minutes until cooked through.
Serving accompaniments are papad, green mango chutney and yogurt raita.
KESARI MURGHI/SAFFRON CHICKEN
Serves 6
Chicken pieces (1 kg — bone-in, skinless)
Oil (1 tbsp)
Green cardamom (10 pods)
Chilli powder (2 tsp)
Turmeric powder (¼ tsp)
Curry leaves (20)
Ginger paste (1½ tsp)
Garlic paste (1½ tsp)
Salt (1¼ tsp)
Cumin powder (1 tsp)
Coriander powder (1 tsp)
Garam masala (½ tsp)
Green chillies (2 — slit)
Onion (1 cup — fried and crushed)
Water (½ cup)
Yogurt (1 cup)
Sugar (1 tsp)
Saffron threads (1 tsp — crushed)
Heat the oil in a flat skillet and brown the pieces of chicken. Sprinkle all of the spices over the chicken pieces ending with the crushed onions. Add ½ cup of water. Lower the heat and cover. Let the chicken cook till done, about 30 minutes. Remove the cover and allow it to cool until warm.
Mix together the yogurt, sugar, salt and saffron. Pour it over the chicken, shake the pan to mix it well.
Reheat over a low fire, do not cover.
Garnish with your choice of coriander, a sprinkle of fried onions and chopped hard boiled eggs.
Serve with fresh rotlis.
MANGO MACARON TORTE
Makes a 9” round cake
Cake
Almonds (3/4 cup — raw)
Cream cracker biscuits (3/4 cup or 10)
Fine sugar (1¼ cup)
Egg whites (6 — at room temperature)
Baking powder (½ tsp)
Vanilla extract (1 tsp)
Topping
Cream (2 cups)
Fine sugar (57 g)
Ripe mangoes (2 large — firm)
In a food processor, using the pulse button, roughly crush the almonds. Add the cream cracker biscuits and repeat until both are crushed. Do not turn into a powder but leave slightly grainy to give the cake a crunch.
With an electric beater whip the egg whites and the baking powder until soft peaks start to from, then add the vanilla. In a gentle stream add the sugar. Fold in the crumbled biscuit and almond mixture using a metal spoon or a silicon spatula. Pour the mixture into a prepared nine inch spring-form pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C/350°F for 25 minutes. It should have a slightly pink tinge when done and should be dry to the touch.
Cool to room temperature.
For the topping, whip the cream to stiff peaks and add the sugar. Peel and dice the mangoes. Spoon the cream over the cake, leaving a small well in the center to help hold the mangoes and their juice within the cake. Top with the mangoes. Decorate with fresh mint (optional).