The popular restaurant in Bangalore celebrates Parsi cuisine differently
Phirooza Rustumji
.Fia’s Lounge was awarded the Best Chef-Led Restaurant of the Year recently. Phirooza (Fia) Rustumji says "it’s been a long cherished dream of mine to open a chef-led restaurant where our cuisine could be celebrated as it should… and also be a tribute to the country we call home, and its people.” Here she shares some of her recipes with readers.
Clockwise from top l: Kolmi na farcha, pizza per eedu, beetroot croquettes,
sali mushroom kababs, methia nu chicken, prawn Persian cous cous salad
Phirooza Rustumji
PRAWN PERSIAN COUS COUS SALAD
Serves 1
Cucumber (1 — chopped)
Cherry tomatoes (5, cut in halves)
Cous cous (70 g)
Large prawns (3 — sautéed in butter)
Cilantro (coriander) (2 g)
Avocado (½, cut in slices)
Black olives (sliced, as required)
For the dressing
Virgin olive oil (2 tbsp)
Lemon juice (1 tbsp)
Salt (pinch)
Pepper (a pinch)
Boil water with a little salt, add the cous cous and cook for eight minutes or till al dente. Drain, add a little olive oil and cool. In a mixing bowl fold in cucumber, cherry tomato and cilantro with the cous cous and set aside. In a small bowl mix together olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour this dressing into the first bowl and mix well. Cut avocado into slices. Plate the cous cous salad. Decorate with sliced avocados and sautéed prawns.
BEETROOT CROQUETTE
Serves 2
Beetroot (180 g)
Potatoes (2 — boiled and coarsely cut)
French beans (62 g — chopped fine and fried)
Carrots (62 g — chopped and fried)Peanuts (8 g — roasted and coarsely crushed)
Green chilli (½ — chopped fine)
Ginger (½ tsp — chopped fine)
Chaat masala (½ tsp)
Red chilli powder (½ tsp)
Parsi garam masala powder (¼ tsp)
Pepper powder (¼ tsp)
Breadcrumbs (to coat croquettes)
Salt (to taste)
Cornflour (1 tbsp)
Oil (to fry)
For homemade sauce
Tomato (100 g)
Onion (1 tbsp — chopped)
Green chilli (1 tsp — chopped)
Cilantro (1 tsp — chopped)
Lemon juice (1 tsp)
Chilli powder (1 tsp)
Jeera powder (1 tsp)
Sugar (a pinch)
Parsi dark vinegar (to taste)
To make sauce, boil and purée the tomato and mix in all the remaining ingredients. The sauce is ready to have with just about anything.
Peel and boil beetroot in a cooker for two whistles. Cool and chop.
In a big bowl mix together the beetroot, potato, carrots and frenchbeans with the sauce. Portion into 30 gms per croquette and make into desired shape.
In a separate bowl mix the cornflour with water. Dip each croquette in the cornflour slurry and roll in breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil till golden brown.
Place in a dish and serve hot.
SALI MUSHROOM KABABS
Serves 2
Mint leaves (100 g)
Cilantro (30 g)
Green chillies (5)
Ginger paste (20 g)
Garlic paste (20 g)
Ice cubes (20 g)
Homemade hung curd (100 g)
Parsi garam masala powder (20 g)
Salt (to taste)
Mustard oil (50 g)
Mushrooms (200 g)
For garlic aioli dip
Mayonnaise (100 g)
Garlic (1 tsp — minced)
Olive oil (1 tsp)
In a blender make a paste of mint leaves, cilantro, green chillies, ginger, garlic and ice cubes. In a small bowl mix the mustard oil, garam masala, salt and hung curd. Mix with the paste. Add the mushrooms. Coat well and spear them on skewers. Let them sit in the refrigerator for one hour. Then bake in the oven at 180° C for seven to eight minutes.
Make the dip by mixing mayonnaise, garlic and oil in a blender. Transfer to a bowl.
Serve mushrooms hot with dip, sprinkled with sali.
METHIA NU CHICKEN
Serves 2
Chicken pieces (180 g)
Mustard oil (50 g)
Hung curd (100 g)
Parsi garam masala powder (½ tsp)
Red chilli powder (½ tsp)
Parsi dhana jeera powder (10 g)
Ginger powder (a sprinkle)
Garlic powder (a sprinkle)
The masala from Parsi mango methia nu achar (to taste)
Ginger garlic paste (2 tsp)
Green chilli paste (1 tsp)
Lemon juice (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Mix together mustard oil, hung curd, garam masala, red chilli, dhana jeera, ginger and garlic powders, masala from mango pickle, salt and lemon juice. Set aside.
Place the chicken in a bowl, mix the ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste and salt. Add the curd mixture and mix well. Place chicken pieces on skewers and bake in the oven at 180° C for nine-10 minutes.
Plate and serve hot.
PIZZA PER EEDU
Serves 4
Pizza base dough (180 g)
Tomato sauce (70 g)
Mozzarella cheese (1 cup — grated)
Eggs (2)
Basil leaves (4)
Sun dried tomatoes (3)
Black olives (5)
Dill leaves (5 tsps — chopped)
Roll out pizza dough in an 11” circle and shape it by lifting it to create a lip around the edge.
Spread tomato pizza sauce evenly on the pizza. Top with sun dried tomatoes, olives and basil leaves.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 180°-200° C.
Scramble the eggs and spread over the pizza. Sprinkle with chilli flakes and dill leaves. Serve hot.
KOLMI NA FARCHA
Serves 2
Prawns (8)
Red chilli powder (1 tsp)
Salt (2 g)
Lemon juice (2 g)
Eggs (2 — beaten with a pinch of red chilli powder and salt)
Breadcrumbs (½ cup)
Marinate the prawns in red chilli powder and salt for five minutes. Shallow fry in a pan for two minutes. Cool and coat the prawns in breadcrumbs, dip in beaten eggs, and deep fry till golden brown.
Plate and serve hot.