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Parsi pleasures for the palate
PARSI cuisine adds to the richness and variety of the Indian cuisine. The dishes are famous for their unique flavour. There is a whole range of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes to choose from while planning a Parsi menu. Dhansaak is one of the best-known Parsi dishes and is a favourite for Sunday lunch. This dish is prepared in a different manner in different households and for many the recipe of the special dhansaak masala is a closely-guarded secret. It has a hot, sweet-and-sour flavour, through which should rise the slightly bitter flavour of fenugreek. Dhansaak Ingredients Vegetable oil 6 tbsp Green chilies, chopped 5 Ginger 2.5 cm long piece Garlic 3 cloves Bay leaves 2 Cinnamon stick 5 cm 1 piece Chicken 900 gm Water 600 ml Red gram 175 gm Moong dal, tuvar dal and masoor dal 50 gm each Potatoes 2 Eggplant 1 Onions 4 Fresh spinach 50 gm Fenugreek leaves, fresh or dried 25 gm Carrots cubed 115 gm Fresh coriander 115 g m Fresh mint 50 gm Dhansaak masala 2 tbsp Sambhar masala 2 tbsp Salt to taste Brown sugar 2 tsp Tamarind juice 4 tbsp Garlic, sliced 1 clove Method: Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and fry the green chilies, ginger and crushed garlic cloves for two minutes. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, chicken and water. Bring to the boil then simmer until the chicken is half cooked. Drain and keep aside. Add the lentils to the water and cook until they are tender. Mash these. Drain the potatoes and eggplant and add to the lentils with three of the deep-fried onions, the spinach, fenugreek and carrot. Add some hot water if the mixture is too thick. Cook until the vegetables are tender, then mash again with a spoon, keeping the vegetables a little coarse. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the fresh coriander and mint with the dhansak and sambhar masala, salt and sugar. Add the chicken and fry gently for about 5 minutes. Return the chicken and spices to the lentil and vegetable mixture and stir well. As lentils absorb fluids, adjust the consistency if necessary. Heat gently until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the tamarind juice and
mix well. Heat the remaining oil and fry the sliced clove of garlic
until golden brown. Pour over the dhansak. Garnish with the
remaining deep-fried onion and the reserved coriander and mint. Serve
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Ingredients Prawns 450 gm Lime juice 2 tsp Potatoes 450 gm Curry leaves 5-8 Oil 2 tbsp Fresh green garlic cloves and shoots (chopped) 8 Green chilies 2 Fresh coriander 2 tbsp Salt to taste For masala Dried red chilies (soaked in 1 1/2 tbsp malt vinegar) 6 Cumin seeds 1 tsp Garlic cloves 4-5 Ground turmeric 1/2 tsp Onion (chopped) 1 Method: Wash, clean and de-vein the prawns and drain well. Sprinkle these with the lime juice and some salt and set aside. Grind the masala ingredients in a blender until you have a smooth paste, adding more vinegar if necessary. Mix with the cubed potatoes and marinate for at least an hour. Heat oil in a pan and saute the curry leaves, garlic and chillies for 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes and the masala paste. Saute for five minutes. Add just enough water to cover the potatoes. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are almost done and the gravy thickens. Increase heat and add the prawns. Cook over high flame for 2-3 minutes until cooked. Season with salt and sprinkle with the chopped coriander. Patra ni machhi Ingredients Fish 800 gm Groundnut oil 30 ml Lemons 3 Fresh coconut 100 gm Coriander 50 gm Green chilies 6 Garlic 20 gm Chillies powder 5 gm Coriander seeds 1tsp Cumin seeds 15 gm Lemon juice 60 ml Sugar 15 gm Malt vinegar Salt to taste Banana leaves to wrap each fillet Salt to taste Method: Clean and wash fish fillets and cut each fillet into two. Make horizontal slits on the pieces. Sprinkle vinegar and salt and marinate for 30 minutes. Trim, wash and wipe banana leaves. Cut coconut into pieces. Clean and chop coriander. Wash, slit and remove the seeds from the green chilies. Peel garlic. Now put all these and the remaining ingredients in the mixer to make a smooth paste. Keep aside. Stuff fish pieces with coconut chutney and spread the rest on both sides. Apply oil on banana leaves and wrap each piece separately. Steam the wrapped fish pieces for 30 minutes. Remove fish from steam, unwrap and arrange on a platter and serve with lemon wedges. Gosht ni curry Ingredients Mutton 500 gm Onions sliced 4 large Potatoes 4 Tomatoes chopped 2 Kashmiri chilies 7 Curry leaves 4-5 Ginger 1" piece Garlic cloves 10 Grated coconut 1/2 Tamarind water 1/2 cup Jaggery 1 tbsp Oil 4 tbsp Salt as per taste Coriander seed 1 tsp Cumin seed 1/2 tsp Poppy seed 3 tsp Peanuts 2 tsp Method: Make the ginger garlic paste. Heat the oil and fry onions until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic paste and saute on a slow fire for 2-3 minutes. Roast and grind coriander, cumin, poppy and peanuts. Add the ground masala and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add ground coconut and cook till aroma comes out. Add mutton pieces, peeled and quartered potatoes and salt, and fry in the masala. Add 4 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour until a thick gravy remains and the mutton is tender Mix in tamarind water, jaggery and tomatoes. Cook for another 15 minutes on a slow flame Serve hot with rice Drumstick doru Ingredients Drumsticks 2 Gram flour 1/2 cup Tamarind 1 medium- sized ball Jaggery 1 large ball Onion 1 Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp Chili powder 1/2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp Red chili paste 1 tsp Green chilies 2-3 Oil 1 tbsp Salt to taste Method: Soak the jaggery and tamarind for 1/2 hour in 2 cups water. Squeeze the jaggery and tamarind to remove all juices and remove the remaining residue. Keep aside the liquid. Fry onions till brown. Add the gram flour and fry it for two minutes. Pour two tablespoon water and stir till it forms into a paste. Now add all masalas, masala pastes and salt as required. Cook for two minutes. Put in the jaggery-tamarind water mixture and chillies and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add drumstick pieces and cook till tender. Brown cinnamon rice Ingredients: Basmati rice 2 cups Water 4 cups Oil 1 tbsp Sugar 2 tbsp Stick cinnamon 1 inch Salt 1 tsp Method: Wash and soak the rice for half hour Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add cinnamon and sugar. Stir continuously till sugar gets brown (do not let it get burnt) on slow flame. Then add the water and salt, when water boils add the rice . Then let the rice cook on slow flame for about 20 minutes. Lagan nu custard Ingredients Milk 6 cups Yolks 6 eggs Whites 4 eggs Sugar 170 gm Rose water 5 tbsp Pinch of ground nutmeg Pinch of cardamom powder Pistachios 30 gm Charoli 30 gm Butter for greasing 1 tsp Method: Boil milk and sugar together. Let the milk evaporate till its quantity becomes almost half. Remove from flame and let it cool completely. With an egg beater or a hand blender, beat the egg whites and yolk together till they form a smooth mixture. Now add this mixture to the milk, along with the pista, (pista has to be blanched and sliced), charoli and rose water and blend again till all ingredients are mixed well. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C. Grease a baking dish or tray well, with butter. Add the milk mixture into the tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or till done. Remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle the cardamom powder and nutmeg over the custard, if so desired. Cut into 8-10 fairly large portions and serve on a desert plate or shallow bowl. Serves (8-10) Audh Ingredients Milk extract of 2 coconuts Sugar 1 1/4 cup White rice flour 1 1/2 cup Ghee 2-3 large tbsp Rose water 5-6 tbsp Vanilla essence 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg 1 tsp Cardamom powder 1 tsp Sliced almonds 50 gm Method: Keep the coconut milk on low flame. Add to it, sugar, ghee, sliced almonds and the rice flour and keep stirring continuously. When the mixture is about to become thick in consistency and the ghee separates and floats on the surface, put in vanilla essence, rose water and nutmeg and cardamom powders. Mix well and remove from flame. Pour the mixture and level out into a clean dish or tray and cool. Before serving, cut into square portions and serve in desert plates. |
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