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Naynaz
Munsaf cooks little-known, traditional Parsi dishes like bhatia marghi
(right), malido (above) and bhaji dana nu gosh. She gets them just right
thanks to the masala ingredients that come all the way from Navsari in
Gujarat
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Whenever Caraciolo visited that dear aunt or distant relative in Goa, he would beg them to make his favourite dishes. Back in Mumbai, however, he made his peace by calling for cutlets, tikkas and curries for house parties until he came to know that Ann Dias, 59, a caterer in his vicinity, was ready to recreate traditional recipes. Now, for a get-together, or his children’s birthday parties, Caraciolo says he doesn’t need to settle for the typical fare.
Back to their rootsDias, on her part, is surprised at the sudden rise in requests for old Goan dishes. “I’ve been churning out vindaloo and dodol for years now. But now, I think people are well-travelled and are more interested in reliving some part of their history. They want to eat what their elders ate. Others, like Caraciolo, just miss their childhood,” she smiles. Today almost a third of her orders are for authentic Goan dishes.
According to Dias, traditional Goan recipes are not that difficult to make. But you do need to put your heart into it because you may be out of touch with some techniques, she says. Then there are ingredients that must come only from Goa. Dias makes her masalas at home and gets other ingredients — like dried fish and palm vinegar — from Goa. “I wouldn’t touch local products,” she claims.
Every now and then, she visits Goa, where her brother has a catering business, and taps relatives for old recipes handed down by her grandmother and mother. “Tastes stay with you, you know. When I try out an old Goan dish, I don’t have an elder who can tell me what’s right and wrong. I rely on my childhood memories and decide what’s best.” Dias has no faith in the plethora of recent cookbooks. “It’s all half-baked and full of shortcuts. For xacuti, they simply say that you must fry onions. But you actually have to brown them really, really well. And the chillies should make your neighbour’s eyes water,” she says.
Heard of Vasanu?At her Mahim home, Naynaz Munsaf, 35, says she’s expecting her next order for vasanu any day. Though the old Parsi dessert is unheard of in most places, Munsaf is comfortable with what it means to rustle it up. “It takes eight hours to cook,” she says.
In the past year, Munsaf has been cooking only authentic Parsi cuisine for clients, and says the demand has gone up manifold recently. “Parsi food served in most restaurants is sweet and sour, but authentic Parsi food is more balanced, and spicier than what you get there.”
Most old Parsi dishes, says Munsaf, have disappeared from daily cooking because they weren’t well documented. Only a few have survived. “Dhansak is just as old as vasanu, but people still make it because it is a part of your Sunday lunch routine, like the Sindhi curry for Sindhis.”
Some old dishes, like popatji (similar to appam), need specific utensils that aren’t available in the market. Munsaf, who is from Navsari in Gujarat, says she is thinking of going back and getting the vessel. If you want to sample authentic Parsi food, says Munsaf, you only need to step into Navsari.
Just then, Munsaf’s brother enters her home with three bags of ingredients for masalas. “I grind the masalas here, but the flavour in my dishes comes from these Navsari ingredients.” Little details go a long way in getting old dishes right — one must never, says Munsaf, attempt to put chicken into an old dish like bhaji dana nu gosh (a dish made with spinach, coriander and green peas). “It is authentic only if you put mutton in it. You can’t interchange the meat like we do for contemporary recipes.”
Shermeen Merchant is not a Parsi, but cannot stop raving about how she has found the perfect answer to her Parsi cuisine cravings thanks to Munsaf. The 35-year-old HR executive studied in a Parsi school and remembers how, as a six-year-old, she craved for old Parsi delicacies that were served at the school every Friday. “My mother’s adoptive mother was Parsi and even today, my mouth waters when I remember her get-togethers. I get the same kolmi no patio, moora dal and chicken farcha from Munsaf’s kitchen. I thought I’d have to give up on certain old dishes before I heard of her kitchen,” says Merchant, who has been calling regularly for traditional Parsi dishes for the past few months.
A night of nostalgiaShrirang Khatavkar, 40, who runs a catering service in Thane, says the demand for traditional Maharashtrian and Gujarati dishes has gone up because people are tired of the same old Chinese and Punjabi cuisine. Recently, a client asked for traditional, authentic Maharashtrian, Gujarati and Sindhi dishes for a three-day celebration.
“I do not agree to make every traditional dish, of course. For instance, a client recently asked me to make a Maharashtrian dish that few have heard of — appe (it is prepared like a puri, steamed and boiled). I refused because if I claim it is authentic, then it must be served piping hot. That’s not possible when you have 100 guests,” says Khatavkar. He does oblige when his clients are craving for aduche fudfude, a traditional dish made from adu leaves which aren’t easily available in most vegetable markets.
The caterer says his Bible for the recipes are yellowing papers and diaries left behind by his grandmother and mother, who tried all cuisines. “Thanks to those, I now know that authentic payasam (a south Indian sweet dish) was actually made with banana or jackfruit, and coconut milk drained thrice was used instead of water,” he says.
Six months back, when Madhavi Ranade wanted to throw a housewarming party, she wanted traditional Maharashtrian fare as a good omen. “I was thrilled when Khatavkar told me he can make panchamrut, an old Maharashtrian chutney that no one really gets right — most of us either get it too tangy, or end up with a sweet mess.”
Served with Khatavkar’s bhardyacha vada (red pumpkin vada) and bhajniche vade (vadas made of pulses), Ranade’s party became a rather nostalgic affair. “We sat late into the night and reminisced about our elders cooking, and how close this came to their preparations. I began my life in my new home on a very positive note with all that wonderful food,” says Ranade.
Some recipes
Traditional Payasam
Ingredients
4tbsp rice l4tbsp moong dal l4tbsp jaggery l2tbsp ghee l1 ripe bananal1 cup freshly grated coconut, 1 cup l3-4, powdered cardamom lCashews and raisins to garnish l2tbsp ghee
Pressure cook the rice and moong dal, or cook in a pan till it has the consistency of khichdi. Grate the coconut and sieve with a muslin cloth. This is the first milk. Keep aside. Add some water to the grated coconut and sieve again to get the second milk. The third milk goes into the rice and moong dal mixture. Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan, add cashews and raisins and cook till light brown. Add jaggery and stir. Bring to a boil, add rice and moong dal mixture and boil again. Then add the second and third coconut milk. Mash a banana or jackfruit by hand and bring it to boil. Add cardamom powder and serve.
Fish jeira meera
Ingredients
Fish-surmai, pomfret or rawas, salted for l15 minutesl2, medium onionsl2-3 slit green chilliesl8-10 red chilliesl1 tsp jeeral10 pepper cornsl1 tsp turmericl15 flakes garlicl2tbsp oilla small ball of tamarind soaked in waterl2-3 cups water lSalt to taste
Grind the red chillies, jeera, pepper corns, jeera, turmeric and garlic and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and fry onions and green chillies till light brown. Add the ground masalas and some salt. When you begin to get an aroma, add the tamarind juice and water. When the gravy boils, throw in the fish and cook till well done.
Bhaji dana nu ghosh
Ingredients
2 onions l200gm green peas l1 pureed tomato l2 cups methil 2.5 cups corianderl1tsp red chilli powderl1.5tsp turmeric powderl 3-4 sticks cinnamonl 3-4 pieces clovel 3-4 black pepperl 1/2tsp garam masala l300gm mutton l1tsp each ginger garlic paste l1cup water
Take oil in a pan and brown onions. Add all the spices. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add the red chilli and turmeric powder and cook for 30 seconds. Now, add the tomato puree and cook till oil starts separating from the mixture. Here, add the mutton, methi leaves, half of the coriander, the green peas and cook for 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle the garam masala and add water. Pressure cook the dish for about 3-4 whistles till the meat is tender. Sprinkle the rest of the coriander on top and serve hot.
Aduche fudfude
Ingredients
15 medium-sized, soft adu leaves, chopped into small pieces (make sure you don’t buy the thick variety) l1 bowl (mix another 1tbsp with water) gram flour la fistful peanuts l2-3 tbsp oil l1tsp cumin seeds l1tsp fenugreek seeds l1tsp curry leaves l1tsp turmeric powder l5-6 finely chopped garlic flakes lmedium sized-ball tamarind l1tbsp jaggery lSalt to taste
Clean adu leaves and pressure cook for about 3-4 whistles with gram flour and peanuts. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, turmeric and garlic. Add the cooked adu to this. Add the mixture of gram flour in water at this stage. Put tamarind in this mixture and bring to boil. Then add jaggery and salt and boil for 10 minutes. erve with roti or rice.
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