PARSI STYLE SHRIMP OR FISH CURRY ( RED )

This is another Parsi Cuisine favorite. Great dish to serve at a party.

It takes a little longer to cook this, but you can make the curry paste and freeze it for future use. I always have a frozen batch to two in my freezer for last minute guests who are always welcome to our home.

For this dish the Parsi " lal marcha nu paste, the red chili masala paste " is a must. So I have given the recipe for the same. Make a lot of this paste and use it in several dishes. Especially the Parsi ones. It freezes really well. Just remove a small jar full and keep in your fridge. Freeze the rest for future use.

LAL MASALO. RED CHILI PASTE.

Ingredients:

200  grams dry red kashmiri chili’s

200 grams garlic

100 grams jeera/cumin seeds

2 tsp salt

6 tbsp cooking red vinegar

2 tbs oil

Method:

Cut the tops of the kashmiri dry red chili’s. Deseed and cut them into pieces, add salt and soak them in vinegar.

On a pan dry-roast cumin seeds for a few minutes and grind to a fine powder. Then add the garlic and the soaked Kashmiri chili’s along with the vinegar and oil and grind to a red paste.

If needed, add a little more vinegar and oil to grind into smooth paste.

PARSI RED CURRY

( serves 6 )

1 bag shredded coconut. (Frozen)

Or

1/2 coconut, fresh cut in small pieces

1 heaped ts jeera seeds.

1 heaped ts khus khus ( sesame seeds )

1 heaped ts Til seeds ( poppy seeds )

1 tbs cashews

1 tbs almonds

1 tbs peanuts (you can avoid this if allergic to peanuts )

8 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger

6 dry Kashmiri red chilies

1 one inch cinnamon stick ground to powder

10 curry leaves or 2 big bay leaves

Juice of two lemons

Salt to taste

Put all the above ingredients in a blender and make a paste with very little water.

The paste should be very smooth in texture. This may take a while.

Rest of ingredients

1 large onion cut really fine

1 can coconut milk (2 cups)

2 tbs Parsi red chili paste.

1 cup water

2 pounds shrimp or then 8 slices of white flesh fish like tilapia

4 tbs oil

METHOD

Heat the oil in a pan.

Fry the onions with curry leaves till onions are brown.

Add paste and fry for 5-8 minutes till the paste stops sticking to pan.

Add the red chili paste.  Stir.

Add the coconut milk and water. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add lemon juice.

Taste for salt. If you like it spicer, add more Kashmiri red chili paste.

Add shrimp or fish and cook till done. Do not over cook.

Serve with rice and onion, tomato and cilantro salad.

MASOOR ( LENTILS )

One of the tastiest ways to cook lentils. Simple, quick and tasty.

Tastes great with a Tamota per edu (egg on tomatoes) on the side. My husband loves this dish. It tastes great even without the meat added in it! Eat with roti or bread.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup masoor dal ( whole  masoor )

1 big onion chopped up fine.

1/2 ts chicken powder or 1 chicken cube ( if you are using chicken or meat, no need for this) add salt to taste instead

1/2 ts haldi ( turmeric powder )

chicken legs or chicken pieces, bone in marinated with ginger garlic paste.

Or

Lamb pieces, bone in marinated with the same.

VAGAR (Tempering)

1 ts green masala ( 2 green chilies ground with 1/2 ts jeera seeds and 1 garlic clove

1 tbs dhanna jeera ( coriander and cumin powder )

1/2 ts red chili powder ( add more if you like it spicer)

1/2 ts curry powder

1/2 ts garam masala

2 tbs Ghee to fry onions ( clarified butter )

METHOD

Pressure cook the masoor dal with half of the chopped onion and haldi and chicken cube or powder.

 If using meat, add it in pressure cooker.

Add haldi powder.

Pressure cook 30 minutes for chicken or 40 minutes for meat.

If only lentils, then pressure cook for 15 minutes.

( I use the cuisine art electric pressure cooker)

Vagar

Heat the ghee in a pot. Add onions and brown.

Now add green masala and fry for two minutes.

Add rest of the spices and fry for two to three minutes.

Turn off stove.

When masoor is ready, remove from cooker.

( if you have younger children at home, take some of the lentils out with the chicken or meat at this stage for them. It tastes great and is not spicy!)

Add the masoor and meat in the pot with vagar. Mix well and bring to boil. Simmer for five to seven minutes.
Taste for salt.

Serve hot with roti or bread and at tamota per edu. ( recipe for that will follow )

KHARI MARGI NA RUS CHAWAL ( TASTY, MILDLY SPICED CHICKEN IN GRAVY AND RICE)

True comfort food! So fast and easy to make, and still so tasty.

My Granu made this for me whenever I felt a little under the weather. I can still close my eyes and remember the yummy smells as she cooked it for me. And the amazing thing is that it was ready in half an hour, start to finish!

I just put my skills to the test when my masi and masa ( aunt and uncle) dropped by for a surprise visit. Lunch was ready from scratch in half and hour and they loved it!

Please try it out. Whenever you are in a hurry or just want a simple yet tasty dish to eat. The flavors are so tasty and subtle that even my kids ate it for dinner.

INGREDIENTS

4-5 chicken drumsticks or boneless chicken thigh meat cut in cubes

3 TBS ginger garlic paste

3 TBS maida ( all purpose flour)

3 TBS ghee ( clarified butter)

1/2 TBS knorr chicken powder or 1 chicken cube

1 1/2 sticks cinnamon 

5-6 pods of cardamom

5-6 cloves

2 bay leaves

5-6 whole peppercorns

1 1/2 big onions chopped fine

2 cups water

METHOD

Marinate the chicken with the ginger garlic paste and maida.

Heat the ghee and fry the onions till golden brown.

Add the whole spices and fry for 5 minutes more or till fragrance releases.

Now add the marinated chicken in and fry till chicken outsides brown a little.

Add water.

Add chicken powder or cube.

Stir well.

Transfer in a pressure cooker and cook for 2 10-12 minutes.

Or if you don't have a pressure cooker, just continue to simmer on medium to low heat, storing occasionally till chicken is cooked  ( about twenty minutes)

If the gravy is too watery, mix some all purpose flour in cold water, make a paste and add in gravy. Heat, stirring occasionally )

Serve with steamed rice and papads.

RAVO ( PARSI SWEET DISH MADE WITH SEMOLINA)

This is a sweet dish that is served on auspicious occasions. A birthday celebration in any Parsi household is considered incomplete without RAVO.

There are many different ways to make this dish. I have tried several, but liked this one the most.

My Zenobia masi taught me this one. Now it has become a favorite in my family. My three year old twins ask for it every weekend and my ten month loves it too! 

Please try it and let me know if you like it .....or if you have a different version i could try!

INGREDIENTS

3 TBS butter.

8 TBS rava (semolina)

5 cups whole milk

1/2 can condensed milk(or more according to taste)

5 tbs raisins

5 tbs sliced almonds

METHOD

Heat the milk. It should be hot, not boiling.

Heat the butter add rava in. Keep stirring until it becomes brownish golden.

Start pouring in the hot milk little at a time and keep stirring till all the rava has blended in.

Now add the condensed milk in.

Stir and taste. If you like it sweeter, add more condensed milk.

Bring to boil. Stir it occasionally.

Simmer till it thickens.

Remove from heat after it reaches the desires consistency.

If you want it thicker, or if it is still too thin then heat some more butter and brown 2 TBS rava in it. Add to the milk rava.

Keep stirring. Now simmer till it reaches desired consistency.

If it becomes too thick, add moreover milk.

Remove and pour in the serving dish to set.

Fry the raisins in butter till they turn soft and pinkish.

Fry the almonds till golden.

Mix some in the rava while it is cooking.

Place the rest on top of rava .

Put in fridge for at least 4-5 hours or longer.

Some people like to eat the rava warm. That tastes great too!

EGGS ON WAFERS ( wafer per edu)

Oh what memories are associated with this simple, easy dish. My nieces and nephews hankering for me to make them this in the middle of the night.....or then after school. How we enjoyed just talking about anything and everything over " wafer per edu!" God bless the PARSI'S for breaking an egg over anything and everything and making an awesome dish out of it! Try this one, I'm sure it will be a hit with your family.

INGREDIENTS

Wafers( enough to cover the base of your pan)
Eggs ( 2 or 3 depending on your pan)
1 or 2 green chilies chopped up
2 tbs chopped tomatoes( remove the pulp)
2 tbs chopped onions
Coriander
Water( to sprinkle)
Oil( a dash)
Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Put a dash of oil in pan.
Layer the wafers in pan.
Sprinkle water on wafers.
Gas on medium.
Sprinkle the onions, chilies and tomatoes on the wafers.
Break the eggs on top.
Add salt and pepper.
Sprinkle coriander.
Cover the pan with lid and cook till the whites set or till the yolk cooks.
If you want the yoke more firm, then toss the full thing over! Like a pancake.

Eat immediately with bread or roti's.

PARSI KHICHRI.

Parsi khichri

Ingredients

1 cup rice
1/3 cup yellow moong dal
1 tsp haldi
1 piece cinnamon stick
5 cloves
1 star anis
Salt.

Method

Put all ingredients in rice cooker. Add 2 cups water or according to rice cooker instructions and then half a cup more for lentils. When you open cooker, sprinkle a little water on khichri to make it a little moist.
Alternatively, you could cook this on a stove. Just add a little more water and keep checking for readiness. The lentils will cook fast. If there is excess water, strain it out. Fluff rice and serve.
Eat with kheema or saas.

MACCHI NU SAAS or LAGAN NU SAAS ( Fish Sauce)

My grandmother made this saas so well. I still remember the smells and sounds in the kitchen as she cooked this dish. It was my favorite and anytime she would ask me what I'd like to eat, the answer was obvious.
Each time I make this recipe I think of her.
How I miss my Grannu!

Ingredients
1 pound pomfret or any firm white flesh fish. (I have made this sauce with salmon too and I liked the taste. But it tastes best with tilapia or flounder.)
2 medium onions finely sliced
5 tbs fresh chopped coriander
6 green chilies chopped
1/2 tbs full jeera seeds
8 cloves garlic.
2 tbs rice flour
Salt to taste
3 cups water
10 cherry tomatoes or cut the flesh of a tomato, remove seeds in small pieces.
Beat together with hand blender.
4 tbs vinegar
3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbs sugar
2 eggs
Ghee or oil to fry onions.

SHRIMP WITH ONIONS, TOMATOES AND SPICES!(KOLMI NO PATIO)

Another Parsi cuisine favorite. It is generally eaten on auspicious occasions with dal and rice, but who can wait?






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