LINKS TO TRADITIONAL PARSEE RECIPES BY ADITYA MISTRI

This is an interesting name for a rice dish. Since the wives had to eat last or not at all if all the food was over, this dish was invented for self-gratification. It was very simple and could be cooked fast if it got over and so the new bride or wife was not deprived of her share of the meal. I don't know how many Indians would take to Pulao rice being cooked in mustard oil. I would suggest pure ghee if you have any hesitation in using mustard oil.

Ingredients:

700 gm Jeera Sal rice

6 large onions, sliced

6 green long chillies, slit and deseeded

1 cup fresh coriander, chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 tbsp coriander seeds, broiled, coarsely ground

10 peppercorns, coarsely ground

A pinch of turmeric

Mustard oil or pure ghee

Procedure:

Deep fry the onions in ghee or mustard oil till golden brown and crisp. Set aside.

Cook your rice in the rice cooker. Add a little, about one-fourth of the fried onions, the slit green chillies, coarsely ground coriander, black peppercorns, turmeric, salt and 2 tablespoons of pure ghee. Cook till the rice is tender and fluffy.

Remove the rice into a salver and sprinkle the top completely with the crisp fried onions and the freshly chopped coriander and mint.

Accompaniments:

Mutton gravy dish, fried prawns

Red and white radish in lime juice, salt and green chillies

Rasagollas

A PULAO OF LIVER AND PEACHES IN CREAM

Preparation time: 20 mins.

Cooking time: 1 hour 45 mins.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

400 gm Basmati rice

2 tsp oil, Salt

For the liver:

4 onions, sliced, deep-fried

6 large sweet green chillies

1 large goat's liver, washed, skinned and chopped into small pieces

1" fresh ginger, cut juliennes

1" fresh ambahalad, cut juliennes

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp ground clove powder

1/2 tsp ground black

peppercorn powder

1/2 tsp ground cardamom powder

1/2 tsp ground mace powder

1/2 tsp ground fennel powder

1/2 tsp ground mustard powder

Salt

Sunflower oil

For the peaches:

4 litres milk, boiled 4 times the day

before and chilled in the refrigerator

for its clotted cream

8 large fresh peaches, skinned, halved and stoned

16 half pieces walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

A few spring onions, cut juliennes

Procedure:

First cook the rice in a electric rice cooker with salt and 2 teaspoons of oil. Remove onto a tray, cool and separate the rice grains. Grind the fried onions and place in a wok or karhai over a very low heat. Add the green chillies, ginger, ambahalad and cook gently for 3 minutes. Mix the liver with salt, turmeric, chilli and the spice powders and add to the onions. Raise the fire a wee bit, add 1/2 cup water and mix well and simmer for 12 minutes till the tiny pieces of liver are well cooked.

Take the rice and gradually mix into the wok until it is well amalgamated with the liver. Keep hot.

Place 1/2 a cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a flat vessel. Allow the sugar to melt and carefully place the peach halves in the syrup and poach the peaches for 10 minutes on a low flame. Spoon the syrup onto the peach halves.

Arrange the hot rice in the centre of a flat dish and surround it with the hot peach halves. Pour a little of the clotted cream into each peach hollow and top each with half a walnut piece. Sprinkle as much of the spring onions, as desirable to you and serve immediately.

Accompaniments:

Jellied Russian salad

Boneless chicken gray

Sweet fruit chutney

Vanilla ice-cream with almond macaroons

SHAHI BADAM AUR MALAI KA PULAO

Preparation time: 20 mins.

Cooking time: 50 mins.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

For the rice:

500 gm Basmati rice

1 1/2 litres milk + 1/2 cup milk

1/2 litre thick coconut milk

2 potatoes peeled and cut into cubes

3 bay leaves

4 green cardamoms, crushed

4 drops rose essence; Salt; Ghee

For the chicken:

400 gm thick malai or cream from milk

1 kg boneless chicken

1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste; Salt

For the masala with almonds:

1 cup unsalted cashewnuts

1 cup almonds, boiled skinned

8 green chillies, deseeded

1/2 cup mint leaves

1 1/2 cups fresh coriander, chopped

1 tbsp coriander seeds, broiled

1/2 tbsp sesame seeds, broiled

1/2 tbsp poppy seeds, broiled

2 tbsp sugar; Grind all in water

For the decoration:

4 boiled eggs, halved; 4 sheets varq

Procedure:

Cook the rice with all ingredients except rose essence. Marinate the boneless chicken in salt, ginger garlic paste for an hour. Heat 3 tablespoons ghee in a vessel and when hot, lower the flame and add the ground masala and mix vigorously for 5 minutes. Do not allow to get red. Add the boneless chicken and stir for at least 5 minutes and simmer on a low flame for 7 minutes. Add the water with which you have washed the mixie or grinding stone, cook for 7 more minutes.

Gradually add a cup of water and allow the chicken to become tender. When almost all the water has dried up, slowly whisk the cream with a fork and add it to the chicken. Stir well, and cover with a lid and add water on the lid. Lower the flame and simmer for 10 more minutes. Divide the rice and the chicken into two portions. Grease a large vessel. Add rose essence to half a cup of milk and sprinkle over rice. Place a layer of chicken at the bottom, top with rice, again place a layer of chicken and top it with a layer of rice. Decorate the top with the halved eggs and the silver varq. Cover with aluminium foil or a lid and dough and place on an iron tava over a medium flame for 20 minutes.

HYDERABADI BHUNA HUA KHEEMA PULAO

Preparation time: 10 mins.

Cooking time: 45-55 mins.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

For the rice:

2 gm saffron, 450 gm Basmati rice

3 bay leaves, 1" cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp shahjeera

10 black peppercorns

Salt, Ghee

For the mince:

750 gm mutton mince

300 gm onions, finely chopped

500 gm tomatoes

2 tsps. garam masala

2 tsp red chilli powder

1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin, coarsely ground

1/2 tsp mustard, coarsely ground

1 tbsp fresh ginger, crushed

2 tbsp fresh garlic, crushed

1/2 bunch coriander leaves

6 green chillies, deseeded, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

2 bunches fresh khatta

bhaji chopped fine

1 bunch dill (suva) bhaji, chopped fine

2 sprigs curry leaves

Juice of 2 sour limes

Salt; Ghee.

Extras:

Hot charcoal in a katori and some ghee

Procedure:

Prepare the rice with all its ingredients in the rice cooker.

Cook the chopped onions in 3 tablespoons of ghee till soft and pink. Add the curry leaves.

Marinate the mince in salt and the crushed ginger and garlic and add to the cooked onions and stir non-stop for 7 minutes so that no lumps form. Add the garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and mustard. Lower the flame and add the tomatoes and cover with a lid. Place water on the lid and keep adding the hot water until the mince is tender.

Wash the khatta bhaji and dill 3 times and chop finely. Sprinkle fine salt on it and add it to the cooked mince and keep stirring it for 5 to 7 minutes till the bhaji is cooked but is not black in appearance. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves, mint, chillies and the juice of 2 sour limes and remove immediately from the fire.

Portion the rice into 2 and place one half on the base of a well-greased vessel. Then place all the cooked mince on top and cover with the remaining rice.

Place a stainless steel katori filled with live red hot coals in the middle of the rice. Pour some ghee - half a tablespoon, over the coals and cover the vessel quickly with a lid and dough. Place on an iron tava over medium heat for 30 minutes. Remove the katori before serving the pulao.

Accompaniments:

Hot masala dal

Sweet and sour mango pickle

Green coriander chutney with papads

Custard apple ice-cream

KHUBANI AUR GOSHT KA LALKAR

Preparation time: 15 mins.

Cooking time: 40 mins.

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

For the rice:

2 gm saffron

400 gm Basmati rice

2 onions, sliced and fried

2 sticks cinnamon

Salt

Ghee

For the mutton:

1 kg boneless mutton cubes

plus nali pieces

1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

450 gm apricots, soaked overnight in

water with 2 tbsp sugar added to it

4 tbsp seedless raisins, washed

4 medium onions, finely chopped

300 gm tomatoes, skinned and chopped

2 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp turmeric powder

4 green cardamoms, crushed

3 tbsp sugarcane vinegar

Salt; Ghee

Procedure:

Cook the rice in a rice cooker along with the saffron, spices, salt and ghee. Marinate the mutton in salt and ginger-garlic paste. Place the chopped onions in a large vessel and cook till golden brown. Add the garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric, cardamoms, tomatoes and fry along with the onions for 2 minutes. Add the mutton and lower the flame and cook in its own juice for 10 to 12 minutes. When the mutton turns red put it in a pressure cooker with 3 to 4 cups of water. Cook on a slow fire for 20 minutes after the whistle. When the mutton is tender, transfer it to a large vessel. Add the soaked apricots and washed raisins and allow the liquid to dry up. Add the vinegar, mix and remove from the fire. Layer the Pulao, rice-mutton-rice and cover it tightly with foil or a lid sealed with dough. Place on an iron tava on a medium flame for 15 minutes.

Accompaniments:

Akoori of eggs

A lightly spiced vegetable

Curds

Dessert of double-ka-meetha

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