As much as I love trying out new cuisines, flavours
and textures, at the end of the day, I’m a true blue Bawi. I love my Parsi
Bhonu (Bhonu / food).
When I was told that Conrad-Pune, under the confident new
wings of Chef Pavan Kumar Chennum, was planning to host a Parsi food festival I
was elated. Conrad flew in a very experienced chef from Abu Dhabi, Chef Anahita
Gustaspi, to curate the menu and conduct the festival.
Parsi food for festive occasions is a sit-down affair,
set up over long tables where the entire community eats together. ‘Sagan’
loosely translates to ‘celebration’ or ‘auspicious/festive occasion’; while
Patru literally means leaf which in this case points to the banana leaf on
which the food is served. This Parsi food festival hence is very aptly named,
‘Sagan Nu Patru’.
They began service with Saria and 2 varieties of Parsi
achaar/pickle. The Gajar Mewa nu Achaar; a carrot-dry-fruit pickle & the
Gour Keiri nu Achaar; a Jaggery-Raw Mango pickle.
Saria are typical ‘Parsi
poppadums’ and a typical meal for an auspicious occasion begins with this.
While the Gajar Mewa nu Achaar borders on spicy, the Gaur Keiri nu Achaar is
sweet and sour with a hint of spice. The pickles pair perfectly with Saria or
just plain rotli /chapatti.
Our drink for the evening was a deliciously refreshing
Rose Sherbet. The dry rose petals for this sherbet were brought down by Chef
Anahita from Abu Dhabi and the sherbet is exactly as the one made at Irani/Parsi
homes during Navroze; so different and so much better than the one sold
commercially. I gave my glass of water a miss and polished off nearly 5 glasses
of sherbet through the evening.
They also served us the legendary Raspberry
Soda from Ardeshir’s; a drink that is very nostalgic for Parsi’s as it is
usually served at most festive dos.
The first platter served was Parsi Starters: Salli par
Edu (potato straws cooked with an egg on top), Marghi Na Farcha (Chicken fried
the Parsi way), Kheema na Cutless (Lamb cutlets, perfectly marinated and fried
in typical Bawa style), Khara Papeta (potatoes cooked with cumin and onion) and
Tarlela Motta Vangena (Large roundels of pan-seared eggplant).
The Margi na Farcha were perfectly spiced and the
Khara Papeta felt so like ‘home’ that it warmed the cockles of my Bawi heart.
As for the Salli par edu, it was just as it should be. I will say, though, I
would have preferred a runny yolk on my salli. They, of course, had to play it
safe because quite a many people grimace at the sight of a runny egg. I did
give the Tarlela Motta Vangena a miss because the carnivore in me cannot handle
eggplant, but the others at the table relished it so if you are a fan of the
vegetable, you will love it. The starter that totally blew me away was the
Kheema na Cutless. They were perfect in every sense of the word! The
cutless/cutlets were supreme!
The platter of mains consisted of: Patra ni Macchi
(Fish coated with coconut and mint chutney, wrapped in banana leaves and
steamed), Saas Kolmi (a delicate flavoured sauce made from rice flour, garlic,
green chilies, coriander leaves, vinegar and prawns). Salli Gosh (mutton cooked
with ground spices to a fabulous succulent texture and served with crisp potato
straws) was so yummm! They also served us Ras Papeta Murghi which is home-style
gravy of chicken potatoes and peas and Masala ni Daar which is lentils cooked
with vegetables with a typical spice mix that lends it a superb flavour. The
Iranian influence in the meal shone through with Oush-e-brenj (a one pot rice,
lentils and dill flavoured dish) and Berry Pulao (saffron and rose flavoured
rice with a sprinkling of barberries).
Of the mains, every dish was cooked exactly the way it
is supposed to be cooked. I could find absolutely no fault with regard to
flavour in any of the other dishes. The green chutney for the Patra ni Macchi
was delish and the fish was steamed to flaky perfection!
The saas was very
flavourful and the prawns were spot on in texture. The only thing I would
prefer changed is for the sauce/saas to be a tad thicker. The aroma of the
Berry Pulao hit our olfactory organs as soon as the bowl was brought to the
table. The fragrance of saffron and rose and the intermittent hit of tangy
barberries and the fabulous quality of rice used, made this a stellar dish!
Each morsel was heavenly.
While I sat sipping on that cool Rose Sherbet (I could
not get enough of it) they brought us our dessert platter. The desserts served
were, Sagan Ni Sev ne Mithoo Dahi (Parsi style sevai which is usually served
with creamy sweetened dahi), Daar ni Pori (Dal/lentil sweetened and thickened,
sprinkled with dry fruits and ensconced in a flaky pastry) and the
quintessential Lagan nu Custard.
The lagan nu Custard was superb in taste, absolutely
no complaints there but ideally, after such a heavy meal I would have preferred
the light variety of Lagan nu Custard (without the khoya, the smooth textured
one). I’m not a big fan of dahi hence I gave that a miss but I made up for
missing out on it by requesting a second helping of the Sagan ni Sev. Light and
fragrant, it was sublime! The daar ni pori was also excellent. Making daar ni
pori is an art. Chef Anahita truly needs to be applauded for this effort. Not
many get it right and having had the ones made by my maternal Grandma, I do
know which ones are ‘right’. This one was definitely done ‘right’!
This was one of the best Patra nu Bhonu (food served
on a leaf) I’ve had in a long, long time. Anahita was very friendly and came
around to discuss the food, ask for feedback and spin magic with her unique
Bawi humour. I saw her do the same at other tables too. It feels wonderful when
the chef comes over to interact with their patrons.
Most people have rarely eaten Parsi food, they’ve
merely heard wonderful things about Parsi Bhonu. Those who have eaten
‘lagan/sagan nu bhonu’ at festive bawa dos crave it time and again. This is a
chance for all of you to experience Parsi food at its every best. Take it from
this Bawi, Parsi cuisine does not get any better than this!! The meal is priced
at INR 1550 + taxes and all dishes are served in unlimited quantities; eat to
your heart’s content. Am I going back to this festival for round two? You bet I
am! :P Pssssttt! If I get the chance I just may do a round three. *greedy me*
;)
Jamva Chalo Ji!
What: Sagan nu Patru (Parsi Food Festival)
Where: Zeera, Conrad-Pune, Mangaldas Road, Pune When: Until March 24, 2018.
Timings: 7 PM onwards (dinner only) BUT… The festival will be on for LUNCH and DINNER on Navroze (March 21, 2018)
For reservations call: 020 71966623 Videos... Watch!!
Some more photographs from my second visit to the 'Sagan Nu Patru' Parsi Food Festival.
No comments:
Post a Comment