Sagan Nu Patru - Parsi Food Festival – Jamva Chalo Ji!

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.

Culinary Turns Black – Awaken Your Senses!!

When I was informed about the #CulinaryTurnsBlack pop-up at Zeera-Conrad, Pune, I realized that Pune was finally travelling into the unknown realms of culinary experimentation, the likes of which this city has never seen or experienced before. This was a first in our city and there was no way I was going to miss this pop-up.

I was excited but I was a tad apprehensive too. I thought everything would contain activated charcoal and wondered if that would be fun to look at and good to eat. I have absolutely no problem admitting I was under a false impression; Chef Mandar Madhav and Chef Ashley Nunes proved me wrong. Except for a couple of things on the menu, nothing contained activated charcoal. The chefs have put immense thought in giving each dish the perfect  black colour which is the main focus of this pop-up. The plating is superb and the dishes, though black, look as fabulous as they taste. They have ensured, though black, the food not only looks fabulous because it is plated beautifully but tastes superb too.

I chose the Black Spice for my drink. This was a combination of palm heart, tandoori spices and lemonade. My friend chose the Peppermint Iced Tea with activated charcoal. While the iced tea was on the sweeter side my drink had a sweet and sour hint to it because of the added spices. Both, though, were very refreshing.

We began the meal with an amuse bouche: Amrud and Reshampatti Ravioli. Reshampati chilies were roasted to a black char, ground to a powder and added to guava (amrud) juice. This combination was then shaped into a liquid sphere, a black orb, using a culinary process known as spherification. The orb was as delicate as a bubble and burst in your mouth releasing the guava juice with that fabulous hit of reshampatti chilies. Guava and red chilies are usually paired together in our country, but experiencing them this way made it a totally unusual and amazing experience!

Our first course was Wild Mushroom and Truffle Kulcha. The kulcha was stuffed with seven different varieties of mushrooms which had been cooked to a well flavoured creamy consistency. Blackened gyoza skin was used for the outer covering of the kulcha and the black colour was achieved by using powdered black trumpet mushrooms. The kulcha was garnished with a couple of black garlic cloves. These tiny garlic cloves had been soaked in balsamic vinegar for 15 days. I hesitantly put one in my mouth and realized it was garlicky and yet because it had been cured in the balsamic, the flavour was not at all overpowering, in fact, it was yummy. I quickly cut another piece of the kulcha, put the second garlic on it and happily munched away.

The second course was the Batata Wada Bao. Instead of the regular pau they had opted for a soft, slightly sweet bao and had used purple potatoes in the wada. These potatoes had been cooked to a delicious spicy flavour. Onion petals were slow roasted for over 24 hours to help them attain a black colour without them turning bitter. These were then powdered and added to the besan (chick pea powder) for the batter to give the wadas that gorgeous black colour. It was served with vibrantly orange garlic chutney and the fried and salted green chili. Both the chutney and the chili lent a burst of colour to the white and black palette and a burst of flavour to our palate. The humble wada pau blossomed into an exotic wada bao and we happily embraced this transformation.

Lamb Kheema Mutter Pops was our third course. Perfectly spiced and and marinated galouti mince balls were rolled in roasted and powdered black naga rice and then baked. This ensured a beautiful crisp texture on the outside while the meat within remained juicy. In fact, the exterior was so gorgeously crisped that we believed it was fried until the chef told us otherwise. These dark as night delights were served with roasted, black corn kernels and Japanese mayo. The different textures of the kheema mutter pop with the creamy mayo and that bite of kernel all came together beautifully. Told you, they aren’t using activated charcoal for everything. ;) Btw, the vegetarians can opt for Aloo-Baingan Pops.

Molecular gastronomy played a big role in our fourth course. We were served dhokla in the form of slurry foam. Pureed and sieved dhokla was filled into siphon guns charged with nitrogen. These siphon guns were shaken vigourously after which they were held upside down to dispense the foam. 

The yellow dhokla foam made up the bottom layer while the blackish-green chutney flavoured dhokla made up the layer above. Who would have ever thought that dhokla served in foam form would taste just like regular dhoka and yet would be more spectacular because of the velvety texture? The splash of tadka (tempering) of mustard seeds and crisp curry leaves and the gentle sprinkle of freshly grated coconut lent a lovely flavour and feel to the palate.

Our fifth course was the Java Plum (jamun) Sorbet. The coarsely pulped jamun was both sweet and tangy, though more tangy than sweet and it was a refreshing palate cleanser.

For our sixth and penultimate course they brought us Madras Prawn, Pulao, Moilee. The Pulao was black sticky naga rice cooked with squid ink. 

Its consistency was more that of a risotto than a pulao but I’m not complaining because it was delicious. Atop the rice were perched two large, plump, juicy crustaceans (prawns). These luscious babies had been coated in a mixture of semolina (rawa) and roasted-powdered black naga rice. They had then been deep fried to perfect succulent texture. 

A tiny jug of coconut-y Moilee curry/gravy was then drizzled over the rice and prawns. The flavour was smoothly subtle and yet so yum! I had a wee bit of Moilee gravy let in the jug which I poured onto my spoon and sipped on. I simply did not have the heart to waste it. Sigh! Vegetarians please note: They have a vegetarian version for the main course which, I was told by a foodie friend, is just as marvellous as the non-veg one.

The seventh and final course was the grand finale to the magnificent six courses that preceded it. It was Black Mousse (70% cocoa) Cassis Cremeux, Black Mission Figs Jam, Black Truffle Macaroon. 

I took a tiny bit of the delicious fig but that was all I could manage. I then offered it to my friend who happily took it off my plate. As most of you know by now, I am not overly fond of fruits. 

The dark mousse was superb as was the raspberry flavoured cassis cremeux snuggled within it. The sweet flavour of the mousse and the tangy flavour of the cremeux were perfectly balanced. It was served with a thin sheet of tempered chocolate and a beautiful lattice. 

The lattice was not sweet and I bit into it intermittently to give my palate a refreshing change from the sweet dessert variants on my platter. The tiny domes of chocolate and truffle oil ganache were delish! As for that Black Truffle Macaroon, nowhere in Pune have I had a macaroon made to such perfection! This dessert was a sheer delight in terms of visuals, textures and flavours!!

The pop-up for a seven course meal is priced at a very reasonable 1300 + taxes and is on until Monday, July 31, 2017. For the kind of food they have put up, trust me, it is indeed a very reasonable price. Most people have been a tad apprehensive of giving this pop up a try. If you read my reviews and have trusted my judgment in regard to my previous reviews, please trust my judgment on this one too. It is not a pop-up to be missed! In terms of culinary excellence these chefs have outdone themselves. Give it a try, you are sure to come away amazed and enchanted. This pop up was like a symphony. At times the notes were gentle and sometimes they played loud. In between the music softened to a peaceful hum and finally the tempo soared to a fantastic crescendo leaving us fulfilled in the most beautiful way. All our senses of sight, smell, sound (the crunch of the curry leaves, remember?) and taste tingled. These chefs had it in them to take the bold step of hosting this rare and exciting pop-up in our city; now, it is up to us to give this pop-up a try and trust them for they are indeed knowledgeable about what they have put up.

Chef Mandar Madhav and Chef Ashley Nunes, I send forth to you and your team a standing ovation for having had the guts, the vision and the excellence to execute this pop-up so brilliantly!

Black is not just beautiful, it’s delicious!!

Food: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Address: Zeera, Conrad, Pune, Mangaldas Road, Pune

For reservation call: 020 67456745

Some more photographs: