Parsi new year outside Mumbai baugs

Every 15 days Nevil Kika gets into his Chevrolet Enjoy in Navsari and drives 265 km to get to Mumbai His car is loaded with Parsi goodies cooked by wife Rashna for doorstep deliveries in the community nooks of Behram Baug Bharucha Baug Panthaki Baug Dadar Parsi Colony Cusrow Baug Tata Block Godrej Baug and a few homes in Bandra With zero delivery chargemdashItrsquos love and fondness for customers from their community that fuels the Kikas to bring darnipori mawa pori patrel bhakhra kopra pak mitthi puri chapat and homemade pickles all neatly packed to those addicted to the taste Trip dates and the menu are announced on WhatsApp and thatrsquos where orders are takenMasterchef India contestant Danishii Bhagat from Hyderabad says when in Mumbai she likes dropping in to the cityrsquos two favourite and famous Parsi eateries Jimmy Boy at Horniman Circle offers lagannubhonu wedding feastBreaking language barriers midday got on a phone call with Rashna She spoke in Gujarati we in English her daughter Tanisha a baker came to our rescue when we had trouble translating Born in Sara village of Vansda Taluka Navsari district and raised in Golvad and Surat the Kikas have been living in Navsari since 2002 Rashna began catering Parsi delicacies in 2015 The word spread like salli and orders began flowing in from as far as Mumbai At first Nevil travelled by train but during COVID when orders did not slow down he started driving across the state to come to MaharashtraA banana leaf and Britannia amp Co for berry pulaodar and salli botiRashnarsquos favourite dishesmdashdhansak curry rice chicken farcha patranimacchi lagannucustard and Tarapori patiomdashare a hit A devout Zoroastrian on Parsi new year the familyrsquos day starts with a visit to Pak Anujuman Navsari Atash Behram in Tarota Bazaar ldquoWe meet and greet our friends and family come home to present sagannaenvelope gift money to the children with good wishes and have homemade sev and dahi for breakfastrdquo says Rashna And then starts the busy day of sending off orders The family gets together with friends over a hearty lunch of dhan dar and fish patio with homemade gajarmewa nu achaar ldquoIn the eveningrdquo she continues ldquowe catch a Parsi natak play at the Tata Auditorium and come home to drinks and a dinner of salli boti mutton pulao dal and lagannucustard This is how we start the new year each time making good memoriesrdquoMawa BoiWhen Dilnawaz Karkaria moved to Bengaluru from Nagpur to pursue academics she kept missing her favourite mutton pulao dal Back home her father worked at Empress Mills and they lived in the company quarters where there was a fire temple and a strong sense of community Realising there arenrsquot too many Parsi food options in Bengaluru Karkaria began cooking and catering in 2009 and the chicken Russian pattice mutton dhansak chicken farcha prawn pulao dal and dalnipori are now huge hits especially at Navroz Married to Fardoon Karkaria the Panthaky priest of DareMeher in Bengaluru the Karkarias live in an apartment not far from the fire temple on Queenrsquos Road Karkariarsquos sister aunt and cousins live in Mumbai and she visits them once a year When here she never misses going to B Merwan amp Co a Zoroastrianrun bakery opposite Grant Road station for a breakfast of mawa cake and chaiBhakraOn Parsi New Year early in the morning Karkaria heads to the agiary to put the chalk rangoli on the veranda something she truly enjoys Then she comes home to get ready for prayers at the agiary at around 630 am ldquoA maachi flower veil is offered by our family on the morning of navroz Then we come home for sev or ravo and breakfast Later around 1030 am we have a jashan ceremony performed by the priests People come to attend it and offer prayers and once done we greet each other lsquoNavroz mubarakrsquoRashna and Nevil Kika making darnipori at their Navsari homeThen everyone goes home to a lunch of dhandarpatio or pulao dal and siesta We are back in the agiary later as some people come in the evening to pray and therersquos a community gathering at the hall where we enjoy a round of entertainmentrdquo she narrates There are around 700 Parsi families in Bengaluru and although spread across the city they come together to celebrate festivals Dilnawaz addsKolmiA former Masterchef India contestant in seasons 5 and 6 where she was one among top 60 and top 40 in India respectively Danishi Bhagat was raised in Hyderabad She started cooking when she was just nine ldquoAlways fascinated with food and how it works my mom and grandma encouraged me and my love for food kept growing Irsquove been cooking Parsi food ever since I learnt how to cook My grandma is my inspiration Nobody can match her level of skill at cooking Parsi foodrdquo says Bhagat In both seasons of the reality show she cooked Parsi dishes such as dhansak and caramel custard and thatrsquos when her friends circle started asking about the cuisine and the culture So she curated a tastng menu ldquoThere are quite a few favourites but fishsaas and khichdi kolminopatio patra nimacchi the most famous mutton dhansak chicken farcha and caramel custard are a hitrdquoBefore Navroz the community observes muktad for 10 days beginning from August 5 Families gather in fire temples to remember the dearly departed and thank their ancestors ldquoDuring these 10 days we arrange flowers in vases for the departed soulsrdquo says Bhagat ldquoOn New Yearrsquos day we usually visit the three fire temples in Hyderabad This year the community plans to celebrate with pomp and show as we had a lowkey affair in the last two years due to COVIDDanishi Bhagat was inspired by her grandmother and began cooking when she was nineAlso as per the Zoroastrian calendar this year marks the 175th anniversary of Seth ViccajiSeth Pestonji Meherji Fire Temple at MG Road in Secunderabad We meet friends and family over lunch and dinner is usually with family or in the Zoroastrian club over a spread of Parsi delicacies Mornings after prayers are spent at my grandmomrsquos house where we drink the Parsi falooda with enjoy mitthoo dahi sweet curd and ravo sweet semolina pudding or sevrdquoDilnawaz Karkaria has been making Parsi food in Bengaluru since 2009A part of Bhagatrsquos family lives in Mumbai in Godrej Baug and Malabar Hill She visits them twice a year especially her aunt ldquoI love the Parsi fire temple in Tardeomdashitrsquos beautiful and peaceful so is the one in Malabar Hillmdashamazing view from the top I love eating at Britannia and Co Jimmy Boy and B Merwan and Co As Hyderabad does not have any good Parsi food places apart from SodaBottleOpenerWala I do wish to start an authentic Parsi cafe in the city for a glimpse into the communityrsquos joie de vivre and of course great foodrdquoKolmi no patio Prawn relishIngredients500 gm prawns shelled deveined2 onions chopped2 tomatoes chopped2 tsp tamarind paste1 tsp coriander powder1 tsp cumin powder1 tsp chilli powder12 tsp turmeric powder1 tsp garam masala powder1 tbsp jaggery grated1 tsp lime juiceSalt to taste12 cup prawn stock4 tbsp coriander leaves choppedGround to a fine paste68 dry red chillies adjust to suit your heat tolerance7 garlic cloves12 inch gingerBhagat with her family in HyderabadMethodRinse a handful of prawns and boil them in two cups of water Switch off the heat strain the liquid and discard the prawn shells Take 14 cup of the stock and soak chillies in it for 10 minutes Grind the chillies ginger and garlic with the stock to get a smooth fine paste Keep aside Dilute tamarind paste in some prawn stock Keep aside Heat oil in a pan and saute the chopped onion until it turns golden Add the ground chilli paste and stir fry for a minute or two till the raw smell goes offPatranimacchiAdd the coriander cumin chilli turmeric and garam masala powders and mix well Tip in the chopped tomatoes and cook till oil separates Add tamarind water and jaggery and mix well Bring to a boil Now slip the prawns into the mixture and mix well Once they cook add lime juice and chopped coriander leaves Serve hot with dhandar steamed rice and yellow toor dal or chokhanirotli rice chapatisPrice Rs 350To Order 9849770066