It is not an everyday occasion when you start a lip-smacking journey traversing through the ancestry of a cuisine culture that is virginal and unexplored. And that is the experience chef Jamsheed Bhote gives through ‘Parsi Rendezvous’, the ongoing Parsi food fest at Trident Hotel. As we sit down for a tantalizing chat on the Parsi cuisine, the chef begins narrating the cultural diffusion of the community whose ancestors are from Iran. “Parsi is a distinct community in India and over the years we have kept our traditions very much alive. It is said that centuries ago, the community migrated to India in four boats and anchored in the coast of Gujarat. So the cultural cuisine has influences from Iran, Britain (during the time of independence), Gujarat and Bombay,” says the Chef. The love for meats like chicken and lamb is largely inspired from Iran and the seafood influence is due to the living in the coastal areas of Gujarat. Parsi cuisine which is like a slice of history on a plate is an eggetarian’s delight. “The cuisine is famous for non-veg delicacies and especially egg is a key ingredient in most of the dish. Even in vegetables eggs are a d d e d , ” explains Jamsheed. “’khattameetha’ (sour & sweet) flavour comes lot in our dishes. For sourness malt vinegar and lemon are added and for sweetness sugar or jaggery or dry fruits and dates are added. Dry fruits and dates are influenced from Iranian cuisine,” adds this Parsi chef. After giving a detailed tour on the cultural roots of the cuisine, the chef takes us to a gastronomic journey starting off with the appetisers. For the vegans one can go for the ‘Chutney Patties’ in which the mint and coriander chutney is encased in mashed potato galettes. In the non-veg platter one can choose from ‘Akuri on brun pao’, where brun pao means a special type of bread made in Bombay which has a crusty outer cover with a soft inner side. “The soft masala scrambled eggs are served on crusty bread. Another must try ons are ‘Salli par eedu’ (shoe string potatoes topped with baked eggs), ‘Machi na frilly cutlets’ and ‘Soti boti’ (cubes of lamb and vegetables cooked on a skewer),” recommends Jamsheed. Unlike our normal cutlets, while making the frilly Parsi cutlets, the patties are first dipped in bread crumbs and then dipped in egg whites and finally fried. Hence a frilly-flowery outer layering is formed. Moving t h e mouth-watering journey to the main course, the Chef has prepared a vast spread of vegetable, chicken, lamb, prawn and fish delights. In the vegetarian platter there are ‘Parsi stew’, ‘Papdi nu masala’, and ‘Khara papeta’ to gorge into. “Parsi stew is different from our other stew preparations, Our stew is dry and do not use coconut. Assorted vegetables like potato, yam, carrot, beans, and green peas are cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce,” he says. Many dishes in the Parsi cuisine can be said to be the distant cousins of Kerala cuisine. “‘Patra ni machi’ can be related to the famous Kerala delight ‘Meen pollichathu’. The only difference is the fish is not pan fried i n o i l b u t steamed. It’s a popular Parsi preparation where fish is cooked with green chutney and wrapped in banana leaf and then steamed,” says the chef who is the senior kitchen executive of Trident Hyderabad. Then from the menu foodies can go for ‘Kolmino patio’ (prawns cooked in spicy tangy gravy), ‘Tareli machi’ (fish steaks pan fried with Parsi spices), ‘Salli ma marghi’ (spring chicken cooked in a lightly flavoured tomato gravy and served with shoe string potatoes), ‘Jardaloo ma gos’ (lamb braised with apricots in sweet and sour gravy) to name a few. Parsi cuisine is not complete without the mention of chicken or lamb ‘Dhansak’. “It is a traditional Parsi dal dish made with four types of lentils. The popular Parsi dish is a mix of different types of dals, vegetables and masalas, served with chicken cooked with masalas. In olden days it was called the farmers dish as it contains all the necessary nutrients,” explains the chef. The delicacy is served with brown rice (pulao made with basmati rice and mixed with fried brown onions) and kachumber salad (onion tomato salad). After the scrumptious main course, for the dessert lovers, the chef has spread ‘Lagan nu custard’ (an authentic rose-scented custard with nuts served at weddings), ‘Parsi ravo’ (more like our ‘Rava payasam’ where semolina is cooked in reduced milk and flavoured with nutmeg), ‘Dodhi nu halwa’ (It’s like carrot halwa but made with white pumpkin and flavoured with green cardamom). To enjoy the ‘Parsi Rendezvous’ one can drop in at Trident Hotel for lunch (12,30 pm to 3 pm) and dinner (7.30 pm to 11 pm) throughout the August.