Enjoy Parsi cuisine by chef Shezad Marolia from Udvada at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai

A chef from Udvada serves up authentic Parsi fare at an ongoing pop-up that is a hat-tip to the community’s roots and flavours

Our table at Masala Kraft at the Taj Mahal Palace in Apollo Bunder is a chatty one; and the conversation mostly revolves around Parsi cuisine. Chef Shezad Marolia, who opened an authentic Parsi bakery in Udvada two months ago, is hosting An Enchanting Ode to Parsi Cuisine. We are joined by historian Nastur Daruwalla, son of late Bejan Daruwalla. He keeps the mood light and shares nuggets of the community. “We love to eat, and we are always planning what our next meal will be,” he quips.

Marolia, a French cuisine-trained chef who worked as a sous chef in London, returned to India only eight years ago, to start a café in the community’s sacred town, Udvada, in Gujarat’s Valsad district. Why Udvada, as a choice to set shop, we ask. Marolia replies with a smile, “It is our Mecca, as we have the Zoroastrian temple, Udvada Atash Behram. My aim is to revive authentic Parsi cuisine that has diluted with time,” he shares. He also runs Farohar caterers and had worked with city restaurateur Farrokh Khambata in his early years. From his new bakery, he supplies fresh brun maska, among other delicacies that are prepared in his woodfire oven to nearby areas in Gujarat.

Like the holy trinity, Parsi cuisine rests on three pillars: Khattu, meethu, and tikkhu (sour, sweet and spicy). Marolia tells us the cuisine has Iranian as well as Portuguese influences. “I have 300 dishes in my repertoire, some recipes dating back to 1934 and most of them my mother’s recipes. I even have a dish called nariyal doodh ma cauliflower (Rs 1,400), a spiced coconut gravy with the humble cauliflower,” he says. Here are our top five picks from the pop-up menu.

Mutton kheema cutlets (Rs 1,800)

Mutton kheema cutlets

The flat cutlets have mashed potato for binding with a filling of minced mutton. Marolia generously shares the recipe: mutton mince, mashed potato, green chilli paste, cumin, garlic, ginger, mint and coriander leaves, fried onions and salt to taste. Voila! You can make this at home.

Prawn cocktail kebab (Rs 2,800)

Think of vada pav, but with a seafood twist. These prawn potato croquettes are almost like mini versions of the Mumbai staple, with the goodness of seafood. A fellow guest at our table tells us, if it is a fried ball, it is kebab and if it is flattened, then it is a cutlet.

Chicken farcha (Rs 1,800)

A Parsi style drumstick comes laced with egg. The chicken is semi-precooked and marinated and finished in the fryer.

Salli boti (Rs 2,000)

Marolia explains to us that Parsis of Gujarat love their food a tad spicier than the rest. The salli boti is one example, which is packed with green chillies.

Saas ni machi (Rs 3,300)

We cannot leave out  patra ni macchi (Rs 3,300) with its green chutney coating but saas ni machi deserves a try too. The pomfret is prepared in a white sauce made from rice flour, eggs, fish stock, onion, garlic and green chillies. It has a dash of Parsi vinegar, and the method to prep the sauce is a delicate one.

Sagan ni sev (Rs 800)

Like with the fish delicacy, our meal isn’t over without lagan nu custard. But this sagan ni sev has vermicelli cooked in ghee, cardamom powder, roasted nuts and mixed well in a sweet curd is a delight. This unique preparation, if compared to the sheer korma, is a drier version. 

Till: July 1
At: Masala Kraft, Taj Mahal Palace, Colaba
Time: 12:30 pm to 2:45 pm; 7 pm to 11:45 pm 
Call: 7506068014

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