Care for some homemade bhonu?

These caterers dish out Parsi food and connect with clients through Facebook to keep their culture alive. Of course, fulfilled burps and sighs of satisfaction are always welcome

When Mumbai resident Meherzad Munsaf visited Navsari to meet his to-be wife Naynaz last year, little did he know that they'd end up being business partners too. The 31 year-old former food and beverages manager of a city five star hotel was "floored with her cooking" and after Naynaz shifted to Mumbai, friends and family would routinely compliment her food.

Naynaz Munsaf serves delicacies like Gosht na Kebab (mutton kebab, left),
Salli par Eedu (egg on wafer, below) and Tatreli Marghi (a chicken dish).
Pics/Prathik Panchamia

"They'd eat the Bhaji Dana nu Gosht and it would take them back 30 years to what their mothers used to make," says Munsaf. "We decided to start a catering service that introduced non-Parsi communities to 'real' and 'authentic'u00a0 Parsi cuisine," says Munsaf, pointing to a lack of fine dining restaurants that serve Parsi cuisine in the suburbs. The couple are looking to open one in the coming months.

But for now, their catering service occupies most of their time, and all the space in their Mahim apartment. What's more, the couple haven't hired any help, so while Munsaf pitches in by buying the veggies every day ("there's no counting the kilos of onions I pick up," he says), and his mother lends a hand to grind the spices ("all the spices come from Navsari in Gujarat and we make the masalas at home," adds Naynaz), the dishes are made by Naynaz.

Their catering service, called Nooshe Jan (which means Bon Appetit in Farsi), receives an average ofu00a0 45 orders a week, and double that amount over the weekend. Isn't that a lot of work? "No," says Naynaz, simply. "I usually finish my cooking in the morning. I'm very quick," adds the 34 year old, who grew up assisting her mother and grandmother in preparing all types of Parsi dishes, snacks and pickles.

Steamed Mutton Kebabs

"Navsari is a small town. Over there, we make everything from bhakras to fish roe pickle at home." With that sort of training, it's little wonder that Naynaz's food has the old-world taste, which says Munsaf, is Nooshe Jan's USP.

Patrons can browse through the menu on a Facebook page. The Munsafs take party orders, corporate high tea bookings, and sandwich parties for between five to 50 people.

They have a smaller menu for the weekend. But for the rest of the week, there are egg dishes, starters, sandwiches, and desserts as well, besides Dhansak and Patra ni Machhi signature dishes. They have a small vegetarian menu, and none of their non-vegetarian dishes use beef or pork. Starting this weekend, they will unveil a new weekly menu for their month-long Parsi food festival.u00a0

Not too long ago, they ran a competition on Facebook, challenging people to find a place that serves a fish as big as the pomfret they serve in their Pattra ni Machhi. No one could, beams Munsaf.

Driven by a similar desire to introduce people to Parsi culture, 47 year-old Malcolm Watcha recently entertained two guests from Hawai, who had come to India as culinary tourists. He took them to the different baugs, the Parsi General Hospital and the Tower of Silence, and on their final day in India, he cooked a special Parsi meal for them.

Only, in this case, the former flight attendant, who takes Continental, Thai, and Italian cuisine classes at his Mahim residence, used non-traditional ingredients like basil pesto sauce, parmesan cheese and olive oil in his Patra ni Machhi and prawns in his pulao.

For Watcha, such experimentation comes naturally. Having travelled to Europe several times on work, Watcha picked up tidbits from different cuisines. Back home, he has been teaching 40 courses on desserts, Italian, Continental and Thai cuisine, fish preparations, cheescake, muffin, tea time cakes, sandwiches, salads and soups, for the past two years.

He began catering last year. Given the number of western dishes Watcha prepares, it's only expected that his Lagan nu Custard and bread pudding have a dash of brandy with brown sugar caramel sauce, and his Chicken Farcha, a cheddar cheese filling.

"I use a lot of herbs that are not traditionally used in Parsi cuisine. For instance, I use paprika instead of red chilli powder," says Watcha, who doesn't take orders for less than 10 people.

As his dishes became popular, Watcha created a Facebook page called Malcolm Watcha Food Affairs, where patrons can contact him. His Parsi cuisine orders include Kid Gosht, Mutton Pulao, Dhansak, Cheesy Chicken Farcha, and bread pudding.

"All cuisines lend themselves to experimentation, you just have to be imaginative," he adds. Rashna Maneckshaw, a graduate from the J J School of Applied Art with a major in photography, launched her catering service Bhonu two months ago, partly due to peer pressure.

"Friends of my children said I better open something soon, so I did," laughs the 57 year-old, who takes only three orders a day, and recently switched to catering a fixed weekly menu instead of taking customised orders.
"My daughter even started a Facebook page for me," she says. Maneckshaw puts up the weekly menu on Facebook, and patiently refuses those who insist for Mutton Dhansak on days she doesn't make it. But to keep them from being too disappointed, Maneckshaw also prepares a weekly special that changes every week. Two weeks ago, it was Patra ni Machhi. Next week, it'll be a cheesy pasta with a cold salad.

Call Rashna Maneckshaw onu00a0 9867589828; Malcolm Watcha on 9920088419; and Naynaz and Meherzad Munsaf: 9819988209 or 9167399898

Recipe corner

Walnut pesto Patra ni Macchi

Here's how Malcolm Watcha makes his European style Patra ni Machhi.

Ingredients:
4-5 pieces of Pomfret.
1/2u00a0cup coriander leaves with stem and root.
1/2u00a0cup tightly packed basil leaves.
1 tsp garlic paste + 2 green chillies.
1 tbsp pine nuts andu00a0 2 tbsp walnuts toasted.
2 tbsp parmesan cheese.
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
Banana leaves and string.

Method:
Powder the toasted pine nuts and walnuts. Grind coriander, basil leaves, garlic, chillies, powdered nuts, parmesan cheese, olive oil in a mixer to a paste. Clean the banana leaves and brush some oil. Rub the fish pieces with some salt and pepper and place on leaf. Cover with pesto and wrap each piece like a parcel, by tying it with the string. Steam over boiling water with a tablespoon of vinegar for 15-20 minutes. Turn once during the cooking process.

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