The motto of the series is "a food for every occasion, and an occasion for every food."
In my fourth book, The Route to Parsi Cooking, I reflect on the series as a whole and hope that this completes my compendium of Parsi recipes. I began this collection to preserve and revive this ancestral cuisine for our future generations, and raise awareness of our existence in the culinary world. The selection of dishes covers food history, traditions, culture, and discussions about how we seamlessly weave and merge customs and meals. The motto of the series is “a food for every occasion, and an occasion for every food.”
After introducing the world to Parsi cooking with The Art of Parsi Cooking, adding the favorites that all Parsis eat with Food Across Borders, and demonstrating that Parsis eat vegetables with The Vegetarian Parsi, it was time to talk about where we came from, where we are now, and what the future holds for Parsi cuisine.
Photographs can be what sells a recipe. Pictures that depict the real food tell a story that cooks love, as they find it comforting and reassuring enough to attempt.
Writing a recipe is more difficult than cooking because everything must be properly measured, and accuracy is crucial. Testing is fun, and my varied friends were the tasters, from non-cooks to fabulous cooks, gourmets, and gourmands. Make sure you have a few honest friends in each group to keep it real.
Self-publishing is about taking on a huge challenge, working hard to create opportunities, and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you.
Traditional publishing means working hard as an author and handing your work over to professionals to create, print, and market on your behalf, keeping the lion’s share of the income. Self-publishing is about taking on a huge challenge, working hard to create opportunities, and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you. While distribution is the biggest hurdle, having a strong social media presence helps take care of the marketing.
Taking a leap of faith is possible if you envision your dream and believe in it. Dream about it passionately. Visualize it with your eyes closed and open. I know I have been lucky, and sometimes luck favors those who persevere.
Tamota Ma Gos (Parsi Tomato and Meat Stew)
Tamota Ma Gos, Parsi tomato and meat stew, is one of the most popular ma gos. The tomatoes soften, absorbing the meaty aromas and creating a lovely broth from the bones. The tikkhu-khattu-mitthu (spicy-sour-sweet) has an excellent balance, and potatoes add to the flavor and thicken the gravy. The sauce is rich, and the fresh tomato chunks are soft and lightly sweetened with jaggery* to cut the acidity.
Tamota ma gos is the Parsi version of macaroni ma gos, a traditional Persian ground meat and macaroni dish regarded as comfort food. The Persian version is cooked in a pot that transforms it into a characteristic upturned tahdig dish with a crusty bottom! Parsis substitute potato for the pasta, allowing the stew to be served with a thick gravy. It is eaten with or without bread, but roti is a delicious accompaniment.
*Editor’s note: You can find top-quality jaggery, a new poduct at Burlap & Barrel. The jaggery starts with fresh cane, juiced and boiled down to a syrup in traditional iron pots, clarified using wild okra, and then whipped by hand to produce light, crunchy crystals. (We may occasionally endorse selected products that we use in our own kitchens, but we may earn some coffee money from your purchase.)
Ingredients
- •1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- •1 kg (2.2 lbs) bone-in lamb, mutton, or goat
- •2 teaspoons crushed fresh ginger
- •2 teaspoons crushed garlic
- •1½ teaspoons salt
- •1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- •1 teaspoon red chili powder
- •2 green chillies, finely chopped
- •1 kg (2.2 lbs) fresh tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped
- •355 ml (1½ cups) fried onions, crushed
- •500 g (1.1 lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
- •50 g (2 oz) jaggery or brown sugar*
- •Roti, for serving
Preparation
- Heat the oil, add the meat, and brown it all over. Add the ginger, garlic, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Stir until aromatic. Add the green chillies, tomatoes, and onions.
Stir in 237 ml (1 cup) water. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, and then add the potatoes and jaggery.
Continue to cook, covered, until the potatoes are soft and tender and the gravy is thick and glossy, about 45 more minutes. Serve hot with warm, fresh, warm roti.
