Dhaan Saag

Parsis in India? There are none I say. I mean there are no authentic Parsis in India. They are a mix of the Persians, the Gujratis and the British.

 

So where shall I put you Dev? I guess in a place very unique –

 

- A rebel in the Parsi community

- A Hindu and yet not really Hindu

- A pandit, who could put any pujari to shame

- A Gujarati, only in speech

- An Englishman, as and when you desired to be

- A strictly religious person, without a religion

- Spiritual? Well……Maybe….maybe not….definitely….certainly not….absolutely….eeerr (doubt sign)

 

Name: Pervez alias Bonzo alias Swami Krishna alias Puran alias Devashish alias, Julia’s Dev

Caste: None

Community: BengaliParsi

 

And this is the place very unique – BengaliParsi , a category unique to only you. A Bengali for being my love and a Parsi for the love of your Mummy’s Dhaan Saag

 

Khara Mutton

 

Ingredients:

Mutton – 1 kg washed and cleaned

Onions – 2 whole

Garlic – 2 pieces

Ginger – ½ inch piece

Green Chilies – 4

Red Chillie – 2

White oil 6 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Haldi 1 teaspoon

Water 1 litre or as required

 

Method:

 

Grind the onions, garlic, ginger, red and green chilies to a paste.  

Place a pressure cookeron fire. Heat. Put three spoons of oil and heat. Put the mutton in the cookerand sorte till the mutton changes colour and fries up slightly. Close cooker and cook till done. Usually, after the first whistle, another fifteen minutes in slow fire is enough to cook the mutton. Open cooker immediately after by releasing the pressure through the whistle. Once done, stir and place in a serving bowl. Cover the bowl and keep aside.

 

Dhaan Saag Daal

 

Ingredients:

Masur, Mung, Tur and Channa Daal – 200 gms in even measures

Onions – 2 whole

Jeera ¼th teaspoon

Dhanya ¼th teaspoon

Chillie powder ¼th teaspoon

Large Elachi – 2

Dalchini (flower and stick two pieces of each)

Clove 4

Haldi ½ spoon

Brinjal 250 gms

Red pumpkin 150 gms

Tomato 4

White oil 1 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Water ½ litre or as required

 

Method:

 

Wash and clean all the daals and vegetables and cook together under pressure. Once done, mix and mesh them together till they form an even thick collection. Put aside.

 

Cut the onions finely into very thin slices. Fry in a pan till they are golden brown. Grind jeera, dhanya, chillie, one elaichi, dalchini and clove together to a fine paste. Cut tomatoes to thin slices.

 

Take a pan and add two tablespoons of oil in it. Heat over fire. Add whole one elaichi. Stir and add the rest of the ground masala to it and fry till the oil leaves the sides of the pan. Add the tomatoes and let the masala simmer in low fire. Now place the daal on the fire again and add the masala and the onions that have already been fried. Allow the daal to simmer. You may now add the khara mutton in it and stir till it has all become one whole delicious daal. Your dhaan saag (meaning, dhaan – rice; saag – the vegetable daal) is ready to eat. Place in a serving bowl.

 

Brown rice

Ingredients: (For 4 servings)

Plain rice – ½ kg washed and cleaned

Onions – 4 whole

Jeera ½ teaspoon

Large elaichis 2

White oil 2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Jaggery small piece

Water ½ litre or as required

 

Method:

 

Cut the onions finely into very thin slices. In a pan fry them till they are golden brown. Keep aside.

 

Take a pan and add two tablespoons of oil in it. Heat over fire. Add the jeera and elaichi. Stir and add rice to it.  .  Add salt and a bit of jaggery in order to brown the rice. Cook the rice till it is ¾th done. Do not use a pressure cooker. Cook over plain fire, adding a little water bit by bit. Once done, cover it and let it cook in its own steam. Now place in a serving bowl. Spread the fried onions over the rice evenly and cover the bowl and keep aside.

 

Kachumbar Salad

Tomatoes 3

Onions 3

Green Chillies 2 (optional)

Cucumber 2 medium sized

Dhanya (Kothmir) patta

Juice of half a lemon 

Salt to taste

Pinch of sugar

 

Cut the above finely. Mix in a bowl. Add salt to taste and a pinch of sugar. Spread the Dhanya (Kothmir) patta over and above it.

 

Get ready! Lay out your table and enjoy your Dhaan Saag with its accompanying kachumbar salad.