Cook like Mary

Last year Adi Narielwala handed his godchild Nicole Mody a tattered red book Inside was a collection of over 100 recipes which includes magazine cutouts typed chits and scribbles These belonged to his mother Mary who took her kitchen very seriouslyIn the 1960s the Narielwalas a Mumbaibased Parsi family hosted a lot of dinners the recipes were sourced from Jeroo Mehtas iconic 101 Parsi Recipes and Time and Talents Cookbook magazines and family From menus prepared during Adis End of Term Lunch the lunch they hosted after Adis end term in school Lunch with Shirin Gooloo and Shapoor and Buffet Dinner for Building Party Mary has meticulously made notes to ensure that dishes were never repeated when the same guests visited unless they requested to have something they had enjoyedLast August Narielwala launched From The Table of Mary S Narielwala A Perspective on Parsi Cooking Spenta Multimedia which Mody has compiled and edited The book is not just a compilation of recipes but gives a glimpse into the world of Parsi homes It is peppered with interesting trivia For instance one had to be fully dressed to sit at a family table for a meal Parsi food works on khaatu meethu and tukkhu sour sweet and spicy a Gujarati version of the Western tenet salt fat acid but better Our food also has European British and Goan influences explains Mody The Portuguese influence came from the Goan cooks who made Goan curry fried fishThe book collates appetisers pies and bakes mains and desserts There is wafer per eedu malagatawny soup to chicken and ham pie and a Moghlai pillau that serves 20 people For the latter we have retained the recipe as is and not reduced the portion size Interestingly the dish requires use of coconut milk which I found to be weird in a pillau but it tasted delicious says Mody who roped in her brother Darius Madon a sous chef at Tres Ind They tried out every recipe before it went into the book The dish that made Adi uncle pick up the phone and call me was quiche lorain He said it tasted just like mum made it says ModyWhile the dhansak involves grinding the masala from scratch the puff pastries and desserts are elaborate I have mentioned in the book that since it is a home chefs book the consistency each time you make it can vary For example if one uses old tamarind the gravy would be darker if they use green tomatoes the shade would change again says Mody As she heads to the kitchen she picks up an elephantprinted apron and hands us one to play sous chef We are ready to dish out the chicken and macaroni bake We are excited to try it out as Marys tomato sauce has a secret addition of bacon and her tip to beat egg white and egg yolk separately promises to make it fluffierChicken and macaroni bake1 For the sauce Mody adds chopped tomatoes ginger onion red and green chillies and bacon She pours in four cups of water and lets it simmer for 20 minutes before blending it In another pan she takes a slice of butter and mixes in flour to make a roux that we add to the sauce so that it thickens2 The bake dish requires a lot of small preparations that lead to the final layering She begins by separating the rind from the bacon making a mixture of milk and mustard and boiling the eggs and macaroni In a pan she fries the bacon potatoes and square pieces of boiled eggs3 In a deep dish we scatter the macaroni potatoes eggs bacon pieces and chicken that has been cooked in the red and green chillies We pour in the mustard milk and top it with the sauce4 She adds a thick blanket of grated cheese to this slathering the dish with a mixture of egg white and yolk that was beaten separately I realised it gives a better rise says Mody5 Before closing the oven door Nicole throws in a few dollops of butter to give the final dish an airy souffle rise and brownish textureCooking tipsGive bread and butter custards a delicious flavour by beating up banana or a few drops of lemon with eggs and sugarAdd a drop of cold water to egg whites before whisking they will froth betterRub salt on your fingers when cleaning fowl meat as it prevents your hands from slippingCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates