Recipe contributed by Farideh Dotivala
Farideh is a speech and drama teacher who loves having delicious food. She loves experimenting in the kitchen, which is why she subconsciously also married a chef. Farideh is now hoping to pass on this same fondness for food to her sons.
Along with our Dhansak, I don’t know of a single Parsi who doesn’t relish our signature Gosht & Kebab Pulao. Served on all special occasions such as birthdays, new years and weddings, this is one recipe that every Bawi Bride must master.
I have very fond memories of making this signature Gosht & Kebab Pulao with my mum and elder sisters. For us, the preparations used to start two days before the Pulao was to be eaten as in those days we even used to make the yogurt at home – half for the mutton to marinate in and the other half to make a yummy raita to serve with the pulao.
I still remember the milk always coming in double the needed quantity on the days we had to make the yogurt. As a small child, I would perpetually forget to watch over the boiling milk which would then overflow and lead to “double kaam” for mummy and no leftover kebabs from the pulao for me.
A day before the pulao was to be eaten, mummy would order fresh mutton from her local butcher and then supervise the cutting of the pieces at the door. I would be tasked with cleaning the mutton while my mom or sisters used the mixer grinder to make the pulao masala. If I think about it, I don’t know, what I used to look forward to more, cooking this Pulao with my mum or having it with my family.
In those days we didn’t have onion choppers, so cutting the onions was the last thing either of us wanted to do. Everything used to be done, but the poor onions were always left. Mum would wait to see if any of us would volunteer but in the end she would end up cutting them herself. We used to cook this Pulao a lot during winters as it was a wholesome dish to be had, especially when the chilled raita was added to the hot hot rice.
Of all Parsi recipes, this one is my favourite as it has all the ingredients I love – rice, meat, potatoes and eggs. When all these get together I get my favourite Gosht & Kebab Pulao. In fact, if we have any friends coming over to our place, they openly tell me to only cook this for dinner and not even bother with any other dish.
More than the taste however, for me the joy is in the memories associated with making this Pulao. As a mom, I am now trying to share the same joy with my sons. Much to my surprise, they too enjoy helping me out in the kitchen! I hope you enjoy this signature recipe and make some Pulao at your home too.
This post is part of my ongoing series on the blog, the A to Z of Parsi Food which has been curated in collaboration with Parsi food enthusiasts globally. For more interesting recipes follow the hashtag #AtoZChallenge mentioned below.
Need to order good parsi food. Like sali boti, patrani machi, dhansak…
Sure – you can always check out our menu on http://www.bawibride.kitchen .I’d love the opportunity to feed you!