The Big Fat Parsi Wedding

Growing up in Calcutta, the biggest treat for me was an invitation to a Bengali wedding. While I couldn’t care less about the wedding ceremony or the bride and the groom, the anticipation of the meal that was to follow almost had my heart pounding. And although I admit to exaggerating a little bit, the level of excitement that I felt was pretty damn high. It’s been more years than I care to think about, but I can never forget the rows of narrow wooden tables laid out with paper, dinner plates of banana leaves and the delectable courses of the most amazing dishes that were served to us.

But let me stop myself here because as you can tell from the headline, this piece isn’t about the big fat Bengali wedding.

Sadly I’ve never had the privilege of attending a Parsi wedding. So why, you may ask, am I writing about something that I know pretty much nothing about. Or you could just read on and have your question answered.

Spento Cooper and his lovely wife Annie, owners of the Turquoise restaurants in Bangalore, have carefully hidden on the menu of their Indian restaurant, a 5 course Parsi wedding meal for two. When I saw that, my heart began to poun .... oh shut up already!! But seriously, I could not wait to try it. And there was no reason to (wait) of course.

So one evening, with gnawing pangs of hunger, I made my way towards the restaurant, ready to, in technical terms ‘pig out’. For those of you that haven’t been to Turquoise, you really should go, especially if you live in Bangalore. With two floors, one hosting European cuisine and the other Indian, the warmth of the restaurant immediately grabs your attention with carefully selected upholstery, comfortable seating, a large bar and very pretty lighting that change colors.

By the way, Spento turns into the head chef when it comes to serving Parsi cuisine at the restaurant and having got to know him a little bit by now, I could tell that he was fidgety! My growling stomach was making me somewhat fidgety myself. Settling myself down with a glass of wine, I was now completely ready to be served massive quantities of food.

Our meal began with the Marghi na farcha, batter fried chicken in masala paste. It was a decent way to begin, but in retrospect was the least favorite part of the meal for me. Unless you’re a big fan of chicken, my recommendation would be to get it packed and save your appetite for the dishes that follow.

Patra ni macchi or fish marinated in coriander chuttney and steamed inside a banana leaf was our second course. The authentic recipe calls for a pomfret fish, which is the way I had always eaten it. This time however, we had the basa version. The chuttney was delicately flavored with a hint of sweetness, not taking anything away from the natural taste of the fish. With the marinade being as good as it was, I didn’t miss the pomfret.

It was time for the salli boti, a dark brown, boneless lamb stew like dish with complex flavors of apricots and balsamic vinegar among a list of other ingredients. The boneless pieces of lamb simply melted in the mouth and the gravy was stunning. Although it came accompanied with a wheat rumali roti, I asked for a khasta roti to soak into the sauce, shamelessly licking my fingers at the end.

Completely full by now, I was wondering how I would get through the next two courses. Our final savory course was the famous Parsi dhansak, which Spento referred to as the mutton palau dal. The mutton cooked in flavorful rice, was served with a smooth daal and kachumber/salad on the side. Throwing caution to the wind, I dug into my plate as if it were the first course, overcome by the aroma and unaware of my lack of appetite. And since the plan was to pig out, I even treated myself to a second helping!

The dessert course came with two kinds of custards. The Lagan nu custard, a traditional home-made dessert with charoli nuts and an orange flan, both absolutely beautiful.

It was time to leave and I felt like I would have to be carried out of the restaurant. On the verge of food coma, I remember not getting hungry until late evening the next day. Which was a good thing for several reasons, one of which was that the taste of the meal lingered for a long while!

Two things to remember if you decide to get the Lagan nu Patru or the Parsi wedding meal at the Turquoise. Please give them at least a 24 hour notice. And even more importantly, bring a large appetite with you.