Food to feast on

From soup and salad to dessert, here are recipes from The ZSM Cookbook that will please the palate and, what’s more, are easy to prepare. Parsiana is grateful to the Zoroastrian Stree Mandal of Secunderabad-Hyderabad for permission to share these recipes with our readers.

TOMATO AND RED BELL PEPPER SOUP
Serves 4
Tomatoes (400 g)
Red bell peppers (200 g)
Garlic (15-20 cloves)
Onion (1 – chopped)
Bay leaf (1)
Olive oil (1 tbsp)
Fresh cream (1 tbsp)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Heat oil and sauté chopped garlic and onions, add the bay leaf, chopped tomatoes and bell peppers. Fry for some time and then add some water and cook till the tomatoes and bell peppers are soft. Cool and purée. Strain soup and season with salt and pepper. Boil for a few minutes and serve garnished with a dollop of cream.

Armin Wadia

FETA CHEESE SALAD
Serves 4
Feta cheese/paneer (100 g – diced)
Extra virgin olive oil (3 tbsp)
Lemon juice (1¼ tbsp)
Garlic (1 clove – crushed fine)
Oregano (1 tsp)
Tomatoes (3 – cubed)
Cucumber (1 – peeled and cubed)
Onion (½ – sliced fine)
Green peppers (2 – cut into rings)
Black olives (12-15)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Make the salad dressing with the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well and keep aside.
In a bowl toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, onions, green peppers. Pour the dressing onto the vegetables and toss gently. In a pan heat some butter on a low flame and toss the feta cheese in it for a minute. Remove from the flame and cool thoroughly.
Garnish this Greek salad with the olives and feta cheese.
Serve with slices of garlic bread.
Pervize P. Nalladaru

BAKED EGG WITH SWEET CORN
Serves 4
Eggs (3)
Cream styled sweet corn (200 g)
Milk (¾ cup)
Capsicum (1½ – chopped)
Tomatoes (2 – seeds removed and chopped)
Green chilli (1 – chopped)
Coriander leaves (¼ bunch – chopped)
Chilli sauce (½ tbsp)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Cornflakes (crushed ½ tbsp)
Cheese (grated ½ tbsp)
Beat eggs and milk well. Add corn and the rest of the ingredients, except for the cornflakes and cheese. Pour into a well buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the cornflakes and cheese, dot with a little butter and bake at 350°F till golden brown and set.
Serve hot with tomato sauce.
Perin B. Dittia

CANNELLONI WITH VEGETABLES AND CHEESE SAUCE
Serves 6
Cannelloni tubular pasta (200 g)
Butter (2 tbsp)
Carrots (2 – sliced finely)
Cabbage (150 g – finely shredded)
Peas (100 g)
Celery stalks (2 – chopped)
Spring onions (4 – chopped finely)
Garlic chives (2 tbsp – chopped)
Malt vinegar (¾ tsp)
Soya sauce (1 tsp)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
For cheese sauce
Butter (75 g)
Flour (100 g)
Milk (400 ml)
Cheddar cheese (450 g – grated)
Sage leaves (4-5 – fried and crushed)
Salt, pepper and mustard (to taste)
Blanch vegetables and boil the pasta. Heat butter in a pan and quickly stir fry the vegetables till half done but crisp. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, vinegar and soya sauce. Mix well and keep aside.
For the cheese sauce, heat butter in a pan, add the flour and stir lightly for about two minutes, gradually adding milk stirring continuously, avoiding lumps. Add seasoning and stir well. Now add about 250 g of cheese and keep stirring till cheese melts.
To assemble, grease rectangular dish and place the cannelloni pasta with vegetable filling arranged in a row in the dish. Pour the cheese sauce over it, sprinkle the remaining cheese and fried sage leaves and bake for 10 minutes in a moderately hot oven.

Khoty Chenai

CHICKEN WITH CAPSICUM
Serves 6
Chicken (1 kg – boneless, cut into medium pieces)
Capsicum (350 g)
Vinegar (1½ tbsp)
Soya sauce (1 tbsp)
Garlic (1 whole pod)
Ginger-garlic paste (1½ tbsp)
Red chillies (2 – dry)
Egg whites (2)
Cornflour (2 tbsp)
Tomato sauce (2 tbsp)
Onions (4)
Oil (to fry)
Salt (to taste)
Remove skin from the chicken, clean, wash and cut into medium pieces. Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, soya sauce, vinegar and salt for one hour.
Cut the capsicum and onions into medium sized pieces and fry both lightly, separately in a little oil and keep aside.
Beat the egg whites to a froth and mix in a tbsp of cornflour. Heat oil in a kadai, dip the marinated chicken pieces in the egg white mixture and fry till golden brown and keep aside.
Now lightly fry finely chopped garlic and red chillies in a pan with a little oil. To this add ½ tsp vinegar, ½ tsp soya sauce and two tbsp tomato sauce and stir. Make a slurry with a tbsp of cornflour mixed with a little water and add to the simmering sauce to give it some thickness. Let this simmer for a few minutes and then add the fried chicken, onions and capsicum and toss for two-three minutes more. Serve hot with bread.

Piroja Hansotia

TUNA FISH BIRYANI
Serves 6
For the rice
Ghee (2 tbsp)
Onion (1 medium – chopped)
Cinnamon (1 stick)
Cloves (3)
Cardamom pods (6 – bruised)
Turmeric powder (1 tsp)
Basmati rice (3 cups)
Water (6 cups)
Salt (to taste)
For the koftas
Tuna (1 can – approximately 220 g)
Onion (1 large)
Garlic (6 cloves)
Green chillies (4)
Ginger (1’’ piece)
White bread (3 slices)
Lime (1)
Cornflour (2 tbsp)
Egg (1)
Salt (1 tbsp)
Oil (½ cup)
For the gravy
Coconut (1)
Hot water (2 cups)
Onion (1 – medium)
Ginger (1’’ piece)
Garlic (6 cloves)
Green chillies (2)
Coriander leaves (2 tbsp)
Tomatoes (2 small)
Turmeric powder (1 tsp)
Coriander powder (1 tsp)
Chilli powder (1 tsp)
Cumin powder (1 tsp)
Salt (to taste)
For assembling and garnish
Ghee (1 tbsp)
Onions (2 tbsp – fried)
Tomatoes (2 – cut into rings)
For the rice
Heat ghee and fry the chopped onion till transparent, add the spices, turmeric and rice. Fry for a few minutes until rice is coated with ghee. Add salt and water. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook till rice is done.
For the koftas
Drain and mash tuna. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, green chillies and ginger. Soak bread slices in tuna oil and a little water, squeeze out the liquid and add to tuna. Add juice of lime, cornflour, egg and salt. Mix well with a fork. Make 20 small balls. Heat oil and fry a few at a time till brown.
For the gravy
Grate coconut. Pour hot water over it and extract milk and keep aside. Grind to a paste the onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves.
Heat the oil in which tuna koftas were fried. Add ground paste and fry till light brown. Add chopped tomatoes and fry till oil separates.
Add all the dry masalas and stir for a minute. Add coconut milk and koftas. Let it simmer uncovered till gravy thickens.
For assembling
Grease a glass ovenproof dish with a little ghee. Remove spices from rice, fluff with a fork and spread one-third into the dish. Put half of the tuna balls and gravy over rice and cover with another layer of rice. Put the rest of the koftas and gravy in and top with the remaining rice. Cover and bake in oven (325°F or 180°C) for 20 minutes. Garnish with fried onions and tomato slices. Rashna D. Mistry

APRICOT BLANCMANGE
PUDDING
Serves 6
Apricots (½ kg)
Sugar (100 g)
Water (2½ cups)
Cinnamon powder (¼ tbsp)
For the Blancmange
Milk (3 cups)
Custard powder (4 tbsp)
Sugar (2 tbsp)
Butter (½ tbsp)
Soak apricots for a minimum of four hours. Pressure cook for two whistles and remove seeds. Add sugar and cook on slow fire until thickened. Stir and mash apricots. Add the cinnamon powder while cooling. Break open the seeds. Remove kernels, blanch them and keep aside.
Now make blancmange by cooking the custard powder, milk and sugar. When slightly thick, add the butter and pour into a mould. Refrigerate. When set, surround it with the stewed apricots and top with the blanched kernels.
Sherebanoo Kajani