PATRA NI MACHHI - A PARSI FISH DELIGHT BY SOUMYASHREE CHATTERJEE

IMAGE CREDIT: ANINDO GHOSH

India is a huge melting point of cultures, spicy Bengal hot Andhra, sour Gujarat is cooked on the ghee of Punjab to give you an offering that is delectable and unique in the fact that each element holds its own yet blends in with every other to make India what she is.

One of the unique communities of India are the Parsis, a community which is Indian by nationality but distinctly unique in terms of their religious, behavioural and cultural practises. A community that is slowly dying to the extent that it risks losing the distinction of becoming a community and be denoted as a tribe, parsis are fiercely communal to the extent that they try to maintain the purity of their bloodline by promoting intra community marriages.

The story of the Parsis in India is traced in the Qissa-i-Sanjan, and is speculated to have started around the 8^th century and traces the first permanent settlers of immigrants from Greater Khorasan into coastal Gujarat and founded the city of Sanjan, named in memory of their city of origin. The assimilation of the parsis into the Indian mix began with this settlement, which was allowed by the local prince under 3 distinct terms whereby the settlers were prohibited to carry any arms, the women were to  take up the local dressing of the saris, and the local Gujarati language would become their own. It is thus that we find the dialect of the parsis to be of gujarati even today, though the concentration of the community today has shifted to what is known as greater Mumbai. Thus a settler community fleeing religious persecution from Muslim conquerors established an oasis following the principles of Zoroastrianism in India. The early Parsis were predominantly agricultural, but the advent of the britishers, particularly the ascendency of the east India company established a new milestone in the history of this community.

One of the first to imbibe the British education system, they were able to reap the benefits of it as being able to set up an identity for themselves as distinct and comparable to the Europeans. In 1702 Rustom Maneck became the first broker of the East India Company, and established the infrastructure by which the principal mercantile business shifted into the hands of the parsi community. This also established their settlement from Gujarat to Mumbai.

Like most elements of the culture the cuisine of the community is also distinct and draws from elements of their origin. The Parsi food holds origins from its Persian descent along with an amalgamation of the local gujarati flavours. Eating of vegetables was traditionally looked down as poor man’s food. But today there is a greater acceptance and assimilation of vegetables in the mix. Not only unique in the taste but also of name, parsi food is a delectable mix. So whether you are having kachumber salad, Chicken Farcha or Dhansak, not only are you going to get an exotic dish, but something that will sound as exotic.

Today I will take you peeping into a parsi kitchen and the dish of choice will be a Patra Ni Machee. This is essentially a fish dish that can be had as a main with rice or a side, and a dish where a fish is marinated with spices and then cooked by steaming wrapped in banana leaves. The Bengali Macher Paturi is a dish that is similar though that one is mustard based one while this is a greener mix.

As always the journey starts with gathering of ingredients and we will need the following for a preparation catering 4 people:

Pomfret Fillet – 8

Coconut scraped – ½ cup

1 table spoon cooking oil

Garlic Cloves 6-8

Lemon Juice – 4 table spoon

Salt to taste

Green Chillies – 4

Banana leaves cut out – 8

Cumin seeds – 3 tea spoon

1 bunch coriander leaves

1 bunch mint leaves

The key to the dish is in preparation constituting the preparation of the marinate, marination and the leaves in which we will wrap the fish for cooking.

To begin with grind together coriander, mint, cumin seeds, green chillies, salt, lemon juice, garlic cloves, oil & coconut to smooth chutney. Now cut the fish into 2 pieces after removing the head. Wash and pat dry the fish pieces. Marinate the fish pieces with the green chutney. Cut the banana leaves in rectangular pieces big enough to wrap around the fish into parcels.

To begin cooking place the marinated fish in the centre of each banana leaf piece. Fold the banana leaves to make a parcel. Secure the parcel with a toothpick. Place the parcel in a steamer and cook each side for ten minutes. The patra ni machi or fish in leaves is ready to be served.

But before you begin cooking do remember my mother’s best kept secret for any special cooking. When you are cooking anything special do remember that it’s for someone special or for a special occasion, so add a dash of your best smile and more than even helping of your warm love to the cooking. The dish will taste that much yummy and enjoyable. So roll up your sleeves cook and Bon appétit.